El Peine del Viento (Comb of the Wind), the masterpiece of sculptor Eduardo Chillida, gives magic and inspiration to its visitors. Check out more of Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, in Basque Country.

Photos from Lanpernas 2.0, xarma, amaiak00, stellar112, lotura, sakatubotoia and Lucio José Martínez González.

The Library of Congress is uploading magnificent photochromes of Italy from the late 1800s and early 1900s to The Commons. Please take a trip through time with these ink-based photolithographs; we’d love to see your stories about them in the photos’ comments.

A fun thing to do with these historic photochroms is to find “now” photos that match up the “then photos. If you find good pairs, please be sure to let us know in the Flickr Commons group.

Photos from the Library of Congress and by cavalierelatino and Philippe_28.

There are billions of photos on Flickr, which is a whole lotta pretty to look at. But, if you’re a budding photographer, how do you get noticed? And, if you’re looking to use an image for your work, blog, ad campaign or more, how do you find just the right one and make sure you have the appropriate rights to use it?

Starting today in the Flickrverse, Flickr members and visitors can work with each other through a new program with Getty Images called “Request to License”. We’ve built this program on the success of our launch of the Flickr Collection on Getty Images just over one year ago.

So, how does it work? Under the Additional Information heading on your public photo pages you’ll see a “Want to license” link. Only you see this link. Visitors to your photos won’t.

Clicking the link will take you to your settings page where you can decide if you’d like to join the “Request to License” program. Choose the option that best suits your needs and “Save” to remove the “Want to license” notice from your page. If you join, visitors to your public photo pages will see a Request to License link.

When a prospective licensee sees an image marked for license, they can click on the link and be put in touch with a representative from Getty Images who will help handle details like permissions, releases and pricing. Once reviewed, the Getty Images editors will send you a FlickrMail to request to license your work, either for commercial or editorial usage. The decision to license is always yours.

Ready to join? Go to your account settings or any of your photo pages. If you’re not interested in seeing this on your photo pages you can also turn it off. Get the full scoop in our Getty Images FAQ. If you have feedback let us know in this Forum thread.

Excited to see it in action? Take a look at these photographers who have already joined the program: pyrokinetic, ryanmcginnis, gracie’s ephemera, Pink Sherbert Photography, Jeff Clow, njekaterina and pixability.

P.S. We recently added the 100,000th photo to the Flickr Collection on Getty Images, (shown above), high fives all around!

Photo from Caco Vaccaro.

The World Cup 2010 is happening in South Africa right now. Get to know the country outside the stadiums in photos: its natural beauty and wildlife, peoples, wineries, industry, architecture and diversity.

Photos by babasteve, Hans & Liek, kiriakos.roussopoulos, Quantum Theory, paulperton, dan.rich77 and Lola.K.

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Be sure to check out photos from World Cup 2010 in South Africa here and here.

Photos by sl-fotografie, andryn2006, azeta46, Lauren Barkume and Island Chic.

Join us in welcoming the Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County to the Commons on Flickr. They join us with a comprehensive selection of sets depicting historic life in their region, replete with photochroms and a wealth of J.A. French’s photographs from the late 1880s.

Keene is the largest town in Cheshire County, located in the southwest corner of New Hampshire, USA. It is home to Mount Monadnock, one of the most climbed mountains in the world, which used to be frequented by Thoreau and Emerson. Marvel at Aerial & “Overlook” photos, Bridges of Keene & Cheshire County, Hurricanes, Floods, and Storms, Scenic Views and the Blizzard of 1888.

The Commons exists to show you hidden treasures in the world’s public photography archives and how your input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer. You’re invited to help describe the photographs you discover here, either by adding tags or leaving comments.

Photos from the Keene Public Library and the Historical Society of Cheshire County.

Please join us in welcoming Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur (The Reykjavík Museum of Photography) to The Commons on Flickr! The Reykjavík Museum of Photography is situated downtown Reykjavík, Iceland, in the same building as the Reykjavík City Library and the Reykjavík City Archives; their collection includes impressive historic photography.

They launch with a collection of photographs by Magnús Ólafsson: the renown Reykjavík photographer.

… His pictures make an important contribution to how Icelanders perceive their city. Ólafsson´s photos span the first three decades of the 20th century. These are photographs that shift between documentary and fairytale, and provide a unique insight into a vanished world. … Magnús was a man of action and conviction, a pioneer who realised that he was living through a period of upheaval, and succeeded in preserving a part of that time for posterity.. – The Reykjavík Museum of Photography

The key goals of The Commons are to firstly show you hidden treasures in the world’s public photography archives and secondly to show how your input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer. You’re invited to help describe the photographs you discover here, either by adding tags or leaving comments.

Photos from Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur / The Reykjavík Museum of Photography.

Join the movement in the Octopus on yo head group.

Photos from .w.e.l.c.o.m.e._.h.o.m. e., StephsShoes, toricore▲, knittingskwerlgurl, SFKelly, JKG Pro, Mark64, and Lucky-V (away).

NASA Goddard Photo and Video is celebrating the kickoff of World Cup action with a great set, FIFA World Cup consisting of a series of images representing countries who are participating in the action. Enjoy the games in a different way!

In celebration of opening day of the 2010 World Cup, the Commons celebrates with a set of historic soccer images from the Nationaal Archief. We look forward to seeing your contemporary World Cup photos this year, but for now, enjoy a taste of yesteryear!

Photos from the Nationaal Archief.