Since we have a long weekend ahead of us, we’ve got a special Thursday edition of Friday Links for you. Don’t forget to join us next Wednesday for our July happy hour at The Brixton on U Street.

• Yes, of course there’s a Google “Sheep” view.
• The incredible Tuesday night storm woke most of us up around the D.C. area. Here’s what the non-stop lightning looked like in this 5-minute timelapse by Kaitlin Walsh.
• Selfie enthusiasts rejoice: The White House has lifted its photography ban.
• New York Times staff photographer Ruth Fremson takes a look back at the women — and men — who helped open the door for female photographers.
• What happened to the 9-year-old girl smoking in Mary Ellen Mark’s photo? NPR found out.
• Australia’s Great Barrier Reef gets a health check-up from UNESCO.
• Enter your best street photography into this new contest by Acuity Press. Deadline August 11.
• Exposed pal Brian Mosley, whose spectacular fireworks photographs have won our annual contest more than once (including last year), gives his advice on how to take your own.
• From Tornado Alley to the Midwest, photographer Jody Miler races across America chasing supercell storms that spawn tornadoes.
• Wedding photographer slips and falls, still snaps shot on the way down. The range of reactions in the subjects’ faces is priceless.
• A Phoenix man creepily hacked into a security camera in an unknown town to create a photo series called “The New Town.”
• Primordial Landscapes: Iceland Revealed is a collaborative exhibit by a photographer and geophysicist/poet opening at National Museum of Natural History this week, and looks awesome.
• We’re big fans of the beautiful birds (and beautiful photos) at @AvianRecon. Inspired by the World Cup, they’re having an #InstaBirdBracket right now. Go follow along and vote for your favorite owl or raptor. (Psst: It’s this one.)