Image 1 of 95: GORAN TOMASEVIC, Syria
“Of course I wanted to go to Syria. When a big story like this shows up, I believe my job is to go there and produce pictures. I gave up going to cover the Olympics. It was two days before my trip to London and I changed my ticket and went to Syria instead. I have been covering conflict for many years, since the Balkans in 1991.
Pictures must show the reality of the war in Syria and that’s why I wanted to be as close as I could to the fighters – to the very front line to show exactly what they are doing, their emotions, how they run and fire weapons and also how they react to incoming shells. There is a certain amount of risk and you need to take all necessary precautions but if you want to tell the true story, you have to be there.
I like this picture where some fighters took position in a family living room. One rebel sat on the chair eating a chocolate bar as the commander looked out the window to scout the area beside a rebel firing from the window. They told me it was a former Syrian army position and they had killed three soldiers in the house (I could see tracks of blood in the corridor) and taken over their position. There was no one else in the house, except the rebels.”
Canon EOS -1D Mark 4, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, 1/15, ISO 400
Caption: A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his sniper rifle from a house in Aleppo August 14, 2012.
Image 2 of 95: LUCY NICHOLSON, United States
“I arranged to travel on a bus from Los Angeles with children who were visiting their fathers in San Quentin state prison. The prison has the largest death row in the United States, and the only gas chamber and death row for male inmates in California.
The children slept on the bus overnight as it made the nearly 400-mile journey, met with their fathers for a few hours, before returning to LA the same day.
I had arranged to meet reporter Mary Slosson from Sacramento at the prison. We chatted with the families and photographed them for a couple of hours. I wasn’t allowed to photograph one family who was visiting a death row prisoner in a separate locked room, but Mary talked to the press officer and arranged for Reuters to have a prison tour.
We were shown around the exercise yards, some of the cells, and the medical building. A lot of the prisoners wanted to chat to us, and they swarmed around as we walked through the exercise yard.
In the medical building we crossed paths with a death row inmate and other shackled “administrative segregation” prisoners. One inmate was sitting in a cage in an empty room, watching television.
We passed a room of administrative segregation prisoners sitting in cages for a group therapy session. I took four frames before the prisoners started staring and a guard told us to move along.
My camera lens and settings were not ideal. In a perfect world, I would have changed to a wider lens to capture the reflection of the prison officer in the room on the right of the frame. I had been walking from rooms lit by daylight to fluorescent to mixed lighting, through dark corridors. So I was constantly changing the camera settings, while walking and looking out for photos.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f3.5, 1/25, ISO 400
Caption: Administrative segregation prisoners take part in a group therapy session at San Quentin state prison in San Quentin, California, June 8, 2012. San Quentin prison is California’s oldest correctional facility and houses the state’s only gas chamber.
Image 3 of 95: ALESSANDRO BIANCHI, Italy
“For a long time I had been thinking of a way to illustrate the rising cost of gasoline in Italy. But I was looking for something different than the usual shot of the filling station with its list of prices above the pump.
After a long period of no luck and many miles travelled on my scooter, I came across this scene in the Roman countryside. My first instinct was to help the woman push her classic Fiat 500 but after a few seconds I instead grabbed my camera and fired off a few shots. I then helped the woman push her car but it was almost as if I was walking on air because I felt inside of me that the ingredients of the picture were perfect.”
Canon EOS 1 Mark IV, lens 70-200mm at 135mm, f2.8, 1/500, ISO 800
Caption: A woman pushes her Fiat 500 car as her dog sits inside, in a neighborhood of Rome March 23, 2012.
Image 4 of 95: BOBBY YIP, North Korea
“This was part of a 10-day press tour to North Korea on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late leader Kim Il-sung. A tour to the facilities of this university was arranged for a small group of journalists. I saw young women leave the pool and was intrigued by their old-fashioned swimwear. I decided to wait for someone to come out of the water again. Luckily, I also got an attendant in the frame. She had taken us there and stood by herself at that moment.”
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens: 16-35mm at 23mm, f4.5, 1/45, ISO 400
Caption: A woman in traditional Korean costume watches as a student leaves a swimming pool of Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang April 11, 2012.
Image 5 of 95: PAUL HANNA, Italy
“I arrived in Italy to cover the Costa Concordia story not even knowing for sure if I would go to Giglio Island and shoot or if I was needed to stay in Rome and help with the editing. After landing, I learned that I would be heading straight to the Tuscan coastal city Porto Santo Stefano to catch a ferry to Giglio Island to help out with the coverage of the bizarre shipwreck tragedy which claimed over 20 lives.
After spending several days and nights photographing the cruise liner and rescue efforts from different places and different times in the company of several other photographers and television cameramen, I decided to wait for the right moment so that I could trek out alone across a rugged section of rocky coastline where I had not yet ventured. To my surprise I saw a lone television cameraman in the distance filming what appeared to be items that had washed ashore. I waited until he finished filming to go any closer, not wanting to disturb his image or audio of the scene. Not until I got closer, after traversing a very steep rocky section and down to the water level, did I see the COSTA CONCORDIA inscription on the bench which must have washed ashore during the night with the tide. I was carrying only minimal equipment due to the difficulty of the trek to the location, and the lighting was harsh mid-day sunlight so I decided to shoot in RAW and hope that it would help me be able to maintain detail in the highlights and the shadows which were several f-stops different from each other.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 25mm, f6.3, 1/320, ISO 200
Caption: A bench engraved with the name of the grounded Costa Concordia cruise ship (seen at rear) is seen washed up on the shore of Giglio island, January 20, 2012.
Image 6 of 95: BEAWIHARTA, Indonesia
“On Wednesday morning I received an image on my twitter feed. It was a photo from a local newspaper that showed a student crossing a river on a collapsed bridge. The picture caught me. I needed to find out where it was so I could go there to capture it.
When I had finished shooting some business pictures in Jakarta’s financial district, I realized that I had something different to shoot for the next day. I searched Google Maps to find the location of the collapsed bridge but I couldn’t find the exact location. There was a blank map with only the name of the village, Sanghiang Tanjung. Surprisingly, it said the village was just 130 kms (80 miles) away from our Jakarta office – a travel time of about two hours. My estimation was it would take 4 hours.
3am Thursday morning, my friend and driver Soewarno and I headed to the village. We reached our destination by 6am. But the difficulty was this village was just a blank area on the map. Also, we had to find the right direction that the students would take so that I could take pictures from the front, not from the back. We found many roads in the village but no one knew where the bridge was. With the help of my friends, we were able to get the name of the head of the village, Epi Sopian, who accompanied us to the location. Edi said the bridge collapsed during Saturday’s big flood when wood and bamboo hit the suspension bridge’s pillar.
I arrived at the location as the students were crossing. They were already in the middle of the bridge. Oh no, these could not be the children who wanted to go to school, I thought! It was more like an acrobatic show, with the collapsed bridge as an apparatus and without any safety device at all. They walked slowly, sometimes screaming as their shoes slipped. Suddenly the rain came. A last group of students, Sofiah and her friend, were on the bridge. Happily, all the students crossed safely. I took pictures for no more than five minutes.
As Sofiah sheltered from the rain, I asked her: “Sofiah, is there no other way so you must pass through this collapsed bridge?” “There is, but we would have to walk around and that is 30 minutes more than this route. If we pass the collapsed bridge we need only 10 minutes to walk this way,” she said. “You’re not afraid?” I asked. “I was afraid,” she replied very slowly. “But I have to go to school.”
When the rain stopped, I followed Sofiah as she walked to school. It wasn’t far, only a 10 minute walk. While following behind her, I thought, if Sofiah was my daughter (I have a daughter the same age as Sofiah) I would keep her at home until the government builds a new bridge. Perhaps her grades would not go up, but it’s better than crashing and being dragged into the river. It was difficult to think that a day after taking pictures of middle class workers in the Indonesian capital, just three hours away from luxurious buildings, I found a group of students risking their lives to go to school.
Three months later, after this picture was widely published and shared, a new bridge has been built.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm at 75mm, f5.6, 1/200, ISO 500
Caption: Students hold on to the side steel bars of a collapsed bridge as they cross a river to get to school at Sanghiang Tanjung village in Lebak regency, Indonesia’s Banten village January 19, 2012. Flooding from the Ciberang river broke a pillar supporting the suspension bridge, which was built in 2001, according to Epi Sopian the head of Sanghiang Tanjung village.
Image 7 of 95: LUNAE PARRACHO, Brazil
“The Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, planned to be the world’s third largest, is one of more than 60 dams that the Brazilian government is planning to build in the Amazon basin. This dam in particular is one that has been controversial for the number of protests against its impact on the environment and indigenous communities. In this context, the day I took this photo was one of the large protests by indigenous people, activists and fishermen affected by the mega-project, who were occupying one of the main construction sites. They dug a hole in a barrier that was blocking the Xingu River, planted some trees along the site and raised banners in protest. I’d been with them since early morning, but it was near the end of the day when I took this picture. A police helicopter began flying over the protesters to intimidate them, and two natives of the Munduruku tribe, known as Amazon warriors, pointed their bows and arrows at the helicopter. I accompanied them as they followed the helicopter’s movement, and I kneeled down to take the picture. They concentrated on taking aim, without shouts or insults, until the helicopter flew away. To me, that moment was a symbol of the ongoing struggle between indigenous peoples and the government.”
Nikon D3, lens 24mm, f7.1, 1/1600 sec, ISO 250
Caption: Indigenous people point their bows and arrows at a police helicopter flying over the occupied barrier of the Belo Monte Dam’s construction site in Vitoria do Xingu, near Altamira in northern Brazil June 15, 2012. The area was occupied by around 300 activists, indigenous people, fishermen and coastal community members affected by the project as they protested against the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric power plant, according to the activists.
Image 8 of 95: DANISH SIDDIQUI, India
“I found this traditional mud wrestling school while doing a story on the fight nights in Mumbai. As the weather was quite humid, the wrestlers put a lot of mud on their body to be able to grip.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, 1/500, ISO 1600
Caption: A wrestler rubs his hands with mud to prevent slipping due to sweat, during a traditional mud wrestling (Kushti) bout at the Akhaara centre in Kolhapur, about 400 kms (250 miles) south of Mumbai, February 14, 2012. Fewer people are taking up Kushti, according to the sport’s coaches, as young athletes turn instead to mat wrestling to gain access to top international sports competitions.
Image 9 of 95: NACHO DOCE, Brazil
“The house of the Rose family in an alley of the Brasilandia favela didn’t appear on my taxi’s GPS, and we got lost in the dark maze. I had to wait for a more decent hour closer to 5am before phoning them for help. With their directions, I finally reached the top of a steep alley, and found myself practically inside a “boca de fumo,” best described as an open air crack den. It wasn’t until the father, Ivo, quickly rushed to meet me and spoke to one of the addicts, that I heard the words, “Taxi free to pass.” I was relieved.
We hiked downhill through two steep alleys to reach their house. In the living room, their three mute children, Samille, 9, Dhones, 7, and Izabely, 6, were sitting in a row on a red felt-covered sofa, in front of a wall covered with green and brown mold. The scene struck me as both sad and beautiful.”
Canon EOS 5D MARK II, lens 24mm, f1.4, 1/125, ISO 2500
Caption: The children of the Amor Divino family, (L-R) Dhones, Izabely and Samille, sit on their couch after their parents dressed them for a weekly physical therapy session, in the Brasilandia favela of Sao Paulo, before sunrise March 23, 2012. All three children suffer from a disease called Pelizaeus-Merzbacher, a rare genetic nervous disorder which affects coordination and intellect. Brazil’s social security system INSS granted the family monetary assistance only for one of the three children, leaving the others to depend on the income from their father’s job in a bakery.
Image 10 of 95: ANDREW BIRAJ, Bangladesh
“It was a quieter evening than in hectic Dhaka. The gentle breeze of spring surrounded the cold atmosphere of the small town of Tangail, a town in the north east of Bangladesh. A small walk through a calm neighborhood took me to a place which looked similar to any of the country’s slums.
The bright tungsten lights of grocery shops and the high volume of Bangladeshi pop music from the tea stalls mesmerize the whole area. Between those stalls, the alleyways on the other side of wide drains are dark. Following my fixer I suddenly found myself inside one of those narrow lanes, where young girls with heavy makeup and colorful clothes were lined up. The girls of different ages, though mostly teenagers, try to draw the attention of men by laughing, chuckling and pulling their hands.
The neighborhood of around one hundred buildings with more than 800 small rooms is one of the 14 official brothels of Bangladesh but is in essence a prison for around 900 sex workers. The young sex workers of this brothel must serve at least 10-15 customers each day. Being a “Chukri’ or bonded girl, they are bound to follow the orders of their Sardarni (House owners, who were once prostitutes, purchase girls to run their business).
“When I first took a customer, I didn’t realize what was going to happen. He raped me again and again. It was bleeding severely and I was crying. I didn’t have any idea what sex is,” said Hashi, who has been working as a prostitute since she was 10.
“I used to serve customers one after another during the whole day. I don’t know how many, but I guess I had to serve around 20-25 customers in a day. I found at least four to five customers waiting in front of my room after waking up in the morning,” said Hashi inside the brothel.
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f1.0, 1 second
Caption: Seventeen-year-old prostitute Hashi, embraces a Babu, her “husband”, inside her small room at Kandapara brothel in Tangail, a northeastern city of Bangladesh, March 4, 2012. Many young and inexperienced prostitutes have “lovers” or “husbands” who normally live outside the brothel occasionally taking money and sex from them in exchange for security in this male dominated society. She earns about 800-1000 taka daily ($9.75 – $12.19) servicing around 15-20 customers every day. Hashi is one of hundreds of mostly teenage sex workers living in a painful life of exploitation in Kandapara slum’s brothel who take Oradexon, a steroid used by farmers to fatten their cattle, in order to gain weight and appear “healthier” and more attractive to clients.
Image 11 of 95: DANISH SIDDIQUI, India
“I took a high position on a building from where I could get a straight down shot of the devotees making a human pyramid to break a clay pot suspended between two buildings. This was the first group of devotees who, before breaking the pot, recited a short prayer by placing their hands on top of each other.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f8, 1/400, ISO 1000
Caption: Devotees try to form a human pyramid to break a clay pot containing curd during the celebrations to mark the Hindu festival of Janmashtami in Mumbai August 10, 2012. Janmashtami, which marks the birthday of Hindu god Krishna, is being celebrated across the country.
Image 12 of 95: STEFANO RELLANDINI, England
“During the London 2012 Olympics I was scheduled to cover all of the cycling races but when Usain Bolt qualified for the 200 meters final, sports editor Gary Hershorn asked the cycling crew to help the track and field photographers as outsiders.
I was placed at the end of the first 100 meters at ground level where the curve finishes and the runners start to sprint the last 100 of the race. It’s still funny thinking about that day. I was in place five hours before the race and for most of that time I was looking at lane number 7 where Bolt would run the final. Two main thoughts were running like Bolt through my head for most of that time: Well, I’m here as an outsider, if I can catch a good shoot… cool, otherwise I tried… but it didn’t work! And after 10 seconds another thought came into my head: C’mon I’m not here to just say “I tried but it didn’t work.” The second big question: should I pan to show the speed or use a high shutter speed and freeze the frame?
This thinking became a nightmare as the time flew by and stayed with me right up until five minutes before the start of the race. I finally decided that a picture of Bolt needs to show the speed of the fastest man in the world when he runs the 200 meters final at the Olympics… and it was a cool running!”
Canon EOS D 1X, lens 70-200mm, f10, 1/125, ISO 2000
Caption: Jamaica’s Usain Bolt runs to win the men’s 200m final at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium August 9, 2012.
Image 13 of 95: CHERYL RAVELO, Philippines
“It was Friday morning. The first order of the day was to photograph Chinese tourists in Manila to match a story on a travel ban imposed by China on the Philippines. But while on my way to Manila’s Chinatown, I glimpsed at thick black smoke in the sky through my windows. As I checked my phone for alerts, the fire was on its second alarm and was located within Manila’s densely populated port area called Isla Puting Bato or White Rock Island. Armed with the experience of covering fire, my intuition told me that this kind of fire would escalate. With that strong feeling in my mind, I called chief photographer Erik de Castro to let him know and got his nod to shoot the source of the thick black smoke.
Sirens echoed around as I found my way along streets full of container vans. A fire truck that sped past me was a blessing, as I instinctively followed it and it led me to where I was free from traffic. I parked and ran into the scene following the trail of fire hoses lying on the ground. I climbed a ladder and found myself shooting with firefighters on a roof, with them holding their hoses, and me, with my lenses. From there, I saw thousands of shanties made by informal settlers flanked on a high, barbed wire cemented wall and separated from the mainland through the Manila Bay. As I was about to click my shutter, I heard a commotion near the water. Following the trail of noises, I went down and found stilt houses already being engulfed by the blaze as residents floated on whatever makeshift boats they had near the burning shanties. They were all jumping to escape the blaze. Through the viewfinder I saw families floating with their belongings and aimed to take a photo of that. They were taking turns paddling to safety. I waited for them to be close enough, held up my camera and took the shot as they paddled past with burning houses in the background.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 21mm, f2.8, 1/200, ISO 200
Caption: Residents paddle their makeshift boat to safety as fire engulfs houses at a slum community in Manila May 11, 2012. At least 1000 houses were razed in the fire, leaving 5000 families homeless, local media reported.
Image 14 of 95: MICHAEL BUHOLZER, Ukraine
“After a hot and humid day, a heavy thunderstorm hit the Donbass Arena in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk at the exact time the players of Ukraine and France were singing their national anthems before their Euro 2012 soccer match. While the game was suspended the players and spectators ran for shelter. Only a few tough supporters stayed in the stands. They sang and danced in the heavy rain, like they were under a shower. I hurried to save my equipment under raincoats and plastic bags as more and more water poured down from the sky and the stairs to our pitch position. Surrounded by water and with the sound of the thunderstorm in my ears I discovered this French couple kissing. It seemed as though they didn‘t care what happened around them.”
Canon EOS 1D X, lens 70-200mm at 70mm, f2.8, 1/1300sec
Caption: Fans of France kiss before their Group D Euro 2012 soccer match against Ukraine at Donbass Arena in Donetsk June 15, 2012.
Image 15 of 95: ERIC THAYER, United States
“When on the campaign trail, I’m looking for moments away from the candidates – there are only so many images you can make of someone holding a microphone. So, you look for reactions, or some of the more subtle nuances; a button, a sign. U.S. presidential candidates engage the public in retail politics, and this is sometimes what you get. I saw this family and set up next to them. Rick Santorum began working the room, shaking hands and signing autographs. This family had come to the restaurant to have lunch and did not know that a presidential candidate would be there. The scrum moved through the room, and I broke off to photograph this family, and this woman, who said afterwards that she just wanted to enjoy her clam chowder.”
Canon EOS 5F Mark II, lens 24mm, f4, 1/400, ISO 2500
Caption: A woman eats clam chowder as media and supporters surround Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum at a campaign event at a restaurant in Florence, South Carolina, January 15, 2012.
Image 16 of 95: ALY SONG, China
“This wasn’t what I expected at all when I arrived at the beach of Qingdao city in China’s eastern Shandong province.
I was assigned to shoot portraits for a Reuters story on a Chinese airline company. We settled down to plan to board an aircraft with the company CEO, photographing him and other passengers on the plane. So, I booked myself a 24-hour round trip from Shanghai to Qingdao bearing in mind that during the half day in Qingdao I could shoot the green algae along the beaches which appears almost every summer.
However, my plan turned out to be a failure. The weather wasn’t hot enough so there was very little algae. I was about to head back disappointed until I glanced at these women swimming in the ocean. They were wearing full-size masks on their head which looked a lot like wrestler’s masks to me. I could imagine these women coming onto the beach very soon and starting to fight.
I laughed for a while and took some pictures. I discovered that this phenomenon didn’t look strange to the locals at all. Consulting with some other swimmers, they told me that these nylon-fabric masks were invented by a woman about seven years ago and were believed to be good at blocking the sun’s rays. It’s easy to buy one at local swimwear stores as they are now mass produced.
That was how I came across an interesting method for beach-goers to prevent their skin from getting sunburned. I believe that there could be a wider market for these masks because most of the swimmers, especially women, would love to spend as much time as possible on the beach without getting a serious tan. To me, it’s much easier and cooler to put on a mask than to put on lots of sunblock cream.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 35 mm, f1.8, 1/4000, ISO 50
Caption: Women, wearing nylon masks, rest on the shore during their visit to a beach in Qingdao, Shandong province July 6, 2012. The mask, which was invented by a woman about seven years ago, is used to block the sun’s rays. The mask is under mass production and is on sale at local swimwear stores.
Image 17 of 95: STRINGER, Turkey/Syria border
“As the Free Syrian Army fights Syrian government forces for control of the northern town of Ras al-Ain, thousands of Syrians escape the violence for neighboring Turkey. Turkish authorities have set up a temporary collecting center for the fleeing Syrians before taking them to a refugee camp near the border town of Ceylanpinar.
While Turkey wants to prevent illegal entries and control the number of Syrians who are crossing the border, many Syrians prefer to run to the closer border fences rather than walk the kilometer or so to the collecting center. This way, they are able to reach the homes of relatives, rather than stay in a refugee camp. The people depicted here are not under gunfire but are instead trying to evade Turkish authorities who will register them and take them to a camp.”
Canon EOS 60D, lens 18-135mm at 35mm, f10, 1/320, ISO 400
Caption: Syrians jump over barbed wire as they flee from the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain to the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, November 9, 2012.
Image 18 of 95: MOHAMMED SALEM, Gaza
“I was in the Reuters office when I saw gunmen dragging a body by motorcycles. I rushed to follow them by car with a driver. Once I arrived at the scene, I took several pictures from the window of the car. Then I returned to the office quickly as the situation was very dangerous because the Israelis were carrying out heavy bombings and air strikes at the time of the incident.”
Canon Mark 4, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, ISO 400
Caption: Palestinian gunmen ride motorcycles as they drag the body of a man, who was suspected of working for Israel, in Gaza City November 20, 2012. Palestinian gunmen shot dead six alleged collaborators in the Gaza Strip who “were caught red-handed”, according to a security source quoted by the Hamas Aqsa radio.
Image 19 of 95: BAZ RATNER, Afghanistan
“I was embedded with Alpha Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment attached to the 82nd airborne out of COP Siah Choy in Zharay district in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan.
The unit was out on a mission for three days. Before heading back to their base a small group of soldiers including Sgt Nicholas Dickhut (the subject of this photo) walked to check a grape hut. Just after the first few soldiers passed through the door bullets started to hit the outside walls, one hitting just 10 inches above the head of one of the snipers.
The force returned fire. At that point Sgt Dickhut, who was one of the first men to enter, was kneeling while pointing his weapon and guarding the main doorway.
I took a few pictures trying to show the light coming through the windows and Sgt Dickhut’s actions. At that moment I felt like there was a contrast between how calm the setting was and the shooting taking place.
I was back in our office in Kabul when I received the message that Sgt Dickhut was killed in action on April 30. I had only taken his picture a few days before.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 16-35mm, f3.5, 1/60, ISO 800
Caption: U.S. soldier Nicholas Dickhut from 5-20 infantry Regiment attached to 82nd Airborne points his rifle at a doorway after coming under fire by the Taliban while on patrol in Zharay district in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan April 26, 2012.
Image 20 of 95: DADO RUVIC, Bosnia
“Every year, the same story repeats itself. July is the month dedicated to suffering in the Srebrenica region. It is dedicated to hell on Earth and trying to imagine what the people of Srebrenica went through during those days of the unfortunate war.
Mass graves, identifying laboratories, morgues and the bodies of the identified victims are only a small fraction of what can be seen through the lens of my camera. A lot more remains written there, in the clouds and in the mists of my thoughts and my head, behind the darkest corner of my eye – the corner that sees much more than the camera can see, capture and show. It is much more than what can be illustrated in a photograph, much more than anyone can see on the screen or read in the paper. There is a visible veil of sadness and sorrow, despair and grief. These words are so small and insignificant in contrast to what those who survived really feel and know. It is not comparable with all those things that they had seen with their eyes; it is impossible to compare this with their memories and their own abyss.
Imagine how you would feel if after 20 years had gone by, twenty long years after the disappearance of your closest family members, you were to sit inside your home waiting for their return home. Every time you hear the doorbell you think that it might be them there, standing on the porch, waiting for you to open the door. They have returned, it could be them, perhaps… What an unfortunate story, isn’t it? This is how those people feel. They are waiting. They were waiting. I do not know whether it is a greater tragedy to bury a member of your family, or wait for them to return…
The days go by; the number identified from year to year increases. 520 victims were buried this year. Three days prior to the funeral, the coffins were brought into the building near the Memorial Center. The families of the victims gather there, the rivers of tears start flowing, their sobbing can be heard all around. This lasts for two consecutive days; the families caress the coffins, kiss them, hug and pray for their loved ones.
Over the last few years, Srebrenica has turned into a photo safari. Every year we can see hundreds of photographers here from numerous schools of photography from all over the world. They come to Srebrenica to study photography. This represents a big problem for us professional photographers, especially over the last couple of years. While working we run into many verbal conflicts with members of the victims’ families because of these “offensive” photo amateurs. As a photographer, I have a hard time witnessing the definite farewells. In those moments, I feel as if the mothers of the killed would rather get into the graves with them, just to avoid saying goodbye. I feel as if they would like to disappear forever, only to be closer to their sons in heaven; to be with them, together. I do not know… I try to evoke and illustrate the essence of these emotions as much as possible through my photographs only to show the consequences of wars that can never be fully described.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 17-40mm, f10, 1/30, ISO 125
Caption: Lightning is seen during a storm under the Memorial Center in Potocari the night before a mass burial, near Srebrenica July 10, 2012. The bodies of 520 recently identified victims of the Srebrenica massacre were buried on July 11, the anniversary of the massacre when Bosnian Serb forces commanded by Ratko Mladic slaughtered 8,000 Muslim men and boys and buried them in mass graves, in Europe’s worst massacre since World War Two.
Image 21 of 95: KEVIN LAMARQUE, United States
“With Tiger Woods back on the tour, it was back to fighting the crowds to get into position for a clean shot. The most used photo of Tiger is when he hit his driver off the tee, the club following through around his head. When he uses an iron off the tee, it usually does not make much of a photo since the club is smaller and the follow through less dramatic. In this case, I was able to get up on a hill above the crowd to see Tiger on the tee. I thought it would be a very bland image I would discard… until I saw the catchlight on the club creating a starburst. Thanks to advice from a fellow Reuters photographer, I cropped in tight to increase the impact and was able to produce a unique shot of the most photographed golfer in history.”
Canon EOS1D MK IV, lens 500mm, f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 200
Caption: The sun reflects off the club as Tiger Woods hits off on the seventh tee during the final round of the AT&T National golf tournament at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland July 1, 2012.
Image 22 of 95: STAFF, Myanmar
“This photo was taken during the fighting between the ethnic Rakhine and the Rohingya Muslims.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 16 mm, f4, 1/ 320, ISO 100
Caption: An ethnic Rakhine man holds homemade weapons as he walks in front of houses that were burnt during fighting between Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya communities in Sittwe June 10, 2012. Northwest Myanmar was tense after sectarian violence engulfed its largest city, with Reuters witnessing rival mobs of Muslims and Buddhists torching houses and police firing into the air to disperse crowds.
Image 23 of 95: SERGEI KARPUKHIN, Russia
“Magnitogorsk, a city in the Chelyabinsk Oblast of Russia, is one of the largest metallurgical industrial centers in the world. It was built in the 1930’s to use the high concentration of iron ore found in the “Magnetic Mountain” nearby. Other than the metal industry, the city is famous for being located half in Asia and half in Europe. I happened to be there during the annual “Day of the Metal Worker” holiday which is celebrated with much enthusiasm by the local population on the third Sunday of July. The MMK (Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works) plant is the main local employer, in fact the city would not exist without it. I went to one of the highest points in the city to find a general view of the plant, and here I found locals enjoying the sunset and their yearly holiday looking over the smoking chimneys.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 70-200mm at 70mm, f2.8, ISO 2500
Caption: Local residents meet during sunset, with the Metallurgical Plant seen in the background, in the Southern Urals city of Magnitogorsk, July 13, 2012.
Image 24 of 95: MIAN KHURSHEED, Pakistan
“The Reuters multimedia team in the Islamabad bureau set up interviews for a feature looking at a military-run de-radicalization center in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. Taliban militants once controlled the area, imposing their brand of sharia law, including public beheadings. A military operation in 2009 drove them out, but policymakers felt long-term stability could only be achieved if they fought not just militants but their ideology as well. They set up the Mashal center to de-radicalize and reform captured militants.
We left Islamabad early in the morning for the Swat Valley, north of the capital. While the military operation in the area was over, there is still a significant military presence. We had to stop at the main entry checkpost and wait for clearance from the authorities. After we were cleared, we set off for Swat.
After driving for a short while through winding mountain roads, as we passed through the area of Dargai, I saw a truck that had tipped backwards. It was overloaded with wheat straw and the driver was trying to stop it from completely tipping over. I found the scene interesting and asked our driver to stop.
I got out of the car and shot a few frames. It became even more interesting when people passing by started to help the truck’s crew, trying to pull it back with ropes. It was a really unusual scene. Some people went around and started unloading wheat straw to help reduce the weight.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16mm, f10, 1/400, ISO 1000
Caption: Men use ropes to try and right a supply truck overloaded with wheat straw, used as animal feed, along a road in Dargai, in the Malakand district, about 165 km (100 miles) northwest of Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, April 13, 2012.
Image 25 of 95: STEVE NESIUS, United States
“Hurricane Sandy hit the coast of New Jersey on a Monday. The next day I saw this roller coaster in the ocean at Seaside Heights from a helicopter. It was an odd scene, but only one small moment during the miles of damage I photographed from the air.
I met reporter Joey Ax Wednesday morning at a marina in Brick, NJ, with hopes to rent a boat and gain access out to the beaches. We were forced to change plans and drove to the Highway 37 Bridge in Toms River. Police road blocks at the bridge denied all access to the barrier islands, except for law enforcement and emergency vehicles. A small media contingent was gathering at the roadblock. Soon the Seaside Heights police chief agreed to bring us over for a 30-minute excursion.
Reporters and photographers crammed into a mini-bus and we were driven to two locations on the beach. We had limited access and were not allowed to wander off into the neighborhood. I photographed piles of debris and destruction, as well as police officers still looking in disbelief at their storm-damaged town.
It was cold and quiet – a gray day with brief moments of sunshine, gentle waves and an offshore breeze. Most of the noise came from the media as we scurried about trying to document as much as possible in the short time we had.
I moved down the boardwalk to isolate the roller coaster from the damaged pier, shooting tight frames of it standing in the ocean, but I also composed the frame to include the beach in the foreground. I timed a few shots for a set of breaking waves. There were a couple of seagulls, the glisten of newly uncovered seashells and the roller coaster standing upright in the surf. An unusual scene, on what might have appeared to be a typical autumn day on the beach.
It’s a very surreal image to me, and not one I’ll soon forget.”
Nikon D3, lens 70-200mm at 92mm, f5, 1/800, ISO 400
Caption: The remnants of a roller coaster sit in the surf three days after Hurricane Sandy came ashore in Seaside Heights, New Jersey November 1, 2012.
Image 26 of 95: TORU HANAI, Japan
“A year after the tsunami devastated Higashi Matsushima city in Miyagi, seven-year-old Wakana Kumagai went to visit the spot near the sea where their house used to be. The pile of rubble had been cleared completely, and a mere foundation of what used to be a house remained, as slight proof that someone did once live there.
That day a year ago, Wakana’s mother Yoshiko received a call from her husband. “The tsunami is coming. Take the kids and evacuate to the elementary school. I’ll follow you guys shortly.”
They waited for him to arrive in the snow, but he never did. Four days later, he was found dead near the school his family was at. He was 31.
Higashi Matsushima city has decided that this area should no longer be a residential neighborhood due to safety concerns. “I want to go back,” Wakana shouted in tears after Yoshiko told her a week earlier that they would not be able to live near the sea anymore.
“When will we go back?” Wakana still wants to go back to that place; the place where adults fear to return because it reminds them of the tsunami, her mother said.
“It was the place where she grew up in. It was the place where she spent time with her dad who she loved so much. If the house is rebuilt there, maybe her dad will come back. If she goes back by the sea, maybe everything will be the same as before — I think she feels that way,” said Yoshiko, Wakana’s mother.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f2.0, 1/3200 sec, ISO 100
Caption: Wakana Kumagai, 7, visits the spot where her house, which was washed away by the March 11, 2011 tsunami, used to stand in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi prefecture March 11, 2012, to mark the first anniversary of an earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands and set off a nuclear crisis. Kumagai’s father Kazuyuki called his wife Yoshiko just after the March 11, 2011 earthquake to tell her to take the children to Omagari elementary school which was serving as a shelter. He was found near the shelter four days after the tsunami, Yoshiko said.
Image 27 of 95: NAVESH CHITRAKAR, Nepal
“The very first picture I took for this series was the deceased body of Tara Sharma Phuyal lying on her hospital bed where she took her last breath after giving birth to her baby girl. One of the family members who was protesting led me to Tara’s husband who was lying on the bed in the same hospital. When I queried what happened to him, I was told after hearing the news of his wife’s death he went into shock, lost consciousness and had to be admitted to the hospital. I felt really sad for Khilnath and his newly born daughter. This could have been the happiest day in their life but it was not. I was told by angry family members who were protesting that Tara died because of the hospital’s carelessness, that she died because of excessive bleeding and while she was screaming on her bed the staff didn’t react despite her frequent calls for help.
I was shocked and really touched by what I heard. All the time I was thinking about the baby girl and Khilnath Phuyal who is a teacher by profession. I called one of the family members later and received the number of Khilnath but he had left Kathmandu for the cremation of his wife. I was told he would be back after 13 days from his village. I waited and called him after the 13 days. His voice sounded very weak. I asked him about his baby girl. He told me she was still in the hospital and he was confused about what to do. I realized then how important a mother is for a newborn baby.
I still have not finished with this story. I don’t know the end of the story but I hope these pictures bring some improvement to maternity health, especially in Nepal where it is desperately needed.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 17mm, f2.8, 1/200, ISO 200
Caption: Khilnath Phuyal (R), husband of deceased Tara Sharma Phuyal, is comforted by a family member at Maternity Hospital in Kathmandu, August 21, 2012. Phuyal, 28, died after giving birth to a baby girl, according to family members and supporters of Phuyal who protested outside the hospital. Nepal in 2010 had a maternal mortality rate of 170 in 100,000 live births, according to data from the United Nations Millennium Development Goals project.
Image 28 of 95: ANDY CLARK, Canada
“It was just after sunset and besides the constant and deafening roar of revving engines it was a perfect warm summer’s evening in the rural Fraser Valley of British Columbia. The din of unmuffled engines was all part of a photo story I was working on at a local stock car racetrack during their popular Saturday Night at the Races. While cautiously making my way through several cars lining up for the next race, I took a quick look over my shoulder to make sure the coast was clear behind me then turned back preparing for a picture I wanted. Wait a minute! And I quickly looked back again. There, seemingly out of nowhere, stood a Princess. In a flowing turquoise gown and a tiara on her head, there stood a young lady waiting to cross the pit lane. It was an unusual sight to say the least, considering the surroundings. I took a few photos of the Princess standing all alone then had to scamper out of the way as a mean sounding stock car moved in my direction on its way onto the course. I later learned the young lady was the evening’s presenter of trophies to the winning drivers and had decided to dress in regal fashion as part of her duties.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark III, lens 24-105mm, f7.1, 1/125, ISO 1250
Caption: Dressed as a princess, Jennifer Knoepfel stands in the pits waiting for the next race during the Saturday night stock car races at Agassiz Speedway in Agassiz, British Columbia July 7, 2012. Jennifer wore the long gown and tiara as part of her duties presenting the trophies to the winners of the night’s competition.
Image 29 of 95: CHINA DAILY, China
“The accident happened in Shuangxi, Fujian province, when the steel bars accidentally broke and popped out from a machine, piercing the worker’s body. The worker was sent to a hospital in Hangzhou, as the operation could not be done at a local hospital. The surgery started around nine hours after the accident and after more than five hours of surgery, was a success. This photo was taken during the first phase of the operation, to shorten the steel bars, as the firefighter advised on how to dissect them. Co-workers helped to hold the bars with pliers and used a steel carving machine under the supervision of doctors. The doctors and medical staff provided medicine to the worker and used salt water to lower the temperature of the steel bars. After the bars were shortened, the worker was moved to an operating room where the remaining pieces were removed from his body.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, lens 25mm, f3.2, 1/50, ISO 1000
Caption: (L-R) Fellow workers, a firefighter and doctors work together to cut steel bars which were pierced through a worker’s body during an operation at a hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, June 12, 2012. The worker was pierced by seven steel bars during his duty at a bridge construction site, local media reported.
Image 30 of 95: LUCAS JACKSON, United States
“Three months prior to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics, the United States Olympic Committee hosted a press weekend at a hotel in Dallas where the majority of the year’s Olympic athletes could meet, be interviewed and photographed by media outlets from around the country. It was three days of spending just a couple of minutes with every athlete trying to take a portrait that would most likely be the last photo taken of them before heading to London in order to compete in their respective field of expertise. In an attempt to add a bit of context to their portraits a number of the athletes brought either the tools of their sport or their official uniforms that they would be wearing to compete in. Fencer Alexander Massialas had painted a really graphic American flag pattern on the front of his mask and I worked to get it lined up with the flag I had brought to use as a backdrop for some of the portraits. We took a few relaxed photos but when I had him grab his foil and bend it as if he were so excited to compete he couldn’t contain it and the photo came together nicely. It’s always nice to work with someone who is willing to try a few different things in order to find one that works particularly well.”
Canon 1D Mark IV, lens 24-70mm, f8, 1/250, ISO 100
Caption: Fencer Alexander Massialas poses for a portrait during the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in Dallas, Texas May 13, 2012.
Image 31 of 95: UESLEI MARCELINO, Brazil
“Indian matters in my country are always a constant subject in the media, with the majority of the news being about conflict over land ownership and Indian rights within the law. I always thought that the majority of Brazilian Indians had a strong desire to be integrated into urban society, watch TV, movies, drink cold water, and use cell phones. But after coexisting with Yawalapiti Indians for a few days I realized that this wasn’t the case. When I reached the village a cacique named Aritana immediately authorized me to photograph their village, but I soon realized that I also had to convince the rest of the tribe. I spent the first day just trying to become one more of the community, and getting to understand how they lived, what they did, and how they were organized. I suffered the anguish of missing wonderful images because I knew that first I had to gain their confidence without the aggression of photographing. I had to show them that I knew the difference between intimacy and privacy. In that way many of them understood that I was a friend, and not an intruder. I did make friends and conversed with some to try and understand them better. I earned the nickname of Banana, for the bunches of bananas that I carried with me to their village. I also gained the confidence of many children, who followed me wherever I went. They loved to play in the trees, and during the hottest time of the day they played in the nearby river.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 24mm, f1.4, 1/4000, ISO 50
Caption: A Yawalapiti boy dips his head into the Xingu River in the Xingu National Park, Mato Grosso State, May 9, 2012. In August the Yawalapiti tribe held the Quarup, which is a ritual held over several days to honor in death a person of great importance to them. This year the Quarup honored two people – a Yawalapiti Indian who they consider a great leader, and Darcy Ribeiro, a well-known author, anthropologist and politician known for focusing on the relationship between native peoples and education in Brazil.
Image 32 of 95: LUKE MACGREGOR, England
“With very little understanding of astronomy but with the aid of a phone app, I began a three evening attempt to capture the moon with the Olympic Rings. The rings were hanging iconically on Tower Bridge for the London 2012 Olympic Games and it was suggested to me that a full moon should – at the right angle – cross through them.
Day One – Having planned to be in the “perfect” spot on London Bridge with a good view of the Olympic Rings further up river and using the app information, I waited for the moon to rise. However the horizon itself was a little cloudy. When the moon eventually showed itself about 10 minutes after the app’s moonrise time it was off to the right hand side of the bridge. I hadn’t taken into account that the moon wouldn’t rise in a vertical line but would travel across the sky. So, by a combination of it appearing late through cloud and miscalculation, I was totally in the wrong place. I rushed carrying the tripod with a heavy 400mm lens attached and the rest of my camera gear hanging off my shoulders – running off the bridge, down several flights of steps, and to the path alongside the River Thames to try re-align the moon with the rings. However, the moon moves surprising quickly. I couldn’t manage to run far or fast enough in time to get the image before the moon rose high, over and above the bridge.
Day Two – Armed with my 400mm, only a monopod and less gear, ready to run after the moon should I be in the wrong location again, I returned to London Bridge. A recalculation had been made. The moon was rising later and at a slightly different angle to the night before. From my previous mistakes I knew that when the moon was on the horizon it needed to be to my left in order for it to move across through the rings. However, to my dismay, the rings were not there. As Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge (i.e. the carriageway lifts to allow boats through) it had raised in preparation to allow a vessel through. I waited just in case they might be lowered, taking in the misfortune of looking at what would have been the perfect shot – that didn’t happen.
Day Three – I returned to the bridge, worried that the rings would be raised once more. But no, great news, they were down. I readied myself at the predicted angle to the rings. The moon would be rising at 8:50pm and would hit the rings by about 9pm. As the moon had been rising later each evening it had become darker than the previous evenings. I wished I had my tripod. Nonetheless, using the Canon 5D MkIII meant I could push the ISO a little further than I would normally have chosen for a late evening shot. Exactly on time the moon began to show itself over the horizon, a lovely peachy color. I had to keep an eye on a changing exposure, balancing the brightness of the moon with a rapidly darkening sky. As it rose I had to keep moving along, mercilessly pushing tourists out of the way who had stopped to look, in order to keep the moon in line with the rings. Finally, after three days, I had the picture I had been trying to achieve.”
Canon 5D Mark III, lens 400mm + x1.4 converter, f4, 1/400, ISO 4000
Caption: The full moon rises through the Olympic Rings hanging beneath Tower Bridge during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 3, 2012.
Image 33 of 95: YANNIS BEHRAKIS, Greece
“I was photographing the Greek section of a worldwide project on the “Jobless generation”. Through a colleague I found Manolis Ouranos , a young Athenian who had studied civil engineering but ended up working as a cook in a small tavern. Manolis was wandering around the tavern clearly nervous about the presence of my cameras. At some point I had asked him to show me his work area, the light came from a window on the side of the super small kitchen. Manolis seemed comfortable but at the same time pensive, this was the decisive moment.”
Canon 5D Mark III, lens 16-35mm at 16mm, f2.8, 1/80, ISO 800
Caption: Manolis Ouranos, a 30 year-old cook, poses for a picture in the Mavros Gatos (Black Cat) tavern in Psiri neighborhood in central Athens May 23, 2012. Manolis studied at Athens Technology University (TEI) for four years where he received a degree in civil engineering. He hoped to find a permanent job in public sector infrastructure but has been working as a cook for four months instead. He now takes cooking lessons which he funds with his salary as a cook.
Image 34 of 95: AMMAR AWAD, Jerusalem
“This was taken during a rally marking “Land Day” in East Jerusalem. Each year there are rallies across Israel and the Palestinian Territories marking “Land Day,” which commemorates the killing by Israeli security forces of six Arabs in 1976 during protests against government plans to confiscate land in northern Israel’s Galilee region. The protesters began throwing stones toward Israeli police on the scene. Police forces responded with tear gas and pepper spray. The man in the picture was sprayed with pepper spray and then detained.”
Canon EOS Mark III, lens 16-35mm, f3.2, 1/250, ISO 200
Caption: Israeli border police officers use pepper spray as they detain an injured Palestinian protester during clashes on Land Day after Friday prayers outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City March 30, 2012. Israeli security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to break up groups of Palestinian stone-throwers as annual Land Day rallies turned violent.
Image 35 of 95: LUCAS JACKSON, United States
“When covering a disaster I find that my best work comes not from running all over the place looking for things but finding a situation that will visually explain the context and waiting for the characters or subjects who are involved to begin interacting with either each other or with the scene itself. In this case I had been talking with the subject for quite a while about what the flood had done to both her home and her business. We walked around the property and she showed me the incredible amount of water that had accumulated there. It had flooded enough to float the white limousine in the background on top of another car from over a block away. As we walked back towards the front of her home she noticed that her neighbor had pulled up across the street and she raced to embrace him as they had not seen each other since the storm. I rushed to capture that photograph but it lacked the context that the background offered in this image of her reaction following that embrace. The subject was overwhelmed by both the despair at her losses and the joy of knowing her neighbor was safe.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, 1/200, ISO 400
Caption: A woman weeps after learning that a neighbor presumed missing is okay while cleaning out her home in a neighborhood heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy in the New Dorp Beach neighborhood of the Staten Island borough of New York, November 1, 2012.
Image 36 of 95: EDUARDO MUNOZ, United States
“After working during the day to document the impact of superstorm Sandy on folks from Manhattan, we decided to go early in the morning to try and catch a good skyline photo of Manhattan as soon as the storm left the area, weather conditions permitting. It was impossible to sleep that night, not because of the assignment itself but because the winds strongly hit the roof of my small room throughout the night.
At 6am I decided to go out. I went with my colleague Kena to the Hudson River waterfront walkway where you can see the huge Financial Center in Manhattan. That morning, you could feel the passing of something really huge in the Big Apple, something that the media had dubbed “FRANKENSTORM”.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 24 mm, f1.4, 1/500, ISO 1600
Caption: The skyline of lower Manhattan, as seen from Exchange Place, is mostly in darkness except for the Goldman Sachs building after a preventive power outage caused by giant storm Sandy, in New York October 30, 2012.
Image 37 of 95: MOHAMED AL-SAYAGHI, Yemen
“I was following the story on child hunger, and went more than once over the course of a few days, to a therapeutic feeding center at al-Sabyeen hospital in Sanaa where children who suffered from malnutrition were being treated, but I did not find good pictures. On this day while I was wandering in the corridors of the hospital, I noticed the mother of this child, nine-month-old Mohammed Saleh al-Ayadi, sitting in the emergency lounge. Her baby had signs of acute malnutrition clearly evident on his body. I had a feeling that this was the image that I had been searching for.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm at 35mm, f2.8, 1/50, ISO 500
Caption: A woman holds her malnourished child at a therapeutic feeding center at al-Sabyeen hospital in Sanaa May 28, 2012.
Image 38 of 95: BAZ RATNER, Israel
“This picture was taken during a two week project I did for Reuters about the conditions of African migrants in Israel. There are about 70,000 Africans leaving in Israel, some are considered job seekers and some refugees.
In recent years the Israeli government has been trying to fight their growing numbers by building a fence on its border with Egypt and conducting high-profile deportations.This image was taken at Levinsky Park in south Tel Aviv, which is known as a center for African migrants, where hundreds of them sleep, eat and look for work.”
Canon EOS 1 Mark IV, lens 16-35mm at 16mm, f2.8, 1/320, ISO 200
Caption: A Sudanese migrant sleeps under a slide as an Israeli girl slides down it at Levinsky park in South Tel Aviv June 16, 2012. About 60,000 Africans have crossed into Israel across its porous border with Egypt in recent years. Israel says the vast majority are job seekers, disputing arguments by humanitarian agencies that they should be considered for asylum.
Image 39 of 95: MUKESH GUPTA, Indian-administered Kashmir
“As it was raining heavily, I was out to get some weather standalone pictures and in between I got a call from my friend about the Tawi River getting flooded and about a temple that was partially submerged. So, without wasting any time I went to shoot the flooded temple during heavy rains in Jammu.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 16-35mm at 35mm, f8.0, 1/320, ISO 320
Caption: A temple stands amid the waters of the flooded river Tawi after heavy rains in Jammu August 19, 2012.
Image 40 of 95: GORAN TOMASEVIC, Syria
“The Free Syrian Army is organized and knows what they are doing. Some members are former Syrian soldiers who defected but most are young civilians, some are 16 or 17 years old. They are fighting the Syrian Army with small arms and RPGs and without many supplies but somehow they set up a supply line to get fuel for their vehicles. They are also media friendly. At first they noticed my presence and were a little bit suspicious but after a while they began saying “Goran come here”, though they didn’t really speak English. They would tell me what missions they were conducting or show me some positions and ask if I wanted to join them.
On this day we were just talking on the street when we heard shooting and started running into the building. We heard a large explosion and that is when the rebel was hit by shrapnel. He and others entered the room and I was in a little bit of shock and took some out of focus pictures. It was such a small room with not much light that I had to push the camera up to 3000 ISO. I couldn’t see much because there was a lot of smoke. It was really difficult technically to take these pictures. Beside the rebel there is a knife on the floor as people had just been eating lunch in the room.”
Canon EOS -1D Mark4, Shutter speed 1/25 sec, Aperture f/4, iso 400, lens 16-35 mm
Caption: A Free Syrian Army fighter screams in pain after he was injured in a leg by shrapnel from a shell fired from a Syrian Army tank in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.
Image 41 of 95: RICARDO MORAES, Brazil
“In June we had a great mobilization of different sectors of the society for the Rio+20 United Nations sustainable development summit marking the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio-92) in Rio de Janeiro. Days before the beginning of the summit, people from different states and many countries started to arrive in Rio, both for the Rio+20 and for its parallel event, the People’s Summit at Rio+20 for Social and Environmental Justice. I started to cover indigenous people at their temporary village, taking pictures of many cultural and religious ceremonies and meetings. As the People’s Summit began, I started to look for indigenous people in the city, contrasting their traditional lifestyle with the urban visual. I found many using the subway, maybe the most urban kind of transport, to make their way to the Summit. I saw this picture and it was like the indigenous man had just entered a time machine.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, 1/10 sec, ISO 250
Caption: An indigenous man stands in a subway train as he makes his way to the People’s Summit at Rio+20 for Social and Environmental Justice in Rio de Janeiro June 20, 2012.
Image 42 of 95: BRIAN SNYDER, United States
“I spent one day while covering Governor Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign doing a “Day-In-the-Life” look at the candidate. About two-thirds of the way through the day Governor Romney was in a hold area making phone calls, working on a speech and consulting with advisors. I had left him in a small room to give him a break from my camera, when I noticed that through the activity reflected in a window to the room I could see him as well. Funnily enough, while I was making this photograph with him and the reflection, he motioned me into the room, saying it was no problem for me to be in the room with him; no break needed.”
Canon EOS-1DX, lens 50mm, f1.4m 1/160, ISO 3200
Caption: Staff members reflected off the window of the room where Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney works before a campaign rally in North Canton, Ohio October 26, 2012.
Image 43 of 95: LUCAS JACKSON, United States
“This image was taken as the sun set on Election Day in the Rockaways. Located in the Beach 90s the iconic boardwalk was lifted by the storm surge from superstorm Sandy and pushed several hundred feet inland. The water broke and twisted the massive wooden structure and blocked vehicular traffic to the waterfront. As a result the Department of Sanitation demolished these long sections and piled them up on both sides of the street. In between these towering piles of demolished wood was an alleyway for passersby. This day had been sunny and warm and the sand pushed up by the surge had dried out, creating large dust clouds when vehicles drove the narrow lanes between the piles of debris. I had been photographing along the water and noticed that the dust created a nice layering effect when it was caught just right by the sun. Using that element I photographed for about an hour trying to get all of the elements together in a single frame as people and cars moved along the street. I had to walk along the street trying to find a spot that gave the best combination of foreground elements to combine with the larger buildings in the background and then wait for people to walk across the street to give the scene a sense of scale. I used a building on the left to shield me from the direct sun and took several dozen photos with different subjects filling the street, but it did not look right until this man walked past me and continued down the center of the street. I feel it is one of the most successful photographs I took during this disaster that visually articulates the scale of destruction and just how strong nature can be.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 70-200mm, f8, 1/1250, ISO 160
Caption: A man walks down Shore Front Parkway surrounded by debris pushed onto the streets by hurricane Sandy in the Queens borough region of the Rockaways in New York, November 6, 2012.
Image 44 of 95: SHAMIL ZHUMATOV, Afghanistan
“I was embedded with a U.S. platoon holding position at a tiny base of Afghan police. In fact, it was a misnomer to call that a base – a drab building behind an adobe wall pocked with bullet holes after skirmishes. On the first day, it was relatively quiet – a bit of shooting which ceased by the evening. At 0500 next day, all hell broke loose – shooting, a brief lull and then again shooting. A group from our platoon would set off around every 40 minutes to patrol the area from where the shots were fired. This was not far away – a sparse grove and ruined houses some 100-150 yards away. Sometimes these groups were shot at. But groups changed, while I worked alone. I accompanied a few patrols in the morning and felt knackered by midday. It was sweltering hot already – about +40 Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). So another group took off and I stayed at the base.
They were shot at again, and then it became really scary – one shot, then another, then bursts of machinegun fire and then it all turned into a deafening, unending roar. All of a sudden, an explosion roared. I can recognize explosions, and that one meant nothing good. Almost simultaneously, I heard someone shouting over the radio: “We need a doc!” The medic got ready, clutched his rucksack, I put on my flak jacket and a helmet, someone took a stretcher, and we all sprayed out of our shelter. If you ran straight, it wasn’t far – a small field and a shallow gutter. When we arrived, the first thought that flashed across my mind is – why the heck do we need a doc here? This man is dead! Half a human body was lying in the dust, parts below his waist were missing, and his clothes were gone. Everyone was busy – someone covered us, the medic started making injections, the stretcher was ready. And they kept shouting to the unconscious man: “Hold on! It’ll all be OK!” I asked if I can be of any help. I was asked to move away a machinegun. I gave a bottle of water to a soldier with a light leg wound. The guy drank it and furiously threw the bottle away. I was, meanwhile, taking pictures. I tried to be as discreet as I could. No one tried to stop me. The guy was put on the stretcher and everyone braced up for a dash back. A sergeant slung his rifle across my back, I was asked to carry a mine-detector. And so we dashed back. The guy’s arms hang down from the stretcher. Crossing the gutter knee-deep in muddy water, they shouted “raise his hands!” I took his left hand – it was warm but strangely light, as if hollow. I put it on his chest, but it fell down all the same.
A chopper arrived from Kandahar just 10 minutes after the explosion. Our city ambulances don’t come that fast! The board with a red cross made a circle above us and landed in a field in a purple cloud from a smoke grenade. The guy was taken in, they shouted something to the medics on board, made another injection and the chopper whizzed off. We remained in the dust and in screaming silence. Finally, it all caught up with me – I was short of breath and felt sick. We were back, at last. I gave back the rifle and the mine-detector. Many guys were crying; I took my time, taking pictures.A decision was taken to send those lightly wounded to a bigger base nearby in an armored vehicle. I said I would go too. On our way, a young soldier swooned, a shot of morphine followed. They have funny flak jackets – there is a tiny tab, you just pull it and off it goes! We waited in the hospital. I was sitting closer to the door, blocking the exit. The doctor asked me to help him, and I clumsily got out with his and my rucksacks, my sleeping bag and a machinegun of a wounded soldier. I heaped it all nearby. Only my cameras were still dangling on me. The guy was put on a stretcher and we carried him. Only the medics kept cool in this situation. Once we put the stretcher on a special stand with foil underneath, a female doctor said something like “you can bugger off now, we have to work”. This somewhat calmed us down.
That badly wounded soldier survived. They amputated a few of his fingers. He had numerous wounds in the pelvis area. He was 20, a year younger than my daughter Alinka.
I was editing my pictures later. Settling formalities with the army press service consumed two days. As it turned out, if a soldier is wounded or photographed during treatment, this is already invasion of his privacy, and you have to get his written agreement to publish pictures. They put it straight – he is alive, and he has rights. In principle, they are quite right. We just live in a different world. Those two featured in my pictures eagerly signed all the papers. They thanked me for the pleasure of my company and for the trifle that I had done. Some pictures will never be published. I, however, would have gladly not taken those pictures, but it just happened so.
I was told to head home. I had to go to a helicopter at the larger base. On our way there, a convoy bypassed the small building at the Afghan police station to leave food and water there. By bitter irony, shooting broke out once we had arrived and unloaded there. I even took a few pictures. We hit the road, and while moving we got a radio message that an army marksman had finally “got” the enemy shooter. I know this sniper – a small and skinny sergeant. I was told that he has bad vision in his left eye because a fragment was stuck there, but his right eye is OK. So he “got” that Taliban shooter. It was his 11th on that assignment. And I, for once, felt relief. A man was killed, but I received relief. Maybe, it is right that war is a business for the young, and I go home.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 16-35mm at 16mm, f14, 1/640, ISO800
Caption: U.S. Army soldiers react after their comrade was wounded at patrol by an improvised explosive device (IED) in southern Afghanistan June 12, 2012.
Image 45 of 95: OSMAN ORSAL, Turkey
“It was early on Wednesday morning when I arrived at Hacipasa, a village just across the border from Syria in Turkey’s southern Hatay province. Set among rolling hills lined with olive trees, the village sits right across from the Syrian town of Azmarin, where heavy clashes had been taking place between Syrian government forces and rebels. The army had been shelling Azmarin and I was taking pictures of the shells landing in and around the town which sent plumes of dust and smoke rising above the town.
As the fighting intensified throughout the morning, villagers from Hacipasa told me Syrians were starting to flee across the Orontes River in the valley below me, some of them wounded. The river forms a natural frontier between Turkey and Syria along this part of the border.
Grabbing my cameras, I jumped into the car with a Reuters reporter and drove quickly down the narrow dirt road to the river to where the refugees were. As we neared the river the sound of the shelling became louder and louder. We could not drive our car right up to the river as villagers from Hacipasa had already moved dozens of cars and minibuses down the narrow track to help ferry the people away.
I jumped out of the car and a young man with a motorcycle came riding up and told me to jump on the back. So I slung both cameras around my neck and jumped on as he took me to the river crossing. The river at this point is very narrow, no more than 15 meters wide, and is secluded by low-hanging trees.
On one side is Turkey and on the other, Syria.
I could see rebel fighters on the other side carrying small children down to the bank, followed by others, mostly women. The rebels had strung two ropes across the river and were using them to pull two small metal boats back and forth to carry the fleeing people.
On the Turkish side they had set up a basic first aid point with bandages and stretchers to treat the wounded. I ran straight down to the edge of the river where villagers were pulling the boats across and began photographing the people coming across. Streams of people were emerging out of the trees on the other side, some of the children clinging to their mothers. Rebels carried other children in their arms to the waiting boats.
While I was documenting four wounded men, either rebel fighters in combat or civilians hit by shrapnel, were carried across. I kept on photographing as more and more people came across, making sure to change my memory cards every few minutes in case the military arrived and tried to confiscate my cameras. If they took the camera I knew at least I’d have the others safe in my pocket and would be able to get the pictures out. The whole time I was shooting I could hear the deafening sound of the shells landing only a couple kilometers away, a reminder of how close I was to the fighting.
As I was looking through the lens all I could think about was capturing the picture – the scene wasn’t really affecting me. It was only afterwards as I went through the pictures that it began to affect me. I have a 7-year-old son back at home in Istanbul and seeing these children, many even younger than him, crying and scared, not knowing what was going on, just made me think of him and that’s when the awful content of the picture really hits me.
What also got to me was every time I take pictures of children, even under such awful circumstances, there is always one child who starts smiling when he sees the camera.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 16mm, f2.8, 1/640
Caption: A wounded Syrian man lies on a boat as he is transferred to Turkey over the Orontes River on the Turkish-Syrian border near the village of Hacipasa in Hatay province October 10, 2012. Scores of Syrian civilians, many of them women with screaming children clinging to their necks, crossed Orontes, a narrow river marking the border with Turkey as they fled the fighting in Azmarin and surrounding villages. Residents from the Turkish village of Hacipasa, nestled among olive groves, helped pull them across in small metal boats.
Image 46 of 95: SUHAIB SALEM, Gaza
“The house in the picture was damaged on the first night of the 8-day war which was very horrible due to the heavy Israeli bombings. In the morning and after the sunrise, I went to the scene to take pictures of that area. I found the whole neighborhood was destroyed – as if an earthquake had hit the area. While shooting, the old man captured my attention as he was inspecting the severe damage to his house. I left the area quickly after this picture as Israeli warplanes started bombing again around us.”
Canon D1x, lens 50 mm, f1.4, ISO 200
Caption: A Palestinian man checks his damaged house after Israeli air strikes in Gaza City November 15, 2012.
Image 47 of 95: MINZAYAR, Myanmar
“At about 4:30pm on November 6, I went for the last time to the burnt areas at ‘East Pikesake’ village to take more pictures of the details of the ruins. While walking around, I saw this scene. It totally stopped me. No more walking, no more taking pictures, I just stood still staring at this scene which was breaking my heart. That little puppy was leaning on the leg of the dead one as if it was still alive. Normally, when I see scenes that are strong, I would just quickly take the photos, but this time, I forgot about taking a picture.
I started asking the people passing by whether there was anyone who would adopt the puppy. They said they are sad as well seeing it refusing to leave its mother, but could not adopt because they had their own difficulties as a result of the violence. Then I put down all my cameras and sat and watched this poor little puppy with extreme sadness.
After a while, I decided to take the picture no matter what. After a few shots, I paused, rubbed his head, he licked my hands and I continued taking pictures from different angles. By the time I had to leave, I was thinking about taking him with me to my hotel. But then there was one very kind local man on a motor bike who was watching me and the puppy. He said he could not adopt the puppy but still wanted to do something for it. Then we decided to send the puppy to the nearby monastery. We picked up the puppy and put him on the bike and finally, it was taken to the monastery. I will never forget his pitiful eyes as he left.
Although I wished to take the puppy back with me, under my situation I had to leave him with nothing but sadness, anger, and a couple of pictures. I came back half-believing that the monastery would be the best place for him, half-regretting that I didn’t bring him with me.
I got back to Yangon and was busy with work for a few days until one morning when my ringing phone woke me up with a question: ‘Minzayar, what happened to the puppy?’
I miss the puppy… Now I know, the thin little puppy has given me an inerasable question-mark, deep in my heart. He might survive at the monastery, or he might not, but the mark deep inside me that he left is going to last forever.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 50mm, f2.5, 1/60, ISO 200
Caption: A puppy stands by remains of a dog local residents said was its mother, days after it was killed in an area burnt in violence at East Pikesake ward in Kyaukphyu November 6, 2012.
Image 48 of 95: NIR ELIAS, Israel
“I was driving on my way to the scene where a rocket had hit a 4-storey building when I heard sirens warning of incoming rockets. I stopped my car and saw people running from three different directions, two of them were female soldiers, one mother holding her baby and another two men. All the people in the picture were random people that were walking in the street at the time of the siren. I was on assignment covering the situation in southern Israel. The picture did not take long to take, I concentrated for a few seconds to try and make a picture out of all the chaos. I was also running when I heard the siren. I felt sympathy for the people in the picture who were in an extreme situation. About five minutes after the siren I went back to my car and continued to the scene where the rocket had hit a building.”
Caption: Israelis react and run for cover as a siren sounds warning of incoming rockets in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi November 15, 2012.
Image 49 of 95: FREDY BUILES, Colombia
“I went to photograph the great novelty in Commune 13 of Medellin, something that filled residents of the neighborhood and the whole city with curiosity. I was also intrigued since I know that neighborhood as a violent one and I know what life is like there; illegal armed groups fight for control of the zone where poverty and violence are common, amid many good people with brave hearts who overcome adversity.
Half the community was against the escalator, saying that there were more important needs, and the other half applauded it as bringing them a new light, making them feel less neglected. It turned the neighborhood into a tourist attraction opening possibilities for new cafes, hairdressers, shops, and even street vendors. During my ride up the escalator I crossed paths with beautiful girls, residents going about their daily tasks, Filipino, French, Canadian and Spanish tourists, and armed gangs trying to make this project work in their benefit. I managed to access the positions from where I wanted to photograph, and took this photo that for me holds the contrast of the different existing realities. There are the modern, shiny escalators in the middle of poverty. It was a day of visual impact for me, to watch children who didn’t rest from riding up and down the escalator that enriched a poor neighborhood plagued by violence, within an invisible border.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IIN, lens 28mm, f2.8, 1/200, ISO 400
Caption: People travel on an outdoor public escalator at Commune 13 in Medellin January 12, 2012. A huge 384 meters (1,260 ft) long outdoor escalator, divided into six sections, has been erected in one of the poorest districts of Colombia’s second largest city to help the 12,000 residents there get around.
Image 50 of 95: JORGE DAN LOPEZ
“It was a confusing situation. Early morning, the day after the lynching of a man who killed two children in a school with a machete, the people of the town captured four men accused of being accomplices to the lynched man. In the end the men were identified as thieves, people wanted to lynch them, burn them alive, and the police just watched, doing nothing. The men were rescued by additional police and a mediator, and were taken to the outskirts of town, where they were evacuated by army vehicle. This was the first time I was afraid to be in a difficult situation. It was as if people only wanted revenge for the death of the two children killed the day before in the school.
Canon Mark IV, lens 15mm, f 2.8, 1/ 800 ISO 250
Caption: A woman hits a man with a stick after he is accused of theft along with three other men at Tactic, in the Alta Verapaz region, about 189 km (117 miles) from Guatemala City, September 13, 2012. The local community tied up and beat four men who were accused of theft in the aftermath of a school killing. The man, who had entered a classroom and killed two children, ages 8 and 13, with a machete, was lynched and burnt alive by a mob, local media reported.
Image 51 of 95: JOHN KOLESIDIS, Greece
“There was a scheduled rally that day due to the official visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It was apparent, early on, that it was not going to be a peaceful protest, and sure enough violence broke out around noon. There was a storm of rocks, teargas and police arrests. There were violent clashes in the street, and the crowds had grouped towards the lower part of Syntagma Square to protect themselves from the riot police. Suddenly, there was an outburst of cries and applause, as a naked man emerged from among the protestors, and started running towards me. I started to run too, taking pictures at the same time, waiting for him to pass by me, so that I could have a few frames of him running against a background of the Parliament. The symbolism was as plain as day in my eyes: a man standing naked right in front of the riot police and the Parliament, naked in the face of power imposition and the new austerity measures about to be taken. The protester kept running towards the police holding his arms up, as if to show he was unarmed, until he disappeared in the crowd, having passed by the Parliament.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 16-35 mm at 35 mm, f9, 1/800, ISO 400
Caption: A naked protester runs past the parliament in Syntagma Square in Athens during a violent protest against the visit of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel October 9, 2012.
Image 52 of 95: CHINA DAILY, China
Account from Reuters photographer Aly Song
“Right now, buying a house like this would cost me more than 2 million yuan, but the government only offered me 260,015 to move, where could I go?” 67-year-old Luo Baogen said while smoking a cigarette in front of his partially demolished “nail house”, standing alone in the middle of a road in Wenling city, China’s eastern Zhejiang province. “Nail house” refers to the last houses in an area owned by people who refuse to move to make room for new developments.
About 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Shanghai, this house quickly became an Internet hot topic after local news reports bearing dramatic photographs went public.
It was difficult to believe that such a small city of Wenling was also undergoing great changes like Shanghai. On my train ride, I could see big and small construction sites on both sides of the railway. As soon as I stepped off the train, I could hear many noises of heavy machinery, constant reminders of the fast GDP development in this country.
I knew most of the “nail house” problems were as consequences of economic developments. This one was no exception.
After a brief interview, we learned that Luo Baogen and his wife were farmers who used to live in a quiet village too small to be found on Google map, with a few houses and some crop fields around the area. But just a few years ago, the high-speed railway ran through this village, and the local government decided to take advantage to turn this place into an economic development zone. Negotiation and demolition kicked off. Fast forward to today, and Luo and his wife are the last family refusing to move.
Luo told us he was distressed as feedback from the government changed all the time. He didn’t know what else he could do, so he just waits day after day by his house, puffing on cigarettes.
While we were interviewing Luo, dozens of other villagers came to us to complain about the local government’s behavior, but all of them asked to be off-the-record. In the meantime, an unidentified man kept using a mobile phone to take pictures of us to keep us on record.
I have covered several nail house stories in my photojournalism career, and sometimes, I can feel the same powerlessness and tininess as my interviewees, being in the way of the development of a fast-growing nation.
I sincerely hope that there will be a happy ending for this couple. I believe honest people like them, and many other citizens, deserve better, as they have already given so much to society.”
Nikon D7000, lens 42mm, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 200
Caption: A car stops beside a house in the middle of a newly built road in Wenling, Zhejiang province, November 22, 2012. An elderly couple refused to sign an agreement to allow their house to be demolished. They say that compensation offered is not enough to cover rebuilding costs, according to local media. Their house is the only building left standing on a road which is paved through their village.
Image 53 of 95: YEMEN’S DEFENCE MINISTRY, Yemen
“As the Yemeni army troops were pushing ahead with a U.S.-backed offensive to recapture main cities in the restive southern province of Abyan from the hands of al Qaeda-linked militants with tank and artillery shelling, the Defence Ministry provided a dozen frames from the frontline of battles, including this image. Al Qaeda-linked militants seized large swathes of territory in southern Yemen last year as then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh grappled with protesters demanding his overthrow. Saleh has quit in favor of his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Hadi Mansour, who was elected as president last February.”
Sony DSC H5, f5.6, ISO 125
Caption: An army tank fires during a firefight against militants linked to al Qaeda near the southern Yemeni city of Zinjibar May 30, 2012.
Image 54 of 95: NAVESH CHITRAKAR, Nepal
“It was the final day of the nine day long festival and a huge crowd had gathered at Bhaktapur to observe the Bisket festival. Even the roofs, windows and balconies of the nearby houses were packed with people observing the festival. Everyone was looking for the best and the safest spot from where they could observe and enjoy the festival. I saw one house that was ideal for me to take pictures from but I couldn’t just crash into someone’s house without permission. I took my chance and rang the door bell. After some time a man looked out from the window of this house – he was the owner. I smiled at him and requested if I could go to the roof of his house to take some pictures of the festival. He asked are you from the press? I said yes and showed him my Journalist ID card that was hanging around my neck. He told me to wait and he came down to open the door. After looking closely at the ID card and few more questions he allowed me to enter his house. I thanked him and went straight towards the roof which was filled with people. I took a spot from where I could shoot pictures of the festival but I had not noticed this girl in the picture sitting with her mother until I heard her mother speaking with her. As soon as I saw her I noticed that this could be a good picture so I started to take photos of this girl after receiving permission from her mother. There’s a variation of crowd and isolation in one picture that I like a lot.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16mm, f2.8, 1/41, ISO 400
Caption: A child looks on as she observes the Bisket festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur near Kathmandu April 13, 2012. The nine-day festival takes place over the Nepalese New Year, during which the devotees try to pull the chariot to their respective locations and the winners are believed to be blessed for the coming year with good fortune.
Image 55 of 95: KEVIN LAMARQUE, United States
“Campaign rallies are so alike, so much so, it can seem like you are covering the same rally over and over again. You rarely remember what state or city you are in. The only thing that makes them different is when you can actually shoot something you have not seen at other rallies. At this particular rally, since it was so bright outside, an opaque teleprompter was used. Having been uninspired by what I saw from my position up close, I roamed to the back of the rally. From there, I was able to see the way the teleprompter obscured President Obama’s face; in fact, it appeared to replace his head entirely.”
Canon EOS1D MK IV, lens 70-200mm, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 200
Caption: A teleprompter obscures U.S. President Barack Obama as he speaks during a campaign event at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio August 21, 2012.
Image 56 of 95: RICK LOOMIS, United States
“Shooting the shuttle’s arrival and transport to its new home was a much-anticipated event in the Los Angeles Times photo department. Nearly every photographer was involved at some point along the journey – from creating time-lapse images to flying overhead, everyone played a part.
I was excited to photograph the shuttle that had long ago replaced the Challenger shuttle, which I watched explode with my own eyes from a second-floor window of my high school during my 10th grade year. That was a truly tragic event and this was a chance to come full circle with a joyous occasion for Angelinos.
My assignment was to follow the space shuttle Endeavour — on foot, which began for me at about 6 in the morning. Before the day was over I’d spent 17 hours walking much of the 12-mile distance the shuttle travelled from Los Angeles International Airport to the California Science Center.
A substantial crowd lined the sidewalks as it moved slowly through the streets of Los Angeles, much of it through neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic situations. I’m sure for many who saw it from their windows or balconies it might be the only time they ever lay eyes on it. As it moved, I tried to anticipate where an interesting juxtaposition might occur between the Endeavour and its surroundings. Sometimes racing ahead, sometimes deliberately staying behind, I climbed up on roofs, begged my way into houses – anything to try to put myself in a good position.
For this image, which was made along Crenshaw Drive, I found a second floor balcony that afforded a nice view of people crowding the balconies on the opposite side of the street. But what caught my eye more than that was the lone man standing on the roof as the enormous nose cone of the shuttle crawled into view.
I don’t think I need to see the shuttle in its new museum space. The site of the Endeavour dominating the streets of Los Angeles is forever burned into my memory.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, f11, 1/250, ISO 100
Caption: A man takes a photo as Space Shuttle Endeavour travels to the California Science Center in Inglewood, Los Angeles October 13, 2012.
Image 57 of 95: SIPHIWE SIBEKO, South Africa
“I had found what I thought was a safe spot from the side of a Nyala (an armored police vehicle) when the miners armed with machetes and sticks (one of the men in the picture is carrying a firearm in his right hand) approached the police. I knew this would not end well. It had reached a boiling point and from my “safe spot” there was no way of getting a picture. At the same time I had inhaled teargas that the police had fired at the miners.
I used the opportunity to take a few frames from behind the policeman when he was firing at them. I managed to capture the fear in the face of the miners. A few seconds after that most of them were dead and some badly injured.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 70-200mm at 102mm, f5.6, 1/320, ISO 250
Caption: A policeman (R) fires at protesting miners outside a South African mine in Rustenburg, 100 km (62 miles) northwest of Johannesburg, August 16, 2012. South African police opened fire against thousands of striking miners armed with machetes and sticks at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine, leaving several bloodied corpses lying on the ground.
Image 58 of 95: SOE ZEYA TUN, Myanmar
“This picture was taken during the Punk Music Show as they celebrated Myanmar’s New Year water festival in Yangon. When I asked, he told me that he had made the jacket himself. He loves Aung San Suu Kyi very much and that’s why he wears it.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f2.2, 1/1250, ISO 500
Caption: A young man dressed as a punk with pictures of Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on his shirt, attends a punk show during the water festival at a music bar in Yangon April 11, 2012. Myanmar celebrates the New Year Water Festival of Thingyan during the month of Tagu, which usually falls around mid-April.
Image 59 of 95: ILYA NAYMUSHIN, Russia
“There is a new tradition in Krasnoyarsk, once every two years there is a weeklong ballet forum. Famous figures from the Russian ballet come to the city for a series of shows, seminars and other events. One of the main events is a competition amongst the most talented young performers from different types of ballet for a prize of performing with the stars in town. I had the idea to follow some of the participants, knowing that the physical and psychological stresses are immense, and to see how they prepare for this challenge.
Having got the access I required, I chose a pair of young dancers from south Siberia who had already won awards across the county – Marina Volkova, 16, and Yuri Kudryatsev, 18, – both of whom had studied ballet from the age of 4. I followed them for a couple of days before the competition and saw their complete dedication, how they exhausted themselves and the reactions of their tutors to the slightest mistake.
This photograph showing Yuri studying English whilst doing the splits on the top bunk in his dormitory was part of the story. The preparation regime that these young people embark upon I can only compare to an Olympic class athlete, as they mix their training with all other student activities. You can watch TV as you stretch ligaments on a training machine, or do your homework, like Yuri here, as you train your muscles into certain poses. Where else could you see this but in the dormitory of future ballet stars? The rest was easy; all I had to do was press the shutter button.
Marina and Yuri later confirmed the hopes of their teachers, receiving prizes from the Krasnoyark Governor and Mayor of Krasnoyarsk for 2nd and 3rd prizes in the personal category respectively.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm at 16mm, f5, 1/400, ISO 1600
Caption: Yuri Kudryavtsev, 18, student of the Krasnoyarsk choreographic college, does leg-splits while reading a book in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, October 4, 2012. Kudryavtsev, accompanied by his fellow student, Marina Volkova, 16, prepared before taking part in a professional one-week-long ballet contest, dedicated to the 85th anniversary of a well-known Russian choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, along with actors from opera and ballet theatres and graduates of choreographic colleges from different Russian cities. Kudryavtsev and Volkova are winners of the 2011 Grand Prix of the St.-Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Theatre all-Russian ballet schools competition.
Image 60 of 95: RUPAK DE CHOWDHURI, India
“Krishanadevpur village is about 280 km (173 miles) north of Kolkata and I was assigned to cover one of the very traditional festivals called “Chadak”. I was looking for pictures in the area where people were participating in the festival. More than a thousand people were gathered out of which I saw a very strange Hindu devotee having his neck pierced with a knife. The man was also having two metal hooks attached to his back. So I started taking his pictures from different angles. I tried talking to this man to get more information but he didn’t utter a word.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f1.4, ISO 250
Caption: A Hindu devotee with his neck pierced with a knife attends the “Chadak” ritual at Krishanadevpur village, north of Kolkata April 13, 2012. Hundreds of Hindu devotees attend the ritual, held to worship the Hindu deity of destruction Lord Shiva, on the last day of the Bengali calendar year. The photographer was unable to check the veracity of the action of this devotee.
Image 61 of 95: SUSANA VERA, Spain
“I met Joseba Etxaburu while photographing the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, which happens to be my hometown, in 2005. I had already heard stories about this Basque fireman turned photographer and was eager to meet him. A photo of his of a bull attempting to gore a runner at the entrance to the bullring was one of the most amazing ones I had seen of the bull run so far. At the time I started working with him, Joseba was getting a kick out of shooting “Las Vaquillas”; the release of wild cows into the bullring following the running of the bulls. Revelers entertain themselves after the bull run trying to dodge young cows and we, photographers, can’t resist taking photos of them getting tossed in the air. Joseba got tired of shooting the action from the stands with a 70-200mm lens and decided to get down and dirty. That means going into the bullring with a wide angle lens and shooting the revelers and the heifers that chase them, up close and personal. That has become his trademark. Joseba is willing to take risks and that shows in his photographs. I’m not sure whether it has to do with his training as a fireman or it’s just a character trait, or possibly both, but the truth is that no one shoots “Las Vaquillas” like he does, most of us don’t dare to! He’s bold and has fast reflexes. Unfortunately this time, the wild cow was faster than him and I happened to be there to snap the picture (from the safety of the stands, I must admit).
After checking his camera was working properly and he had only minor scratches on his elbow he told me: “Susi, I’m OK. The only thing that got hurt is my pride, but I’m glad you were here to record this.” It was the first time he had been tossed by a wild cow while shooting “Las Vaquillas”.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 70-200mm, f3.5, 1/640, ISO 500
Caption: Reuters photographer Joseba Etxaburu is knocked down by a wild cow during festivities in the bullring following the sixth running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 12, 2012. Etxaburu suffered some scratches on his right elbow but was able to continue shooting afterwards.
Image 62 of 95: JIM URQUHART, United States
“After having a busy couple of weeks and being away covering events like Burning Man I had decided to travel to our family’s cabin outside Pinedale, Wyoming for a weekend of rock climbing and hanging out. On our way back to the cabin one afternoon I got a call from my Dad who was several minutes ahead of me. He told me the forest was burning near our place and to meet him on the road above our cabin. I began racing as fast as I could not knowing if our place was in danger of being burned to the ground. Once I rounded a bend and could see beyond a mountain ridge a huge column of smoke it really hit me. I was forced to reconcile the idea that my loved ones were being directly impacted by a news story.
I got to the top of the ridge to meet my Dad and step-mother. We watched the fire for awhile and watched it move in our general direction. One thing we felt good about is that our place was not in the trees and it would have to make a run of about two miles to get to us over open range land.
After a few minutes I decided I might as well cover the news. I always carry my fire gear in my truck and quickly changed on the side of the road and then sent my wife and dog with my Dad and step-mother in their car. I knew if I wanted to get something unique I had to go get in close to the fire now before a huge response team was in place and access was shut down.
I drove around the eastern flank of the fire to a rise where I could see some cabins and a pond but I always left an exit route for myself since the fire was moving in my direction. The smoke rolling into the canyon I was in was cutting off visibility but I was able to make frames of helicopters loading up with water from a pond. Right after I made the picture a sheriff deputy arrived and booted me from the area. It was a good call. I was about to leave anyways because the smoke was beginning to really cut off visibility and I knew the flames were just over the ridge.”
Canon 5D Mark III, lens 70-200mm at 142mm, f3.2, 1/1600, ISO 100
Caption: A firefighting helicopter fills a bucket of water in heavy smoke as the North Merna wildfire burns in the Bridger National Forest west of the town of Pinedale in Sublette County, Wyoming September 16, 2012.
Image 63 of 95: ESAM AL-FETORI, Libya
No information available
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm at 18mm, f2.8, 1/40, ISO 1250
Caption: A protester reacts as the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames September 11, 2012.
Image 64 of 95: ANDREW BURTON, United States
“This image was made by reversing the standard exposure for a runway photo. Normally you expose for the models who are well lit, and the audience is reduced to a blurry, black background. With this photo I exposed for the audience, which caused the model to be over exposed. To increase the contrast, I waited for a model with blonde hair and wearing white. The result gives the appearance of a white silhouette of the model, and shows the audience watching her.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm at 145mm, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 3200
Caption: Audience members watch a model during the J. Mendel Spring/Summer 2013 show at New York Fashion Week, September 12, 2012.
Image 65 of 95: MAXIM ZMEYEV for the Trend Photo Agency, Russia
“I’d just returned from shooting the tragic flooding in Krymsk when the following day I received a call offering me the opportunity to shoot an exclusive – a young man would sew his own mouth shut near the Kazan cathedral as a mark of support for the punk back Pussy Riot. I agreed and 20 minutes before the scheduled time called the “connected” person. They were running late and so I waited another two hours. The man eventually arrived, with mouth already sewn, so I didn’t have a chance to take the pictures of the sewing process which was disappointing, but I started to photograph the protesters. People were walking around him, provoking him, offending him, you could see the hate in their gaze – after all he was standing outside Kazan Cathedral, the main spiritual location for every orthodox Petersburg resident. I was concentrating on his face, trying to capture his stoic reaction to these proceedings, when all around there was hate and a feeling of moral pain and physical pain. (I asked one of his acquaintances who said that Peter had sewn his mouth without anesthetic). This stoic and spiritual standoff was what I wanted to convey in the picture. The actual event looked very cruel – so I decided to shoot with a brutal crop – just mouth and eyes and stress the part of his black clothing – the symbol of mourning.”
Canon EOS 5d Mark III, lens 135mm, f2.0, ISO 200
Caption: Artist Pyotr Pavlensky, a supporter of jailed members of female punk band “Pussy Riot”, looks on with his mouth sewed up as he protests outside the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, July 23, 2012.
Image 66 of 95: ANATOLII STEPANOV, Ukraine
“That there was going to be a march by citizens of nontraditional sexual orientation, attracting LGBT representatives from Ukraine and Europe, created great excitement in the local society. This news brought together a number of diametrically opposite political parties such as “Svoboda” and “Orthodox choice”. Originally planned for May 20, as the day approached a huge number of protest statements from different political and social parties appeared. The organizing committee decided to postpone the event following threats of physical attacks.
This was announced at an improvised press conference in a park. It became clear during this that violence was a real possibility. A young man, paying no heed to the cameras and journalists, ran up to an organizer and sprayed gas in his face.
After the news conference the journalists dispersed. I myself was disappointed, it was hot and humid. The organizer went to get a taxi but I made sure I had a view of them as they left. Svyatoslav Sheremet and Maxim Kasyanchuk remained after the others had driven away. I lost sight of them but my attention was caught by a group of youths in masks that were chasing somebody. Intuitively I followed them to the yard of a nearby apartment block. As I arrived I saw that they had caught up with Svyatoslav and Maxim. What I saw with my own eyes was wild and absurd – literally a wolf pack had cornered its prey and was going to rip it to pieces. Only this was people. Obviously afraid of taking on Svyatoslav in an open fight the gang sprayed gas in his face, jumped him and started to beat him. It all happened in seconds, I ran to get closer and started photographing, and with me were two other photographers. The presence of the press was obviously not a part of the attackers plan, and when they saw us they ran off.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, f5.7, 1/664, ISO 800
Caption: Unidentified people beat Svyatoslav Sheremet (L, bottom), head of Gay-Forum of Ukraine public organization, in Kiev, May 20, 2012. Sheremet was attacked after meeting with members of the media to inform them that a scheduled gay parade was cancelled. The attackers ran off when they realized members of the media were documenting the attack.
Image 67 of 95: AMMAR AWAD, West Bank
“I arrived in the morning to cover this story in the West Bank city of Hebron. I was told that Israeli police were planning to evict Jewish settlers from a building in the city and from my experience; these situations are usually highly volatile. The settlers were removed from the building and then in protest they erected a tent outside the building. A Palestinian woman walked by and tried to photograph the scene on her mobile phone, when this young boy, one of the settlers, put his hand up in front of her phone.”
Canon EOS Mark III, lens 16-35mm, f5.6, 1/250, ISO400
Caption: A Jewish boy lifts his hand to prevent a Palestinian from taking his picture near a police barrier cordoning off a building the day after Israeli police evicted Jewish settlers who occupied it in the West Bank city of Hebron April 5, 2012.
Image 68 of 95: KEITH BEDFORD, United States
“I took this picture after being asked to cover Tom Cruise’s visit to his daughter Suri after his breakup with Katie Holmes. I am not really an entertainment photographer so I wanted to shoot something that showed the circus-like environment. I’ve covered a lot in my time in New York and this may have been the most photographers I’ve seen in one place. The culture of celebrity and the feeding frenzy that follows it is always weird for me. I chose this picture because Tom Cruise may be the biggest star in the world and used to this frenzy, here he looks like your average father trying to shield his daughter from a crazy world – even if that crazy world is of his own creation.”
Nikon D800, lens 28mm, f6.3, 1/250, ISO 640
Caption: Actor Tom Cruise carries his daughter Suri past a group of photographers as they make their way from a hotel in New York, July 17, 2012.
Image 69 of 95: MICHAEL DALDER, Germany
“On October 3rd, a day where most of my colleagues were covering the festivities to celebrate German unification, I had the opportunity to be an eyewitness to a Bavarian traditional event. The event was the so-called “Almabtrieb” on the lake Koenigssee, in one of the most beautiful regions of Southern Germany.
At the end of the summer season, farmers move their herds down from the Alps to the valley into winter pastures. The mountain pastures are often in remote areas only accessible by foot – or like the Koenigssee trail – by boat.
We met our guide before dusk to board an electric-powered boat to get to the far end of the lake where the farmer with his herd was supposed to arrive. The lake is known for its clear water and is advertised as the cleanest lake in Germany. For this reason, only electric-powered passenger ships, rowing and pedal boats are permitted on the lake. On this foggy, chilly dark morning I was happy that we didn’t have to row. The hot tea from our captain kept everybody warm and awake.
After a 45 minute ride the sun came out and we were able to see the prettiness of the national park. Our captain stopped, brought out a trumpet and showed us the famous Koenigssee echo. Due to the lake’s position surrounded by steep and narrow rock walls, sound creates an echo which can be heard reflected up to seven times – very impressive.
After another 30 minutes cruising with the sound of waterfowl and the purr of our boat engine, we arrived at the spot where two farmers with their herds were supposed to arrive to load the animals on a float carried by two boats with a permission to use outboard motors to transport the flock.
We could hear the cowbells as the first farmer with his animals came around the corner to board the float. It was a master feat for the herdsmen to navigate the 200 – 400 kg heavy ruminants on the boat.
The cows are covered with flowers if the whole herd has survived the summer. This time, the farmer had to mourn some animals – thus the drove would arrive “natural” at the village where, by that time, hundreds of tourists were waiting for the herdsman with his load.
I can imagine that the cows are looking forward to next spring when they will be back in their “quiet” shelter.”
Canon D1 x , lens 135mm, f4, 1/2000, ISO 1600
Caption: Bavarian farmers transport their cows on a boat over the picturesque Lake Koenigssee at dusk October 3, 2012. Before the winter season approaches the farmers have to drive their cattle down from their Alpine meadows to a narrow valley that can only be reached by boat.
Image 70 of 95: DANISH SIDDIQUI, Afghanistan
“I took this picture while photographing on a small hilltop which is one of the picnic spots for Afghans on Fridays. I noticed this man climbing a wall to surprise his friend who was already on the hill. The color of his pants and texture of the wall made it a picture for me.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 800
Caption: An Afghan man takes a shortcut by climbing a wall, at a hilltop in Kabul May 11, 2012.
Image 71 of 95: SHANNON STAPLETON, United States
“This was the second shooting in less than six months for me. I awoke that morning at around 6am to emails informing me of the Aurora theater shooting and asking if I could get on a plane as soon as possible to Denver. Being from Ohio, Colorado, like the Chardon shooting, held a special place in my heart because I spent four years there in my early 20s. I got in a plane and landed in Denver around noon and went straight to work. During a gathering of community members the day after the shootings I spotted this woman and did my best to make a photo of the woman under the technical nightmare of being badly backlit. I don’t use flash so it was a little challenging.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 35mm, f4.0, 1/640, ISO 400
Caption: Marietta Perkins prays during a vigil for victims behind the theater where a gunman opened fire on moviegoers in Aurora, Colorado July 20, 2012.
Image 72 of 95: GORAN TOMASEVIC, South Sudan
“I was travelling by car with some colleagues to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) headquarters when a fighter jet attacked the area and dropped a bomb about 150 meters away from us. This woman began running but really there’s nowhere to run because you don’t know where the next bomb will drop but people panic.”
Canon EOS -1D Mark4, Shutter speed 1/320 sec, Aperture f/9, iso 160, lens 16-35 mm
Caption: A woman runs along a road during an air strike by the Sudanese air force in Rubkona near Bentiu April 23, 2012. Sudanese warplanes carried out air strikes on South Sudan, killing three people near the southern oil town of Bentiu, residents and military officials said, three days after South Sudan pulled out of a disputed oil field.
Image 73 of 95: JACKY CHEN, North Korea/China border
“I’ve been photographing the North Korean side of the China-North Korea border for a few years now. While most of the time I see armed soldiers, working laborers, and citizens hanging around enjoying a work break, sometimes I do get surprises. This was taken in early summer this year, I was very lucky and happened to see a music band playing and singing revolutionary songs in the middle of a field with some farmers standing around watching. It reminds me of stories about my parents being “re-educated” in the countryside during China’s Cultural Revolution. So spontaneously, I captured the scene through the barbed wire between the two nations. Besides, the modern music instruments in the hands of the North Koreans, for me, also symbolize the world-wide irresistible modernization against the simplicity of old age.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, lens 300mm, f10, 1/800, ISO 800
Caption: A music group performs on a path amid fields to greet the farmers at Hwanggumpyong Island, near the North Korean town of Sinuiju and the Chinese border city of Dandong June 6, 2012.
Image 74 of 95: JASON LEE, China
“Even though I’ve been covering all sorts of congress and conferences in Beijing for more than eight years, this yawn was still spectacular. During the opening session of the 18th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC), we had to line up in front of the great hall of the people at 3 a.m. just to secure a better seat for pictures inside. And only with a better seat, could you get such a close-up and straight shot from the media area. I remember it was about five minutes before the start, I aimed my camera at the main stage, and this delegate happened to be yawning right in the middle. I always believe yawning is a human’s natural behavior, let alone this was a moment before the start of the session. But, I do hope this picture would not bring any trouble to this delegate, and I also sincerely hope that he wouldn’t bear any hatred against me because of this.”
Canon 1DX, lens 400mm, f2.8, 1/500, ISO 4000
Caption: Delegates sit at the stage before the opening ceremony of 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, November 8, 2012.
Image 75 of 95: DYLAN MARTINEZ, England
“I love London, covering the Olympics, watching gymnastics and hanging out with good friends. So being part of the team covering the artistic gymnastics at the London 2012 Olympic Games was pretty much a dream assignment. What’s not to like; being in the best city in the world, at the biggest event in the world, seeing the world’s most flexible athletes showing just how bendy and malleable they actually are? It was a joy to watch and a pleasure to photograph as Gabrielle “Gaby” Douglas performed her routines on her way to Olympic gold. I’m fond of this picture and since taking it have tried to jump upside down, form the perfect T and then attempt to land on a six inch bar. As yet no success, but practice makes perfect…”
Nikon D4, lens 70-200, f3.2, 1/1250, ISO 1600
Caption: Gabrielle Douglas of the U.S. competes in the balance beam during the women’s individual all-around gymnastics final in the North Greenwich Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 2, 2012.
Image 76 of 95: DAVID MERCADO, Bolivia
“The morning of February 23 I got ready to cover the arrival in La Paz of a group of handicapped people who had travelled nearly 1,000 miles over several months, asking the government of Evo Morales for an increase in their benefits. They were received in the city by a population sympathetic to their cause, which made them feel triumphant over their feat. They decided to enter the Plaza Murillo and end their protest in front of the Government Palace, but riot police blocked their way. It was in that situation with handicapped demonstrators in front of the police that a huge, confusing battle broke out with protesters using crutches and canes to attack the police, who sprayed them with pepper spray. The emotional atmosphere was so great that the confrontation lasted more than an hour. At one point a woman with only one arm and one leg charged the police, and that was the moment when I took this photo of an unreal situation.”
Canon EOS- 1D Mark IV, lens 16mm, f3.5, 1/320, ISO 200
Caption: A physically disabled woman on her wheelchair clashes with riot police in the centre of La Paz, February 23, 2012. Hundreds of physically disabled people arrived in La Paz after completing a protest march of some 1600 km (994 miles) over a hundred days to demand that Bolivia’s government offer support in the form of 3000 bolivianos ($434) payment to each physically disabled Bolivian, according to local media.
Image 77 of 95: AMR DALSH, Egypt
“After the funeral for soldiers who were killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen one of the members of “Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi” was late. He tried to run to be able to ride on the military police vehicle but he fell from the car again even after his colleagues caught him.”
Canon EOS Mark IV, f2.8, 1/6400, ISO 100
Caption: Members of “Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi,” a group consisting of official and police guards, try to ride a military police vehicle after a funeral for soldiers who were killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, at the tomb of the late President Anwar al-Sadat and the Unknown Soldier monument in Cairo August 7, 2012.
Image 78 of 95: JASON LEE, China
“Many people consider Nanjie Village to be the Last Maoist Village in China. On September 24, it only took me an hour and a half flight and one hour drive to travel from Beijing to this small communist society. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be so easy. There were no entrance tickets, no security guards, and no one had to check our vehicle. We drove all the way to the village center, where a giant statue of the late Chairman Mao Zedong stood in the middle of a square, waving at me. Next to him were four portraits of his communist comrades: Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. The loudspeakers at the square repeatedly played the classic revolutionary song “The East Is Red”; the same song played in outer space in 1970 after China’s first satellite was put into orbit. I saw this picture down the street when I walked out from a courtyard, the scene just brought back so many memories. When I was a child, adults used to go to work together like these people, very simple and peaceful. I realized that this scene could be really rare in China or anywhere else of the world nowadays, so I captured the moment. I have to admit I was intrigued by the lifestyle in Nanjie, even though how the society actually works still puzzles me.”
Canon 1D Mark IV, lens 70-200mm at 120mm, f2.8, 1/2500, ISO 200
Caption: Residents push lawn mowers on a street in Nanjie village of Luohe city in China’s central Henan province September 24, 2012. Nanjie village, with more than 3,100 residents, is touted to be one of the remaining models of communist China, where the principles of morality and collectivism of the late Chairman Mao still strictly guide the people’s daily lives. Aside from free housing, healthcare, food rations and education, locals working in the village’s factories receive an average salary of 2500 yuan, about 400 dollars. The village’s return to communism came at the same time as the rest of the country opened up to the capitalist market in the mid 1980s. Mao is still highly revered in Nanjie, enjoying a god-like status.
Image 79 of 95: ALLISON JOYCE, United States
“When a friend spotted a goat wandering around the Lincoln Center fountain, I decided I had to track down the goat and its owner to cover this “only in New York” feature story. A few weeks later I spent the day following around Cyrus and his pet goat Cocoa all around the city. From New Jersey to Central Park, the subway, Little Italy for lunch, and finally in a taxi driving up to Times Square, with Cyrus up front and me with our Reuters producer and cameraman stuffed into the back with Cocoa on our laps. I jumped out halfway through and followed the taxi up the block to make this frame.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f1.8, 1/125, ISO 3200
Caption: Cyrus Fakroddin and his pet goat Cocoa take a taxi ride in New York, April 7, 2012. Cocoa is a 3-year-old Alpine Pygmy mixed goat who lives with its owner Fakroddin in Summit, New Jersey. They frequently take trips into Manhattan to enjoy the city. Fakroddin raised Cocoa since she was 2 months old and treats her like a human. “She doesn’t like goats, she doesn’t like farms, she likes the people and the city.” Fakroddin said.
Image 80 of 95: JIM YOUNG, United States
“1 in 88
Those are the odds that a child in the United States is born with Autism or a related disorder, according to the latest estimate from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Fragile X is the most common known genetic cause of autism.
Both of Holly Roos’ children have Fragile X. Parker is an energetic and expressive 12 year old; and Allison, though possessing the same amount of youthful playfulness, displays much milder symptoms than her older brother. They play together like most brothers and sisters, enjoy the same cartoons on television, and even play the drums and video games together. Both are enrolled in a clinical trial of a drug to help treat Fragile X.
I introduced myself and right away Allison wanted to show me her room. It was pink and purple, with toys and princesses everywhere much like many 9 year old girls. Parker was curious at first but soon just went about his routine. After Parker went to bed, I stayed up with Holly for a few more hours just to talk and learn about their story and where they are now. As a child, Parker started out developing normally but slowed when it came to his speech development. He has been on the clinical trial drug STX209 since he was 10.
Holly says it has given them all a life and let Parker out of a “box”. Before he joined the trial, he barely spoke. She told me that a couple of weeks into the trial drug, she had not see any noticeable changes until one day Parker broke a glass and said to her, “I am sorry Mom, I love you”. She cried because it was the first time she had heard those words from her son.
I spent the whole next day with them since they were home from school on break, and it was a non-stop day of activities. Coloring Easter eggs, biking, two trips to the tennis courts, basketball, a trip to the video store, playing on a trampoline…They have a very active life.
Finally, at 9pm, Parker kissed his mother goodnight and he went to bed. I packed up and started my four hour drive back home to Chicago. Holly invited me to come along for their visit at the Fragile X Clinic and Research Program at Rush University Medical Center a week later for a follow up examination and testing. Parker brought two of his favorite inflatable lawn ornaments (he owns about 40 of them), which he uses as a kind of “security blanket”. They filled the cramped examination room. Despite the lack of space they were a playful family; tickling each other and playing games.
Holly is one of the most caring, loving and patient people I have ever met. I was exhausted just watching them all together.
But Parker is not cured. The drugs are helping him but he still throws tantrums, he sometimes slaps at his mother and himself, and he yells when he gets frustrated. He is also an enthusiastic and happy boy, and surrounded by those who love him. Holly says it’s a long way from the days when Parker would leave huge bite marks when he would clamp down on her arms, which forced her to wear long sleeved shirts all year long to hide them. But Parker continues to improve and she is hopeful that there is a life ahead for her children.
I am hopeful too…”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f1.6, 1/320, ISO 1600
Caption: Parker Roos, who suffers from Fragile X, rolls around on the floor after getting into an argument with his sister as his mother Holly looks on at their home in Canton, Illinois, April 4, 2012. Fragile X is the most common known genetic cause of autism. Both of Holly Roos’ children have Fragile X. Parker has the most severe symptoms, compared to his sister Allison but they play together like normal brothers and sisters, enjoy the same cartoons on television, and even play the drums and video games together. Both are enrolled in a clinical trial of a drug to help treat Fragile X.
Image 81 of 95: LUCAS JACKSON, United States
“I had been working on and off in this tent which had been built the previous day as a temporary polling location for a half a dozen polling places in the Rockaways that had been destroyed by the storm surge from superstorm Sandy. The tent was built in a parking lot that was still covered in dried silt left over from several feet of flood water days earlier. I arrived at 5:30am in order to photograph the set up and the temperature was hovering just above freezing. The entire operation was powered by one generator but the people setting it up had forgotten to bring lights or heat so it was too cold and dark to begin the voting process until the sun began to rise at 7am. I photographed people voting for a couple of hours before transmitting and heading to Breezy Point for an hour or so as well. After that time I went back to the voting tent to see how the light had changed and to see if the voter turnout had increased as the temperatures rose. Not only had it become more crowded but the sun had risen high enough to begin poking through small holes in the roof and walls of the tent. I worked for a while trying to show the effect of these shafts of light with the dust kicked up by excited voters but it never quite worked. This particular woman had taken a break from gutting her flood damaged home to come and vote. In order to see well enough she decided to use one of these shafts of light to illuminate her ballot and it made for a dramatic picture in what was actually a very dark situation.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f3.2, 1/200, ISO 800
Caption: A woman uses a shaft of sunlight to see her ballot as she votes in a polling site built to service residents of the Queens borough neighborhoods of Breezy Point and the Rockaways, whose original site was damaged during Hurricane Sandy, during the U.S. presidential election in New York, November 6, 2012.
Image 82 of 95: SHANNON STAPLETON, United States
“Reuters was given the first text and photo interview with the Chinese exile Chen Guangcheng after he arrived in the United States. I was called very suddenly to get to a location as quick as possible for the impromptu shoot and interview with Reuters TV. The coincidence was that I happened to do my first ever White House trip with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Beijing, China, when the whole Chen incident occurred while we were there a couple weeks prior.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f2.5, 1/125, ISO 800
Caption: Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese dissident and legal advocate who recently sought asylum in the United States, is lit by a studio light during an interview in New York May 24, 2012.
Image 83 of 95: LUCAS JACKSON, Afghanistan
“This photograph is one that I have wanted to take for years. The sparks and static discharge put out by the rotors of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter is one of the most graphic things you see when working with an army who use these machines for night missions. It is also a lasting mental image for anyone who has worked in Afghanistan or Iraq. For the entirety of my month long embed with troops from the U.S. Army I attempted to capture this phenomenon but it was extremely difficult due to several factors. First, I needed a moonless night to capture the sparks in camera standing out against a black sky. Secondly, this darkness required me to make an exposure so long that it was extremely difficult to hold the camera still due to the incredibly powerful rotor wash of the Chinook. Finally, I needed to do this while often being a part of the mission that the helicopters were working on so I usually had very little time to do it. For this photograph I found a slightly higher vantage point than the ground to work with and held the camera as steady as possible while the first two waves of soldiers going on the same mission I was gave me a couple of opportunities to make this photograph. It might not be the most graphic or emotional image of war but I feel that it accurately captured one of those universal memories that soldiers have of the war in Afghanistan. Anyone who has gone on a night mission or flown from base to base in one of these helicopters has shared this experience and capturing that for people back home to see and understand is a rewarding feeling.”
Canon 1D Mark IV, lens 24mm, f1.8, 8 seconds, ISO 3200
Caption: Paratroopers from Chosen Company of the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry board a waiting CH-47 Chinook helicopter as they begin a helicopter assault mission at Combat Outpost Herrera in Afghanistan’s Paktiya Province July 15, 2012.
Image 84 of 95: JOHN KOLESIDIS, Greece
“I was covering the armed forces (policemen, firefighters, coastguards) protest against the new cuts hurting their wages and pension plans. The crowd was huge and there was a truck parked right in front of the Finance Ministry. From the back part of the truck there were three gibbets. Photographers and cameramen had gathered, curious as to what was about to unfold. A policeman, a firefighter, and a coastguard emerged from the back of the van, and they slipped a noose around their necks. They repeated the act right in front of the Parliament. The light was scarce, which made things difficult for me. I took dozens of pictures of the three “hanged men”, trying to catch a few frames that wouldn’t be blurry. I found that the police officer, even though he was just acting his part, had a genuine sadness in his eyes. I focused on him, holding on to my camera, steadying my hands by keeping them glued to my chest; I held my breath, and after a while I found myself with the right picture.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 16-35 mm, f3.2, 1/20, ISO 1600
Caption: A police officer pretends to hang himself in front of the parliament during a rally in Athens September 6, 2012. About 4,000 Greek police, coastguards and firemen protested in Athens on Thursday, staging faked suicides on gallows they placed outside the finance ministry and parliament to symbolise the pain of budget cuts.
Image 85 of 95: CALVIN FENG, China
“For the past two years, I’ve been following the stories of demolition in Yangji village of China’s Guangzhou, a village lagging next to the city’s central business district. The demolition projects were executed at an extremely slow pace, making it torturous for the villagers as they had to keep a lookout on their houses at all times in case of unexpected situations. A call came the night before I took this picture; two villagers said that their houses would be taken down the next day without their agreement. The next morning when I reached Yangji, the demolition was already underway. Suddenly, a scream broke through the air. Following the sound, I saw a middle aged woman crying and rolling on the ground with sorrow. That was the character in my picture, Huang Sufen, another resident of Yangji village. She later argued and clashed with demolition workers. That was when I found out that a part of her house, which was not included in that day’s plan, was mistakenly demolished.”
NIKON D3S, lens 35mm, f1.8, 1/8000
Caption: Huang Sufang reacts as she sees a part of her house being taken down by demolition workers at Yangji village in central Guangzhou city, Guangdong province March 21, 2012. Huang, who is a resident of Yangji village, clashes with demolition workers as they mistakenly take down a part of her home, which is not included in the demolition project, local media reported.
Image 86 of 95: MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY, Egypt
“This was taken during a protest by Egyptians as they expressed their anger over a film which was produced in the United States that insulted Prophet Mohamed. They went to the U.S. embassy in Cairo and pulled down the American flag. They destroyed and burned the flag. Clashes followed between the protesters and the riot police. The Egyptians also scaled the U.S. embassy walls.”
Canon EOS-1, lens 90mm, f2.8, 1/320, ISO 800
Caption: Protesters destroy an American flag pulled down from the U.S. embassy in Cairo September 11, 2012. Egyptian protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy, tore down the American flag and burned it during a protest over what they said was a film being produced in the United States that insulted Prophet Mohammad.
Image 87 of 95: ANDREW WINNING, England
“I shot this picture from the photographer’s pit designed to offer the best view of the finish line of the track races. During a short break in the activity on the track I noticed I also had a good view of the high jumpers competing on the infield. Due to the differences in their handicaps, each had their own technique; Lukasz Mamczarz’s was perhaps the most interesting, since he was able to leap so high into the air on his one leg, whilst leaving his prosthetic limb behind to collect after his attempt. I loved the way this simple gesture neatly summed up Lukasz’s ability to overcome adversity and do something remarkable, or perhaps the viewer overcoming theirown prejudices of what he could achieve with his one good leg. It is one of my favorite pictures from the Paralympic Games, which I felt very fortunate to have had an opportunity to photograph.”
Canon EOS-1D X, lens 400mm, f2.8, 1/1600, ISO 2000
Caption: Poland’s Lukasz Mamczarz starts his run up during the men’s high jump F42 final at the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in London September 3, 2012.
Image 88 of 95: OLIVIA HARRIS, Britain
“For me, this scene sums up what it is like to be young in Britain today – lust and social awkwardness watched-over by the ubiquitous pressure of idealized advertising.
I took the shot at a music festival in an east London park ahead of the London Olympics. I’d been there for a couple of days photographing people having a good time. I was tired, sober and felt disconnected from the revelers. Then I spotted a young man who seemed to share my sense of isolation.
I had to capture the moment quickly without upsetting the scene. The picture was gone in an instant. But it was satisfying to capture a slice of real life that looks like it could have been set up by an ad agency.”
Canon 1D Mark IV, lens 70-200mm at 70mm, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 800
Caption: Festival goers are pictured during the Hackney Weekend festival at Hackney Marshes in east London June 24, 2012.
Image 89 of 95: YANNIS BEHRAKIS, Greece
“It was a dull afternoon in Athens and I was finishing the day’s work at the office, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed movement atop the parliament building. A group of men were trying to replace the Greek flag on the highest point of the building. I started shooting frame by frame thinking that it reminded me of the famous Iwo Jima flag raising 67 years ago.”
Camera EOS1D MK4, lens 100-400mm at 230mm, f16, 1/400, ISO 200
Caption: Greek parliament employees raise a mast after they replaced torn-off Greek flag with a new one atop the parliament in Athens Syntagma (Constitution) square April 18, 2012.
Image 90 of 95: GORAN TOMASEVIC, Syria
“This rebel was shooting at the Syrian army and he started to get really accurate sniper fire. One second he was firing and then he just pulled back into my position safe from sniper fire. He just passed by me so he could get into the secure position. I was next to him, on the ground, and shooting with a 20mm lens. The rebel has a yellow dot on his forehead, which I think is some sort of mirror effect from my lens.”
Canon EOS -1D Mark4, lens 16-35mm at 20mm, f4, 1/2700, ISO 400
Caption: A Free Syrian Army fighter takes cover during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.
Image 91 of 95: LUCAS JACKSON, United States
“Sometimes within a larger story you can find amazing moments taking place. I had been photographing the town of Sanford, Florida for a number of days attempting to show the outrage for the killing of local Stanford boy, Trayvon Martin, by a member of the neighborhood watch. Most of the anger manifested itself in local protests. I covered a few of these, but I found the most vocal people tended not to be from the area, they had traveled here to protest or voice their grievances. It was at this point I began to explore and get a feel for the town itself and for the people there, to see if there was an undercurrent of racial discord or if this was just a tragic accident.
In the course of walking around speaking with locals, I came upon “Haircut” Joe Mobley giving his son Deontae Mobley a haircut in the warm spring weather. I talked with them both a bit about the town and about the neighborhood they lived in and afterwards they agreed that I could stay to take some photographs. The light was great and it was wonderful to be able to record this moment between father and son; their strong bond evident through just their gestures in the photographs. After the haircut was over Deontae stood in the sunlight to examine his father’s handiwork with a small hand mirror. He stood, framed by the building behind him and it was a moment where form, light, emotion and environment combined to make a nice photograph.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f1.4, 1/4000, ISO 200
Caption: Deontae Mobley looks in the mirror after having his hair cut by his father, “Haircut” Joe Mobley, in the neighborhood of Goldsboro, once an incorporated all-black city during the segregation era that has been absorbed by the town of Sanford, Florida April 3, 2012. Sanford is the Florida town where George Zimmerman, 28, a neighborhood watch volunteer, fatally shot Trayvon Martin, 17, on the night of February 26, saying he had acted in self defense.
Image 92 of 95: ADNAN ABIDI, India
“It was my third day on a photography assignment on Bihar- a sprawling state on the Gangetic plains of eastern India. My brief was to cover the overall progress of Bihar; hence I planned to photograph a bridge under construction over this sacred river. After a couple of shots with my wide angle lens I shifted to a telephoto lens and as I zoomed in I saw a crow, a crow savoring or maybe just sitting on a corpse. The boatman wasn’t as shocked as I was. This was no extraordinary sight for him. He continued to praise the progress of the state and its new efficient minister but said things will not change overnight. On seeing me still shocked about the corpse he revealed that as Hinduism describes Moksha as liberation from the cycle of life and death, freedom forever from earthly miseries and sufferings, the holy river Ganges is believed to be a pathway to attain Moksha. Hindus believe that dying on the banks of this holy river enables a soul to attain Moksha. So at very short intervals, sometimes merely weeks, people here see corpses floating on the river, and it’s an accepted phenomenon. He said that’s the way of life here and still there was progress.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 200mm, f8, 1/500
Caption: A crow sits on a human corpse in the river Ganges in the eastern Indian city of Patna, in Bihar state, January 22, 2012. When India launched reforms to open up its state-stifled economy 20 years ago, many states surged ahead, leaving behind the 3.5 percent “Hindu rate of growth” that had plagued the decades after the country’s independence from Britain in 1947, and with it Bihar.
Image 93 of 95: PHILIP SCOTT-ANDREWS, United States
“This was after President Obama spoke following his 2012 reelection. When the confetti went off, it was so dense that I could no longer make out the President on stage through my long lens. I switched to a bit of a wider lens and was able to make this photograph. Because of my position on the floor of the event, rather than on an elevated riser like many other photographers, I was able to incorporate spectators taking photographs and waving flags into my image.”
Canon 5D Mark III, lens 70-200mm, f2.8, ISO 4000
Caption: Confetti obscures the stage as U.S. President Barack Obama celebrates after winning the U.S. presidential election in Chicago, Illinois, November 7, 2012.
Image 94 of 95: SUSANA VERA, Spain
“I photographed Juan Carlos Castano three times over the course of 2012. Castano, a Spanish national who came from his native Colombia to Spain in 2000, stopped making his mortgage payments after becoming unemployed in 2009. He tried to negotiate with the bank to pay less for a while, hoping that he could find another job and catch up soon, but neither one of those things happened. The bank auctioned his apartment and started the eviction proceedings while he kept looking for work to no avail. The day I met him, on May 23, he was waiting for the judicial commission to carry out his eviction.
He was not alone. Members of the Mortgage Victims’ Platform and the indignant movement were outside his home to prevent that from happening. Luckily, Castano’s lawyer was able to negotiate a postponement in extremis. The following July, the second time I met with him to document his possible eviction, Castano was granted another postponement. But by September, he had lost all hope. He had already moved out of his apartment after meeting a woman who was willing to rent him a room at her house at a very cheap price because of his circumstances. Castano had removed most of his belongings from his home, but had left a small TV to keep him company on the day that the judicial commission would come to carry out his eviction.
In the wee hours of September 28, he turned it on to get some light, since he had taken out all the lightbulbs in the house and it was still dark outside. The walls of his former bedroom where full of the sentences he had written with the left-over paint he had used to paint the apartment when he moved in. In blue and orange he had written that the banks were thieves and that they were responsible for destroying families. It was pouring outside, but the rain didn’t deter his supporters from showing up, like they had done in the past. But this time they couldn’t prevent his eviction, they could only witness it.”
Canon EOS-1D X, lens 20mm, f2.8, 1/10, ISO 5000
Caption: Juan Carlos Castano, 43, turns on the TV in his emptied-out bedroom as he waits for the judicial commission to carry out his eviction in Madrid September 28, 2012. Castano, a Spanish national who came from his native Colombia to Spain in 2000, stopped making mortgage payments after becoming unemployed in late 2009. Spain announced a detailed timetable for economic reforms and a tough 2013 budget based primarily on spending cuts in what many see as an effort to pre-empt the likely terms of any international bailout. A quarter of all Spanish workers are unemployed and tens of thousands have been evicted from their homes since a housing bubble burst in 2008 and plummeting consumer and business sentiment tipped the country into a four-year economic slump.
Image 95 of 95: UESLEI MARCELINO, Brazil
“The village has electric generators that usually run at night. Their houses are lit by lamps, and more light comes from their TV sets. The Yalawapiti love to watch soccer and news programs. The night I took this photo there was no moon and I was struck by the starry sky. I ran back to the house, grabbed my tripod, and tried a few positions until I was able to frame it the way I liked. I set the camera on a slow shutter speed until I captured the light emanating from behind the house. It was only after taking the photo that I realized the light from behind the house was from a fire where they were cooking fish for the guests of the Kuarup ceremony the following day.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 17mm, f4.0, 1/30, ISO 1600
Caption: A view of the Yawalapiti village is seen before the start of this year’s ‘quarup,’ a ritual held over several days to honor in death a person of great importance to them, in the Xingu National Park, Mato Grosso State, August 12, 2012. This year the Yawalapiti tribe honored two people – a Yawalapiti Indian who they consider a great leader, and Darcy Ribeiro, a well-known author, anthropologist and politician known for focusing on the relationship between native peoples and education in Brazil.
(Via Reuters / All text + images © Thomson Reuters)
