Your best photos of the week, January 11, 2019

"Bombali Amputee Football Association team captain Mohamad intercepts the ball mid-flight, showing off his athleticism and resilience..." writes Your Shot photographer Chris Parkes. "The decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone was witness to horrifying deliberate amputations by rebel forces. Out of this grew amputee communities and amputee football teams."

Your Shot photographer Ashish Mahobia took this image of kabbas, the holy rats in the Karni Mata Hindu temple in Rajasthan, India. This temple is known as "The Temple of Rats.."

Your Shot photographer Alahattin Kanlıoğlu took this image of a swimmer while at the Izmir Aegean University Olympic swimming pool in Izmir, Turkey.

Your Shot photographer Win Magsino made this sunrise image at the Painted Ladies landmark in San Francisco, California.

Ndeye Diop, center, and her daughters sit for a portrait by Your Shot photographer Edrece Stansberry. Diop and her family are from Senegal, Africa and are currently living in the United States.

Your Shot photographer Georgia Tsoukalas made this image of a Volkswagon Beetle while walking her dog in Athens, Greece.

Your Shot photographer Alexandra Revenge captured this equine portrait on the beaches of Hartlepool, England.

"I've been waiting for this day for nearly a year," writes Your Shot photographer Anton Gorlin about this location in Sydney, Australia. "Last year I missed a day when the sun was in the right spot. The sun is in position only for a short period of time."

"On January 1st, 2019, we make it very early to the Lancelin back beach," writes Your Shot photographer Gloria Salgado Gispert. "It is not difficult to wake early when the sun is shining at 6 a.m. It's beautiful to see all the western Australian families, celebrating the first day of the year on this beautiful beach."

Your Shot photographer Felix Bilani captured this unique view of a bird as it takes flight.

"Being a big cat girl, this was the highlight of my trip to Central Serengeti," writes Your Shot photographer Molly McCormick. "These little furballs are the absolute cutest and seeing them interact with the rest of the pride was incredible. They are very loud when mum and the rest of the lionesses are present, but once they leave to go hunt the cubs quietly hide in the tall grass and wait for their return."

A horseman checks on the Bactrian camels during their 150 kilometre migration in western Mongolia. "They know the route and are often leading the way by a good hour or two ahead of the rest of the livestock," writes Your Shot photographer Alessandra Manzotti. "They do not need to be herded and can travel without food for a very long time. They are the powerhouses of the migration."

Two individuals argue on either side of an American flag while others take photos during the 'We the People Rally' in support of conservative causes at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in November, 2018. Your Shot photographer Erin Blewett writes that this photo is "A literal and metaphorical representation of the divisive political climate that is consuming the United States of America."

The photographs presented that night will feature 30+ women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities," writes Your Shot photographer Briana Gardener. "Wearing absolutely no make-up and in outfits styled to match the tone of their skin, the women will combat unhealthy beauty standards by celebrating their so-called 'flaws,' proving that beauty is no one colour, size, or shape, and that true empowerment is much deeper than the skin. Posing together, these women will celebrate the strength that lies in community and the power that lies in unity."

Your Shot photographer Mae Burke captured this moment as women smile together while on a spring break mission trip to Rockport, Texas.

"I captured this picture while the man was tying his turban. I already prepared in my mind that I have to capture the moment he looks into the camera and I will take the photograph," writes Your Shot photographer Ishaan Kumar.

Your Shot photographer Chinelle Rojas writes that she made this "reflective self portrait of my 2018 journey to embrace myself, my hair, and my blackness."

Your Shot photographer Prelena Soma Owen photographed this moment between a mother elephant and her calf at Etosha, Namibia.

A trio of the oceans predators patrol the sandy banks of Tiger Beach in the Bahamas," writes Your Shot photographer Shane Keena. "The endangered Great Hammerhead comes in for a close fly-by while Caribbean reef sharks circle above and behind. Contrary to what the media portrays these keystone species as, they are quite the opposite. They are not mindless killing machines nor man eaters. These animals very much have personalities and must be protected."