Image 1 of 100: GORAN TOMASEVIC, Egypt
“I was in south Sudan covering the referendum when I found out that there were going to be protests in Egypt. I felt that there could be big troubles, so I returned to Egypt. I arrived at 8am and dropped my bags at home and then went to the office. Later in the afternoon clashes began in Cairo. People were shouting and the police came out on the streets. There were protesters, riot police and also plainclothes police. The plainclothes police started chasing people around: kicking them, beating them. I had to shoot quickly. I saw a lot of plainclothes police standing in a line like soldiers. There were some street battles with civilians. The next day we knew it was going to be a big protest so I took my camera downtown to look for possible trouble. We went to a couple of neighborhoods but people were walking through the small streets heading towards the city center. One moment we witnessed some clashes. Police started to fight and the protesters fought back.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 160mm, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 400
Caption: A protester stands in front of a burning barricade during a demonstration in Cairo January 28, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic Click here for a related slideshow
“I was in south Sudan covering the referendum when I found out that there were going to be protests in Egypt. I felt that there could be big troubles, so I returned to Egypt. I arrived at 8am and dropped my bags at home and then went to the office. Later in the afternoon clashes began in Cairo. People were shouting and the police came out on the streets. There were protesters, riot police and also plainclothes police. The plainclothes police started chasing people around: kicking them, beating them. I had to shoot quickly. I saw a lot of plainclothes police standing in a line like soldiers. There were some street battles with civilians. The next day we knew it was going to be a big protest so I took my camera downtown to look for possible trouble. We went to a couple of neighborhoods but people were walking through the small streets heading towards the city center. One moment we witnessed some clashes. Police started to fight and the protesters fought back.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 160mm, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 400
Caption: A protester stands in front of a burning barricade during a demonstration in Cairo January 28, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic Click here for a related slideshow
Image 2 of 100: BEAWIHARTA, Indonesia
“We took off smoothly for the short flight from Singapore to Jakarta, and I started falling asleep. Suddenly I was woken by the sound of two bangs, like a bomb or truck tire blowing out. My wife gripped my hand and asked “Do you smell something burning?” Yes, there was a sharp smell stinging my nose. I realized there was something wrong because all the stewardesses ran back with the food carts.
The plane started to vibrate, harder and harder. I held my wife’s hand tightly and looked at her face as she started praying. My two younger children were asleep, after their first ever trip abroad, but not Pradipta, the eldest one. “Pra look through the window and watch outside,” I said. “I see light, I see fire, I see fire,” he said. Then the electricity was switched off. I realized the plane, an Airbus A330, had a big problem. I was afraid because I thought we would die. Pradipta looked into my eyes and asked: “Will we die?” I was afraid and could not answer the question. I looked at all my children’s faces and held my lovely wife’s hands tightly. During my many years of assignments as a Reuters photojournalist, when flying I have imagined being on a plane that had a problem that forced an emergency landing, and then taking pictures. But I never imagined this situation with my family. But it happened. We will die together, so we can fly to heaven together, I thought. If we die together, I will not miss my wife’s delicious cooking. I will not miss the smell of my kids’ sweat. There will be no tears among us. My thoughts, to my surprise, stopped me being afraid any more.
“Will we die?” Pradipta asked again. I looked into his eyes, held his hand tightly and said: “No, we’re alive, we’re still alive,” then I gave him a high five just as if we were playing basketball. After that, I became calm because I was not afraid to die because we would all die together. I started to adjust my camera, which was hanging around my neck. I set the ISO higher, set the white balance, checked the battery was full and saw I had around 300 clicks for the rest of the memory card. I started to take pictures, though it was dark. I forgot my camera had a full HD video, so I forgot to record the situation.
After 20 years living as a photographer, I was thinking as a photographer. I saw a steward sitting in front of me and shouted: “What happened?” “The engine is on fire and we are flying back to Singapore,” he replied. My wife put life vests on herself and the kids, though there had been no order to do so, and other passengers followed. I asked Pradipta to look out of the window, and he said he could still see a lot of light and we were over the sea. The plane was vibrating but still flying. I opened all my senses to prepare for everything, and heard the airplane wheels come out. We landed and stopped on the tarmac. I heard the captain say: “I am Captain Brad, the situation is under control and our engine fire has been extinguished. Please wait in a line and walk to exit through the front door, don’t run. And the ground crew will take care of you. Thank you.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 35mm, f3.5, 1/125 (I didn’t want to use a shutter speed lower than 1/60 as I worried that I was shaking too much and my pictures would be blurred)
Caption: Passengers on Cathay Pacific flight CX715 prepare to disembark from the aeroplane after it landed safely at Changi Airport in Singapore May 16, 2011. The A330 flight, which was enroute to Jakarta, experienced engine trouble shortly after takeoff and had to return to Singapore. Its starboard engine was burnt, according to pilot Bradley Chic. REUTERS/Beawiharta
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“We took off smoothly for the short flight from Singapore to Jakarta, and I started falling asleep. Suddenly I was woken by the sound of two bangs, like a bomb or truck tire blowing out. My wife gripped my hand and asked “Do you smell something burning?” Yes, there was a sharp smell stinging my nose. I realized there was something wrong because all the stewardesses ran back with the food carts.
The plane started to vibrate, harder and harder. I held my wife’s hand tightly and looked at her face as she started praying. My two younger children were asleep, after their first ever trip abroad, but not Pradipta, the eldest one. “Pra look through the window and watch outside,” I said. “I see light, I see fire, I see fire,” he said. Then the electricity was switched off. I realized the plane, an Airbus A330, had a big problem. I was afraid because I thought we would die. Pradipta looked into my eyes and asked: “Will we die?” I was afraid and could not answer the question. I looked at all my children’s faces and held my lovely wife’s hands tightly. During my many years of assignments as a Reuters photojournalist, when flying I have imagined being on a plane that had a problem that forced an emergency landing, and then taking pictures. But I never imagined this situation with my family. But it happened. We will die together, so we can fly to heaven together, I thought. If we die together, I will not miss my wife’s delicious cooking. I will not miss the smell of my kids’ sweat. There will be no tears among us. My thoughts, to my surprise, stopped me being afraid any more.
“Will we die?” Pradipta asked again. I looked into his eyes, held his hand tightly and said: “No, we’re alive, we’re still alive,” then I gave him a high five just as if we were playing basketball. After that, I became calm because I was not afraid to die because we would all die together. I started to adjust my camera, which was hanging around my neck. I set the ISO higher, set the white balance, checked the battery was full and saw I had around 300 clicks for the rest of the memory card. I started to take pictures, though it was dark. I forgot my camera had a full HD video, so I forgot to record the situation.
After 20 years living as a photographer, I was thinking as a photographer. I saw a steward sitting in front of me and shouted: “What happened?” “The engine is on fire and we are flying back to Singapore,” he replied. My wife put life vests on herself and the kids, though there had been no order to do so, and other passengers followed. I asked Pradipta to look out of the window, and he said he could still see a lot of light and we were over the sea. The plane was vibrating but still flying. I opened all my senses to prepare for everything, and heard the airplane wheels come out. We landed and stopped on the tarmac. I heard the captain say: “I am Captain Brad, the situation is under control and our engine fire has been extinguished. Please wait in a line and walk to exit through the front door, don’t run. And the ground crew will take care of you. Thank you.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 35mm, f3.5, 1/125 (I didn’t want to use a shutter speed lower than 1/60 as I worried that I was shaking too much and my pictures would be blurred)
Caption: Passengers on Cathay Pacific flight CX715 prepare to disembark from the aeroplane after it landed safely at Changi Airport in Singapore May 16, 2011. The A330 flight, which was enroute to Jakarta, experienced engine trouble shortly after takeoff and had to return to Singapore. Its starboard engine was burnt, according to pilot Bradley Chic. REUTERS/Beawiharta
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Image 3 of 100: TOSHIYUKI TSUNENARI for ASAHI SHIMBUN, Japan
“I headed to the Yuriage district of Natori city in Miyagi prefecture just two days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan. The tsunami had destroyed buildings and left water everywhere. Smoke still hung over the smoldering ruins. I met Akane Ito amid the rubble as she sat crying on the side of the road, from where she should have been able to see her house. The tsunami had washed away her home together with the memories and her pet, which was family to her.
It is not easy to photograph those in tears, but I took the picture as I felt it represented the sorrow the entire region was experiencing. I feel honored if readers were able to feel part of this sorrow. What I want to be able to do is to allow our readers to see what is taking place in the disaster-hit areas. I also sincerely wish for a swift recovery in the disaster-hit areas.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark III, lens 300mm, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 200
Caption: A woman cries while sitting on a road amid the destroyed city of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan March 13, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami. REUTERS/Toshiyuki Tsunenari/Asahi Shimbun
“I headed to the Yuriage district of Natori city in Miyagi prefecture just two days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan. The tsunami had destroyed buildings and left water everywhere. Smoke still hung over the smoldering ruins. I met Akane Ito amid the rubble as she sat crying on the side of the road, from where she should have been able to see her house. The tsunami had washed away her home together with the memories and her pet, which was family to her.
It is not easy to photograph those in tears, but I took the picture as I felt it represented the sorrow the entire region was experiencing. I feel honored if readers were able to feel part of this sorrow. What I want to be able to do is to allow our readers to see what is taking place in the disaster-hit areas. I also sincerely wish for a swift recovery in the disaster-hit areas.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark III, lens 300mm, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 200
Caption: A woman cries while sitting on a road amid the destroyed city of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan March 13, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami. REUTERS/Toshiyuki Tsunenari/Asahi Shimbun
Image 4 of 100: RAFAEL MARCHANTE, Portugal
“Reuters photographers in Portugal use an expression when we go out to take pictures of the economic crisis: "trekking and fishing" as they are often long days spent walking with our eyes wide open. The crisis in Portugal is difficult to photograph because there is nothing special happening on the streets. It is a crisis behind closed doors that for the time being the Portuguese live in intimacy. Our work must be subtle. We must always be attentive to looks, gestures or actions which allow us to guess the situation of the protagonists in our pictures. This photo was taken during a day of "trekking and fishing" in the neighborhood of Alfama. I was searching for a photo when I saw a woman talking to another leaning out of the window. In the middle of the conversation the woman in the street raised her arm. That was the picture of crisis.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 50 mm, f1.8, 1/500, ISO 100
Caption: Two women talk in the Alfama neighborhood in Lisbon April 11, 2011. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante
“Reuters photographers in Portugal use an expression when we go out to take pictures of the economic crisis: "trekking and fishing" as they are often long days spent walking with our eyes wide open. The crisis in Portugal is difficult to photograph because there is nothing special happening on the streets. It is a crisis behind closed doors that for the time being the Portuguese live in intimacy. Our work must be subtle. We must always be attentive to looks, gestures or actions which allow us to guess the situation of the protagonists in our pictures. This photo was taken during a day of "trekking and fishing" in the neighborhood of Alfama. I was searching for a photo when I saw a woman talking to another leaning out of the window. In the middle of the conversation the woman in the street raised her arm. That was the picture of crisis.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 50 mm, f1.8, 1/500, ISO 100
Caption: Two women talk in the Alfama neighborhood in Lisbon April 11, 2011. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante
Image 5 of 100: GORAN TOMASEVIC, Libya
“We were just passing by an area, not really the front line. We pushed ahead but didn’t see anybody so we came back to a checkpoint, somewhere between Ras Lanuf and Brega. We heard that the rebels had some mercenaries. They ended up in this room and they were talking to us. They didn’t look like mercenaries at all. One moment, they took one of them out and they put him on the ground and they interrogated him. They pointed fingers and a gun at him. I was really confused as I don’t understand the language. They took him away in a car. I don’t believe they killed him, I think they took him to Benghazi. They really didn’t look like mercenaries; just young kids under 20 years old. They were wearing nice shoes and jeans. They looked like immigrants. I guess here they don’t want to say that they are Libyans fighting Libyans. It was a bad moment. This gun was not locked at all. This is one of those situations: do you want to do pictures or do you want to react? I’m a photographer and I don’t want to interfere but at the same time I don’t want this young boy’s head to be blown off. It was really difficult for me to focus on the job.”
Canon Mark IIII, lens 23mm, f6.3, 1/160, ISO 250
Caption: Rebels hold a young man at gunpoint, who they accuse of being a loyalist to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, between the towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf, March 3, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
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“We were just passing by an area, not really the front line. We pushed ahead but didn’t see anybody so we came back to a checkpoint, somewhere between Ras Lanuf and Brega. We heard that the rebels had some mercenaries. They ended up in this room and they were talking to us. They didn’t look like mercenaries at all. One moment, they took one of them out and they put him on the ground and they interrogated him. They pointed fingers and a gun at him. I was really confused as I don’t understand the language. They took him away in a car. I don’t believe they killed him, I think they took him to Benghazi. They really didn’t look like mercenaries; just young kids under 20 years old. They were wearing nice shoes and jeans. They looked like immigrants. I guess here they don’t want to say that they are Libyans fighting Libyans. It was a bad moment. This gun was not locked at all. This is one of those situations: do you want to do pictures or do you want to react? I’m a photographer and I don’t want to interfere but at the same time I don’t want this young boy’s head to be blown off. It was really difficult for me to focus on the job.”
Canon Mark IIII, lens 23mm, f6.3, 1/160, ISO 250
Caption: Rebels hold a young man at gunpoint, who they accuse of being a loyalist to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, between the towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf, March 3, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
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Image 6 of 100: OLIVIA HARRIS, England
“I took this photo just around the corner from my flat, in Clarence road in Hackney, on the third night of rioting and looting in the British capital. I'd heard of photographers being mugged for their gear and assaulted during the riots so I arranged to meet up with some other snappers when I arrived. At the top of the street there was a burning car, lines of riot police with dogs and hooded men throwing bottles, sticks and stones.
Suddenly the police withdrew, leaving the rioters to it. I could see people climbing in and out of a shop with smashed windows, so I went to have a look. There were a lot of men and women looting the shop and at first no one noticed me. I started to shoot and, like you do, with every frame I took another step into the shop and away from a safe exit. The shop had been trashed inside and a couple of men were filling their bags with bottles of spirits and cigarettes. Another checked the till. I kept shooting until one of them noticed me. The last frame I have is of him looking at me as he pulls himself up onto the counter.
I left the shop but two large looters came over and accused me of being police. There was a bit of pushing and pulling as they tried to take my cameras. Luckily some of the other photographers who had been with me when I arrived came over and pulled me away. It was a lesson, not only in not overstaying your welcome, but also how important your colleagues are.”
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 - 70mm lens at 40mm, f3.5, 1/160 ISO 1600
Caption: Looters rampage through a convenience store in Hackney, east London August 8, 2011. REUTERS/Olivia Harris
“I took this photo just around the corner from my flat, in Clarence road in Hackney, on the third night of rioting and looting in the British capital. I'd heard of photographers being mugged for their gear and assaulted during the riots so I arranged to meet up with some other snappers when I arrived. At the top of the street there was a burning car, lines of riot police with dogs and hooded men throwing bottles, sticks and stones.
Suddenly the police withdrew, leaving the rioters to it. I could see people climbing in and out of a shop with smashed windows, so I went to have a look. There were a lot of men and women looting the shop and at first no one noticed me. I started to shoot and, like you do, with every frame I took another step into the shop and away from a safe exit. The shop had been trashed inside and a couple of men were filling their bags with bottles of spirits and cigarettes. Another checked the till. I kept shooting until one of them noticed me. The last frame I have is of him looking at me as he pulls himself up onto the counter.
I left the shop but two large looters came over and accused me of being police. There was a bit of pushing and pulling as they tried to take my cameras. Luckily some of the other photographers who had been with me when I arrived came over and pulled me away. It was a lesson, not only in not overstaying your welcome, but also how important your colleagues are.”
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 - 70mm lens at 40mm, f3.5, 1/160 ISO 1600
Caption: Looters rampage through a convenience store in Hackney, east London August 8, 2011. REUTERS/Olivia Harris
Image 7 of 100: JOHN KOLESIDIS, Greece
“There was a planned protest march against a parliamentary vote on Greece’s five-year austerity plan that included tax hikes and government spending cuts, which degenerated into a violent clash between protesters and riot police.
I was standing on the elevated entrance of a central hotel on Syntagma square with other photographers covering the clashes. The police had just pushed back protesters with the use of teargas. Suddenly, through a cloud of teargas, a group of frightened tourists appeared, with luggage in hand and covering their noses, and started running towards us. The scene was totally surreal: In the middle of a stone war and teargas, tourists visiting Athens on their summer holidays were trying to reach their hotel.
I didn’t think twice, I lifted my camera and followed their agonizing effort until they reached the hotel entrance where we were standing. The door opened and they vanished behind it, safe and into a reality much different from the one that was evolving before me.”
Canon EOS 1 Mark IV, lens 70-200mm, f14, 1/400, ISO 320
Caption: Tourists run from teargas in central Athens during anti-austerity protests, June 15, 2011. REUTERS/John Kolesidis
“There was a planned protest march against a parliamentary vote on Greece’s five-year austerity plan that included tax hikes and government spending cuts, which degenerated into a violent clash between protesters and riot police.
I was standing on the elevated entrance of a central hotel on Syntagma square with other photographers covering the clashes. The police had just pushed back protesters with the use of teargas. Suddenly, through a cloud of teargas, a group of frightened tourists appeared, with luggage in hand and covering their noses, and started running towards us. The scene was totally surreal: In the middle of a stone war and teargas, tourists visiting Athens on their summer holidays were trying to reach their hotel.
I didn’t think twice, I lifted my camera and followed their agonizing effort until they reached the hotel entrance where we were standing. The door opened and they vanished behind it, safe and into a reality much different from the one that was evolving before me.”
Canon EOS 1 Mark IV, lens 70-200mm, f14, 1/400, ISO 320
Caption: Tourists run from teargas in central Athens during anti-austerity protests, June 15, 2011. REUTERS/John Kolesidis
Image 8 of 100: RICARDO MORAES, Brazil
”The murder of 12 children in a Rio de Janeiro school was the most difficult story I’ve done. An unprecedented story in Brazil, it shocked the entire society and for us journalists, it was no different. On the day after the massacre we were covering the victims’ funerals and the strong emotions of the families and friends. As I reached the cemetery the first scene I came across was one of a fainted mother being carried, after having suffered a crisis at the child’s wake. I took a few shots, and while they went in search of medical assistance I tried to understand what was happening around me. As I observed what was happening all around, l was also thinking of how to work surrounded by so much pain, including the pain that I felt myself.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 135mm, f2, 1/8000, ISO 50
Caption: Relatives of one of the victims of a shooting at Tasso da Silveira school carry a family member who had fainted while attending the funeral at Realengo cemetery in Rio de Janeiro April 8, 2011. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
”The murder of 12 children in a Rio de Janeiro school was the most difficult story I’ve done. An unprecedented story in Brazil, it shocked the entire society and for us journalists, it was no different. On the day after the massacre we were covering the victims’ funerals and the strong emotions of the families and friends. As I reached the cemetery the first scene I came across was one of a fainted mother being carried, after having suffered a crisis at the child’s wake. I took a few shots, and while they went in search of medical assistance I tried to understand what was happening around me. As I observed what was happening all around, l was also thinking of how to work surrounded by so much pain, including the pain that I felt myself.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 135mm, f2, 1/8000, ISO 50
Caption: Relatives of one of the victims of a shooting at Tasso da Silveira school carry a family member who had fainted while attending the funeral at Realengo cemetery in Rio de Janeiro April 8, 2011. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
Image 9 of 100: CARLOS BARRIA, North Korea
“I shot this picture in North Korea while waiting to board a ship for a 24-hour cruise to the resort of Mount Kumgang, on the border with South Korea. Local North Korean authorities were preparing a departure ceremony for us, and this woman began laying down a red carpet while a soldier looked on.”
Canon Mark II, lens 50mm, f2.0, 1/2000
Caption: A woman prepares a red carpet for the departure ceremony of Mangyongbyong cruise ship in the North Korean Special Economic Zone of Rason City, northeast of Pyongyang August 30, 2011. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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“I shot this picture in North Korea while waiting to board a ship for a 24-hour cruise to the resort of Mount Kumgang, on the border with South Korea. Local North Korean authorities were preparing a departure ceremony for us, and this woman began laying down a red carpet while a soldier looked on.”
Canon Mark II, lens 50mm, f2.0, 1/2000
Caption: A woman prepares a red carpet for the departure ceremony of Mangyongbyong cruise ship in the North Korean Special Economic Zone of Rason City, northeast of Pyongyang August 30, 2011. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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Image 10 of 100: LUCY NICHOLSON, United States
"I'm from England, and remember watching the wedding of Charles and Diana on TV as a child, so I wanted to watch this year's Royal Wedding. It was due to start at 3am Los Angeles time, but I imagined there would be at least a few other expats who would feel enough nostalgia to want to watch it live.
I called around the handful of LA British pubs and found one that was hosting a "tiaras and pajamas" live viewing party. It sounded promising visually, so I decided to photograph it. The pub courtyard was full of people sitting at tables, facing a couple of large-screen televisions. A lot of them had coats over their pajamas, and they were either very genteel, or very sleepy. The atmosphere was a lot less raucous than I had imagined it would be. It was also very dark. Worse still, there was no difference in luminance between the people and the background - the photos just looked muddy and cluttered.
I put a flash on the camera. I was standing next to one of the TV screens facing the crowd. So I had to limit how many times I could blast the sleepy people with strong light as they watched the wedding. I saw a woman with her hair in rollers, a half-smoked cigarette in her hand, and deliberately smudged lipstick. She had easily the best costume.
I shot a few frames of her, but there were too many people in the background staring into the photo. So I crouched down, and set the camera to a longer exposure - 1/15 second - and the flash to rear curtain sync, which freezes motion at the end of an exposure. I then swiped the camera left to right as I pressed the shutter. The party lights, which had been tiny specks in the previous photos, became swishes of light. In a fortunate accident, the only things in the background which were visible were the Union Jack flag on a man's t-shirt and a sliver of another woman's tiara."
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f1.4, 1/15, ISO 800, flash set to rear curtain sync
Caption: Ayesha Walker, 44, watches the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton on television at a "pajamas and tiaras" live viewing party at 3 a.m. in Los Angeles, California April 29, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
"I'm from England, and remember watching the wedding of Charles and Diana on TV as a child, so I wanted to watch this year's Royal Wedding. It was due to start at 3am Los Angeles time, but I imagined there would be at least a few other expats who would feel enough nostalgia to want to watch it live.
I called around the handful of LA British pubs and found one that was hosting a "tiaras and pajamas" live viewing party. It sounded promising visually, so I decided to photograph it. The pub courtyard was full of people sitting at tables, facing a couple of large-screen televisions. A lot of them had coats over their pajamas, and they were either very genteel, or very sleepy. The atmosphere was a lot less raucous than I had imagined it would be. It was also very dark. Worse still, there was no difference in luminance between the people and the background - the photos just looked muddy and cluttered.
I put a flash on the camera. I was standing next to one of the TV screens facing the crowd. So I had to limit how many times I could blast the sleepy people with strong light as they watched the wedding. I saw a woman with her hair in rollers, a half-smoked cigarette in her hand, and deliberately smudged lipstick. She had easily the best costume.
I shot a few frames of her, but there were too many people in the background staring into the photo. So I crouched down, and set the camera to a longer exposure - 1/15 second - and the flash to rear curtain sync, which freezes motion at the end of an exposure. I then swiped the camera left to right as I pressed the shutter. The party lights, which had been tiny specks in the previous photos, became swishes of light. In a fortunate accident, the only things in the background which were visible were the Union Jack flag on a man's t-shirt and a sliver of another woman's tiara."
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f1.4, 1/15, ISO 800, flash set to rear curtain sync
Caption: Ayesha Walker, 44, watches the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton on television at a "pajamas and tiaras" live viewing party at 3 a.m. in Los Angeles, California April 29, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Image 11 of 100: CARLOS GUTIERREZ, Chile
“That night was very cold and from the Earth's depths came strong rumbling, as if the ground was going to open and swallow us. As the sky was illuminated with a strong red light, lightning struck all around as if it were the end of the world. There was a strong smell of sulfur and ash all around. The ash plume reached more than 12 miles into the air, high enough for it to be easily seen from space as it crossed the continent. The ash damaged places in Chile and Argentina, causing loss of cattle, contamination of lakes and rivers, respiratory illness, and cancelation of flights.”
Canon 40D, lens 70mm, f2.8, 2 minutes, ISO 1600
Caption: Lightning flashes around the ash plume above the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain near Entrelagos June 5, 2011. REUTERS/Carlos Gutierrez
“That night was very cold and from the Earth's depths came strong rumbling, as if the ground was going to open and swallow us. As the sky was illuminated with a strong red light, lightning struck all around as if it were the end of the world. There was a strong smell of sulfur and ash all around. The ash plume reached more than 12 miles into the air, high enough for it to be easily seen from space as it crossed the continent. The ash damaged places in Chile and Argentina, causing loss of cattle, contamination of lakes and rivers, respiratory illness, and cancelation of flights.”
Canon 40D, lens 70mm, f2.8, 2 minutes, ISO 1600
Caption: Lightning flashes around the ash plume above the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain near Entrelagos June 5, 2011. REUTERS/Carlos Gutierrez
Image 12 of 100: CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS, Venezuela
“I’d been working on this project for around 25 days to document the story of the drug rehab center Nosotros Unidos. At dawn on August 27, after having worked the night on the streets of Caracas with the center’s social workers to try and convince addicts to come off the streets, this image appeared to me. I had slept only three hours on a cot after the long night, like many of the program’s participants. The image came to me as one that perfectly summed up everything that I had experienced inside. Danny Martinez, a patient in the center, lifted up a naked elderly man from his wheelchair to place him in bed and get him dressed, after having helped him to bathe."
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 29mm, f2.8, 1/25, ISO 1600
Caption: Danny Martinez, 36, a patient in drug rehabilitation, helps to move an old man from a wheelchair to his bed, after bathing him at the Nosotros Unidos rehabilitation centre for drug and alcohol addicts in the low-income neighborhood of Coche in Caracas August 27, 2011. This rehabilitation center for drug abusers and the homeless, is funded by a Christian evangelical church, and has been a model for state institutions with the same goals. It is located in the turbulent slum of Coche in Caracas, one of the most violent and chaotic cities in the world. Within its humble surroundings, some 250 men find hope each day living side by side, from the city's youth to the elderly and the infirm. The center has helped more than 20,000 people over the last 15 years. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
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“I’d been working on this project for around 25 days to document the story of the drug rehab center Nosotros Unidos. At dawn on August 27, after having worked the night on the streets of Caracas with the center’s social workers to try and convince addicts to come off the streets, this image appeared to me. I had slept only three hours on a cot after the long night, like many of the program’s participants. The image came to me as one that perfectly summed up everything that I had experienced inside. Danny Martinez, a patient in the center, lifted up a naked elderly man from his wheelchair to place him in bed and get him dressed, after having helped him to bathe."
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 29mm, f2.8, 1/25, ISO 1600
Caption: Danny Martinez, 36, a patient in drug rehabilitation, helps to move an old man from a wheelchair to his bed, after bathing him at the Nosotros Unidos rehabilitation centre for drug and alcohol addicts in the low-income neighborhood of Coche in Caracas August 27, 2011. This rehabilitation center for drug abusers and the homeless, is funded by a Christian evangelical church, and has been a model for state institutions with the same goals. It is located in the turbulent slum of Coche in Caracas, one of the most violent and chaotic cities in the world. Within its humble surroundings, some 250 men find hope each day living side by side, from the city's youth to the elderly and the infirm. The center has helped more than 20,000 people over the last 15 years. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
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Image 13 of 100: ALLISON SHELLEY, Haiti
“One of the best views of Port-au-Prince is from a hilltop neighborhood called Fort National-- a steep five-minute ride from downtown. Eighty percent of the buildings in this densely packed area were leveled in the 2010 earthquake, providing an unobstructed 360-degree visual city tour from the crushed cathedral to the rockslide-scarred hills across the harbor. But residents say that because there was no central tent camp set up here, they were largely bypassed by help from the government and aid groups. Around the time I was assigned to photograph the run-up to the quake's first anniversary, billboards were popping up with architectural renderings of the "new Fort National" to be built. Palm trees, pedestrian paths; Miami style. Locals were told to abandon their efforts to rebuild their homes-- they would get new, government subsidized ones. I immediately knew I would start the day shooting there.
I found Orich Florestal and Rosemond Altidon standing on a slab of concrete jutting from the second floor of a half-missing building, their home, watching the sun rise. They invited me up to their "balcony"-- a former bedroom in the same apartment block their families had been living in for years. Tall cracks exposed rebar in the walls of the first floor rooms, all inhabited by other families.
We could hear earthmovers firing up to start clearing debris on the other side of the hill. But we could also hear the sound of hand tools directly below us. A man was laboriously chipping cement off of the few intact cinderblocks a family had scavenged from their fallen home, carting the blocks some yards up the hill to create the foundation of a new one -- in the heart of the area slated to be cleared for condos.
Futility or prescience?
Four months after this photo was taken, a new president took office and the new Fort National plan of the previous administration was shelved.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f2.8, 1/8000, ISO 200
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“One of the best views of Port-au-Prince is from a hilltop neighborhood called Fort National-- a steep five-minute ride from downtown. Eighty percent of the buildings in this densely packed area were leveled in the 2010 earthquake, providing an unobstructed 360-degree visual city tour from the crushed cathedral to the rockslide-scarred hills across the harbor. But residents say that because there was no central tent camp set up here, they were largely bypassed by help from the government and aid groups. Around the time I was assigned to photograph the run-up to the quake's first anniversary, billboards were popping up with architectural renderings of the "new Fort National" to be built. Palm trees, pedestrian paths; Miami style. Locals were told to abandon their efforts to rebuild their homes-- they would get new, government subsidized ones. I immediately knew I would start the day shooting there.
I found Orich Florestal and Rosemond Altidon standing on a slab of concrete jutting from the second floor of a half-missing building, their home, watching the sun rise. They invited me up to their "balcony"-- a former bedroom in the same apartment block their families had been living in for years. Tall cracks exposed rebar in the walls of the first floor rooms, all inhabited by other families.
We could hear earthmovers firing up to start clearing debris on the other side of the hill. But we could also hear the sound of hand tools directly below us. A man was laboriously chipping cement off of the few intact cinderblocks a family had scavenged from their fallen home, carting the blocks some yards up the hill to create the foundation of a new one -- in the heart of the area slated to be cleared for condos.
Futility or prescience?
Four months after this photo was taken, a new president took office and the new Fort National plan of the previous administration was shelved.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f2.8, 1/8000, ISO 200
Click here for a related slideshow
Image 14 of 100: ERIC THAYER, United States
“I saw the plane, which didn’t seem out of the ordinary, since planes had been in the sky all night, but for some reason this plane looked like it was heading towards the tribute in lights. It crossed over, and I was able to make about four frames of the plane actually passing through the lights. Of those, only one was in focus. I had actually hoped to expose for the plane, but I didn’t have time to change the settings. But in the end, the plane in white heading into the clouds seemed a fitting tribute on the September 11 ten year anniversary, so I’m glad the image was exposed as is and that I was lucky enough to capture this frame.”
Canon 5D, lens 50mm, f1.2, 1/50, ISO 800
Caption: A plane flies through the "Tribute in Lights" in lower Manhattan in New York September 10, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Thayer
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“I saw the plane, which didn’t seem out of the ordinary, since planes had been in the sky all night, but for some reason this plane looked like it was heading towards the tribute in lights. It crossed over, and I was able to make about four frames of the plane actually passing through the lights. Of those, only one was in focus. I had actually hoped to expose for the plane, but I didn’t have time to change the settings. But in the end, the plane in white heading into the clouds seemed a fitting tribute on the September 11 ten year anniversary, so I’m glad the image was exposed as is and that I was lucky enough to capture this frame.”
Canon 5D, lens 50mm, f1.2, 1/50, ISO 800
Caption: A plane flies through the "Tribute in Lights" in lower Manhattan in New York September 10, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Thayer
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Image 15 of 100: ATHAR HUSSAIN, Pakistan
“When news broke that Osama bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan, I was in shock like most people. I barely slept that night as I watched the breaking news on television and monitored how Karachi would react to the event.
Early morning on May 3, I left for the Karachi press club. There a colleague told me hundreds of young boys and men, supporters of the banned Islamic organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa, would be gathering to offer funeral prayers for Osama.
I decided to cover that event as I thought there was a chance of violence. When I reached the spot, I saw that the police had cordoned off the prayer site. Ahead of the prayers, there were some anti-American chants and slogans and I shot a couple of frames of that.
Prayers were offered, peacefully. Then something which I had least expected happened. The protesters started weeping as they had lost their leader. They started hugging and consoling each other. The moments reflected their support for Osama. I captured that moment and soon after I left the scene.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16mm, f3.5, 1/1000, ISO 400
Caption: Supporters of the banned Islamic organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa embrace each other after taking part in a funeral prayer for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Karachi May 3, 2011. The founder of one of Pakistan's most violent Islamist militant groups has told Muslims to be heartened by the death of Osama bin Laden, as his "martyrdom" would not be in vain, a spokesman for the group said. REUTERS/Athar Hussain
“When news broke that Osama bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan, I was in shock like most people. I barely slept that night as I watched the breaking news on television and monitored how Karachi would react to the event.
Early morning on May 3, I left for the Karachi press club. There a colleague told me hundreds of young boys and men, supporters of the banned Islamic organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa, would be gathering to offer funeral prayers for Osama.
I decided to cover that event as I thought there was a chance of violence. When I reached the spot, I saw that the police had cordoned off the prayer site. Ahead of the prayers, there were some anti-American chants and slogans and I shot a couple of frames of that.
Prayers were offered, peacefully. Then something which I had least expected happened. The protesters started weeping as they had lost their leader. They started hugging and consoling each other. The moments reflected their support for Osama. I captured that moment and soon after I left the scene.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16mm, f3.5, 1/1000, ISO 400
Caption: Supporters of the banned Islamic organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa embrace each other after taking part in a funeral prayer for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Karachi May 3, 2011. The founder of one of Pakistan's most violent Islamist militant groups has told Muslims to be heartened by the death of Osama bin Laden, as his "martyrdom" would not be in vain, a spokesman for the group said. REUTERS/Athar Hussain
Image 16 of 100: ERIC THAYER, United States
“I arrived at the scene of the shooting of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, along with several other people, in a supermarket parking lot in Tucson, Arizona, a few hours after it happened. I had been on the story about a week when the first of the funerals began. I had photographed the scene, candlelight vigils, press conferences, the shooter’s home, church and synagogue services, victims who survived, the hospital where the congresswoman was at that time still in critical condition. Probably the most difficult funeral for me was for nine-year-old Christina Greene, who was shot and killed in the attack. Other photographers and I were across the street from the funeral as people began to trickle out after the service ended. I noticed a boy with a stuffed bear walking along the road with a woman. I approached them, and they were fine with me taking pictures. While his mother was being interviewed, I made a few frames as the boy walked away from his mother with the stuffed bear.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f8, 1/1250, ISO 160
Caption: Nine-year-old Dante Mitchell, classmate of nine-year-old Christina Green, holds a stuffed bear he brought to her funeral in Tucson, Arizona January 13, 2011. Green was killed in the January 8 shooting that left six dead and wounded U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords. REUTERS/Eric Thayer
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“I arrived at the scene of the shooting of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, along with several other people, in a supermarket parking lot in Tucson, Arizona, a few hours after it happened. I had been on the story about a week when the first of the funerals began. I had photographed the scene, candlelight vigils, press conferences, the shooter’s home, church and synagogue services, victims who survived, the hospital where the congresswoman was at that time still in critical condition. Probably the most difficult funeral for me was for nine-year-old Christina Greene, who was shot and killed in the attack. Other photographers and I were across the street from the funeral as people began to trickle out after the service ended. I noticed a boy with a stuffed bear walking along the road with a woman. I approached them, and they were fine with me taking pictures. While his mother was being interviewed, I made a few frames as the boy walked away from his mother with the stuffed bear.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f8, 1/1250, ISO 160
Caption: Nine-year-old Dante Mitchell, classmate of nine-year-old Christina Green, holds a stuffed bear he brought to her funeral in Tucson, Arizona January 13, 2011. Green was killed in the January 8 shooting that left six dead and wounded U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords. REUTERS/Eric Thayer
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Image 17 of 100: BARRY MALONE, Kenya-Somalia border
“I almost didn't take the photograph. I'd been walking through a remote Kenyan village near the border with Somalia shadowing a group of United Nations bosses who were there to see the impact of the recently declared Somali famine and region-wide drought. I'd become tired of such trips over the years, which I blogged about for Reuters here, and was particularly struck that day by the often surreal nature of the African aid circus.
When I saw this official dressed in a suit and using an iPad to film a dead cow, I just stood and stared, pretty sure I had rarely seen anything so strange and incongruous, such an odd meeting of a world filled with ultra-modern developments and one trapped in a cycle of age-old problems.
I finally snapped the picture just seconds before the man stood and caught me standing behind him.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 35mm, f11, 1/800, ISO 400
Caption: An aid worker using an iPad films the rotting carcass of a cow in Wajir near the Kenya-Somalia border, July 23, 2011. REUTERS/Barry Malone
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“I almost didn't take the photograph. I'd been walking through a remote Kenyan village near the border with Somalia shadowing a group of United Nations bosses who were there to see the impact of the recently declared Somali famine and region-wide drought. I'd become tired of such trips over the years, which I blogged about for Reuters here, and was particularly struck that day by the often surreal nature of the African aid circus.
When I saw this official dressed in a suit and using an iPad to film a dead cow, I just stood and stared, pretty sure I had rarely seen anything so strange and incongruous, such an odd meeting of a world filled with ultra-modern developments and one trapped in a cycle of age-old problems.
I finally snapped the picture just seconds before the man stood and caught me standing behind him.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 35mm, f11, 1/800, ISO 400
Caption: An aid worker using an iPad films the rotting carcass of a cow in Wajir near the Kenya-Somalia border, July 23, 2011. REUTERS/Barry Malone
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Image 18 of 100: NACHO DOCE, Brazil
“I entered a favela for a story on a graffiti-based social project. One night as I was touring the neighborhood with the graffiti artists I heard music playing that I knew wasn’t samba, funk, or rap. We began to follow the sound along the narrow streets until we reached the source – a small apartment packed with people carrying out an Afro-Brazilian ritual called Umbanda. After they accepted to allow me in to photograph, I entered the small room filled with about 15 followers and lit by a 60-watt light. Towards the end of the ritual a woman, who was in a deep trance, held a beer and threw her head back while laughing towards the ceiling, as two youths continued playing bongos after more than three hours. With just one bulb the light was harsh, but the drummers earned my respect after so many hours of non-stop playing.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, 1/160, ISO 6400
Caption: An Umbanda worshiper holds a glass of beer as she enters in a trance during a ritual in the Vila Flavia favela in Sao Paulo, August 26, 2011. Umbanda, an Afro-Brazilian religion that combines African religions with Catholicism and local indigenous beliefs, uses rituals to induce trances in worshippers who "incorporate" the spirits of slaves born in Africa and buried in Brazil. During the ritual trances, the followers will smoke tobacco and drink alcohol, stagger like old slaves, beat their chests and prance around as prostitutes or drunks. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
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“I entered a favela for a story on a graffiti-based social project. One night as I was touring the neighborhood with the graffiti artists I heard music playing that I knew wasn’t samba, funk, or rap. We began to follow the sound along the narrow streets until we reached the source – a small apartment packed with people carrying out an Afro-Brazilian ritual called Umbanda. After they accepted to allow me in to photograph, I entered the small room filled with about 15 followers and lit by a 60-watt light. Towards the end of the ritual a woman, who was in a deep trance, held a beer and threw her head back while laughing towards the ceiling, as two youths continued playing bongos after more than three hours. With just one bulb the light was harsh, but the drummers earned my respect after so many hours of non-stop playing.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, 1/160, ISO 6400
Caption: An Umbanda worshiper holds a glass of beer as she enters in a trance during a ritual in the Vila Flavia favela in Sao Paulo, August 26, 2011. Umbanda, an Afro-Brazilian religion that combines African religions with Catholicism and local indigenous beliefs, uses rituals to induce trances in worshippers who "incorporate" the spirits of slaves born in Africa and buried in Brazil. During the ritual trances, the followers will smoke tobacco and drink alcohol, stagger like old slaves, beat their chests and prance around as prostitutes or drunks. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
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Image 19 of 100: JACKY CHEN, Tibet
“From 4 in the morning, I started following the Tibetan worshipers climb up the hill from the Drepung Monastery. Half an hour later, I arrived at a high position opposite the site where the giant Thangka would be unfurled. Visitors were filing in. Lots of police were deployed and gradually appeared around the area. The event started at 7:30. Because most of the police were Tibetans, who were very interested in the ceremony, many of them started taking photos with their mobile phones and small cameras. Some of the police managed to find a higher spot to get a better view, and somehow they were captured in my picture.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, lens 200mm, f5.6, 1/250, ISO1600
Caption: Policemen take pictures of the unfolding of a giant thangka, religious silk embroidery or painting unique to Tibet, during the Shoton Festival at Drepung Monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region August 29, 2011. REUTERS/Jacky Chen
“From 4 in the morning, I started following the Tibetan worshipers climb up the hill from the Drepung Monastery. Half an hour later, I arrived at a high position opposite the site where the giant Thangka would be unfurled. Visitors were filing in. Lots of police were deployed and gradually appeared around the area. The event started at 7:30. Because most of the police were Tibetans, who were very interested in the ceremony, many of them started taking photos with their mobile phones and small cameras. Some of the police managed to find a higher spot to get a better view, and somehow they were captured in my picture.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, lens 200mm, f5.6, 1/250, ISO1600
Caption: Policemen take pictures of the unfolding of a giant thangka, religious silk embroidery or painting unique to Tibet, during the Shoton Festival at Drepung Monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region August 29, 2011. REUTERS/Jacky Chen
Image 20 of 100: NASEER AHMED, Pakistan
“The moment will haunt me forever.
I was in a deep sleep early on September 7 when my mobile phone started ringing. With half open eyes, I could hear a colleague shouting “Reach the commissioner’s office, there is a suicide blast! Just come quickly and reach the spot!” he kept insisting. I took the camera and started riding my motorcycle. His tone made me leave my house without washing my hands or mouth.
Along the way, I called and advised Reuters photographer Mian Khursheed in Islamabad of the blast. His reply was for me not to hurry and to keep safe. As I got close to the civil hospital in town, I heard another explosion. Its strength shattered nearby windows and caused panic. I felt there would be a loss of human life. The thick black smoke, flames and damaged vehicles were visible from afar. I immediately parked my motorbike and saw two aid workers retrieving a dead body from a rickshaw. I saw fellow photojournalists from other agencies at the scene. Their presence gave me the courage to go ahead.
I first came across a woman, along with her two children, all injured. Wearing a burqa, the woman prohibited me from taking her photo while slowly shaking her hands, revealing a strict veiled Pashtun society. I stepped back and stopped shooting.
I then heard a voice saying, “Take me to hospital.” I saw an elderly man, his face covered with blood and the body of a one-and-half year old girl lying dead in the background. I took some images, called over an Edhi aid worker and appealed to people to help shift the victims to the hospital. After the ambulance left, I sat on the roadside.
Mian called and asked, “What is your position.” I told him that I made all photos on the spot and I was heading to the office to upload my images.
Later I would go back to the hospital and find the man with the bloody face, Mr. Mohammad Azam, 56, in a better condition. I would find the veiled woman dead in the morgue. I had no idea she was moments from death when I photographed her.
I will not forget the day when Quetta city was rocked in mourning with twin suicide bombers aiming to strike the deputy chief of paramilitary troops for Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The death toll rose to 29. The deputy chief of paramilitary survived the attack.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 21mm, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 640
Caption: Mohammad Azam, 56, sits injured in front of a dead child, at the site of a double suicide bombing in Quetta September 7, 2011. REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed
“The moment will haunt me forever.
I was in a deep sleep early on September 7 when my mobile phone started ringing. With half open eyes, I could hear a colleague shouting “Reach the commissioner’s office, there is a suicide blast! Just come quickly and reach the spot!” he kept insisting. I took the camera and started riding my motorcycle. His tone made me leave my house without washing my hands or mouth.
Along the way, I called and advised Reuters photographer Mian Khursheed in Islamabad of the blast. His reply was for me not to hurry and to keep safe. As I got close to the civil hospital in town, I heard another explosion. Its strength shattered nearby windows and caused panic. I felt there would be a loss of human life. The thick black smoke, flames and damaged vehicles were visible from afar. I immediately parked my motorbike and saw two aid workers retrieving a dead body from a rickshaw. I saw fellow photojournalists from other agencies at the scene. Their presence gave me the courage to go ahead.
I first came across a woman, along with her two children, all injured. Wearing a burqa, the woman prohibited me from taking her photo while slowly shaking her hands, revealing a strict veiled Pashtun society. I stepped back and stopped shooting.
I then heard a voice saying, “Take me to hospital.” I saw an elderly man, his face covered with blood and the body of a one-and-half year old girl lying dead in the background. I took some images, called over an Edhi aid worker and appealed to people to help shift the victims to the hospital. After the ambulance left, I sat on the roadside.
Mian called and asked, “What is your position.” I told him that I made all photos on the spot and I was heading to the office to upload my images.
Later I would go back to the hospital and find the man with the bloody face, Mr. Mohammad Azam, 56, in a better condition. I would find the veiled woman dead in the morgue. I had no idea she was moments from death when I photographed her.
I will not forget the day when Quetta city was rocked in mourning with twin suicide bombers aiming to strike the deputy chief of paramilitary troops for Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The death toll rose to 29. The deputy chief of paramilitary survived the attack.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 21mm, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 640
Caption: Mohammad Azam, 56, sits injured in front of a dead child, at the site of a double suicide bombing in Quetta September 7, 2011. REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed
Image 21 of 100: GLEB GARANICH, Ukraine
“I made this image on a trip to Prypiat on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in a shop at the central square which used to sell goods ranging from gas ovens to musical instruments named Raduga (Rainbow). I've been to this place a number of times but it still feels weird to be in a town devoid of people which greets you with eerie silence. Masks are not needed there these days although radiation levels remain above normal.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 16mm, f4.0, 1/25, ISO 800
Caption: An interior view of a building in the abandoned city of Prypiat near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine is viewed February 24, 2011. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
“I made this image on a trip to Prypiat on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in a shop at the central square which used to sell goods ranging from gas ovens to musical instruments named Raduga (Rainbow). I've been to this place a number of times but it still feels weird to be in a town devoid of people which greets you with eerie silence. Masks are not needed there these days although radiation levels remain above normal.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 16mm, f4.0, 1/25, ISO 800
Caption: An interior view of a building in the abandoned city of Prypiat near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine is viewed February 24, 2011. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Image 22 of 100: AMIR COHEN, Israel
“It was about an hour after a rocket fired by Gaza militants landed in the yard of a house at Moshav Sde Avraham in southern Israel. The rocket caused considerable damage inside and outside the house. The boy searched the hole in the ground (cause by the rocket landing) for the remains of the rocket.”
Canon 1D Mark III, lens 16-35mm, f3.2, 1/2500, ISO 100
Caption: An Israeli boy looks for shrapnel after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza exploded next to a house in Moshav Sde Avraham just outside the southern Gaza Strip March 26, 2011. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
“It was about an hour after a rocket fired by Gaza militants landed in the yard of a house at Moshav Sde Avraham in southern Israel. The rocket caused considerable damage inside and outside the house. The boy searched the hole in the ground (cause by the rocket landing) for the remains of the rocket.”
Canon 1D Mark III, lens 16-35mm, f3.2, 1/2500, ISO 100
Caption: An Israeli boy looks for shrapnel after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza exploded next to a house in Moshav Sde Avraham just outside the southern Gaza Strip March 26, 2011. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Image 23 of 100: EDGARD GARRIDO, Honduras
“I meet them in the basement of a pool hall located in a dangerous neighborhood of Tegucigalpa. There, along narrow and dark stairways, are several rooms where Bessy, Patricia and Tiffany, are.
Tiffany, 19, an accountant who also studies cosmetology, tells me, “Our clients are all types. I’ve had some famous ones. There are mechanics, taxi drivers, young, old, poor, rich.” Tiffany practiced prostitution but left it after being run over, threatened with death, and finally stabbed in the back. “I thank God for the support of my family, of my parents. They don’t want to see me on the street. They accept my condition and don’t want to hide it. They want to see me as a young, gay, decent professional. My father is going to help me open a beauty parlor. Nevertheless, the situation on the streets is terrible, and we don’t have to be prostituting ourselves to be attacked. They throw stones at us, ice cubes, beer bottles, and even darts with blood on them.”
With bras and pants adjusted they parade inside the tiny rooms converted into a runway, a fashion runway filled with laughter and horror stories. We spend the next two hours in what becomes a backstage for what was to come. I can feel only praise for the way they hide their repressed fear. In spite of their photogenic looks and elicited empathy, it’s still difficult for me to work. There’s almost no room to stand, it’s nighttime and the room light is dim.
Before we leave, Bessy pauses in front of religious icons adorning a wall. Patricia crosses herself, but Tiffany decides to stay home...”
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, 1/30, ISO 1250
Caption: Transvestite Tiffany, 19, shows a scar of a knife attack in Tegucigalpa March 10, 2011. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
Click here for a related blog
“I meet them in the basement of a pool hall located in a dangerous neighborhood of Tegucigalpa. There, along narrow and dark stairways, are several rooms where Bessy, Patricia and Tiffany, are.
Tiffany, 19, an accountant who also studies cosmetology, tells me, “Our clients are all types. I’ve had some famous ones. There are mechanics, taxi drivers, young, old, poor, rich.” Tiffany practiced prostitution but left it after being run over, threatened with death, and finally stabbed in the back. “I thank God for the support of my family, of my parents. They don’t want to see me on the street. They accept my condition and don’t want to hide it. They want to see me as a young, gay, decent professional. My father is going to help me open a beauty parlor. Nevertheless, the situation on the streets is terrible, and we don’t have to be prostituting ourselves to be attacked. They throw stones at us, ice cubes, beer bottles, and even darts with blood on them.”
With bras and pants adjusted they parade inside the tiny rooms converted into a runway, a fashion runway filled with laughter and horror stories. We spend the next two hours in what becomes a backstage for what was to come. I can feel only praise for the way they hide their repressed fear. In spite of their photogenic looks and elicited empathy, it’s still difficult for me to work. There’s almost no room to stand, it’s nighttime and the room light is dim.
Before we leave, Bessy pauses in front of religious icons adorning a wall. Patricia crosses herself, but Tiffany decides to stay home...”
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f2.8, 1/30, ISO 1250
Caption: Transvestite Tiffany, 19, shows a scar of a knife attack in Tegucigalpa March 10, 2011. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
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Image 24 of 100: ZOHRA BENSEMRA, Tunisia
“On January 14, anti-government protests that had been spreading through Tunisia reached the capital. A huge crowd gathered outside the interior ministry to demand that President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali step down. I had just arrived from an assignment in Sudan and was impressed by the number of protesters. I would never have imagined that a demonstration like this could happen in a tightly-controlled state like Tunisia. Suddenly, police fired tear gas rounds into the crowd and the people started running. I ran with them, into the lanes and alleyways leading away from the interior ministry. There, the protesters regrouped and began throwing stones at police, who responded with more tear gas. It was at this point I took this shot.
Tunisian soldiers were standing in the middle, between the police and protesters, trying to persuade the two sides to calm down. I could not believe my eyes. For the first time in the Arab world I was seeing soldiers who were not taking the side of the government against the people. I directed my lens towards one of the soldiers, who was screaming at the police and protesters to stop. I have to confess I had tears in my eyes because it was such a moving moment. Later, it turned out this was the crucial factor in ousting Ben Ali. When the army refused his requests to use force against the protesters in the capital, he realized his power had evaporated. It is wonderful that I had the opportunity to be present at this historic moment.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/2500, ISO 400
Caption: A Tunisian soldier screams as he tries to calm down rioters during clashes with the police in downtown of the capital Tunis January 14, 2011. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
“On January 14, anti-government protests that had been spreading through Tunisia reached the capital. A huge crowd gathered outside the interior ministry to demand that President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali step down. I had just arrived from an assignment in Sudan and was impressed by the number of protesters. I would never have imagined that a demonstration like this could happen in a tightly-controlled state like Tunisia. Suddenly, police fired tear gas rounds into the crowd and the people started running. I ran with them, into the lanes and alleyways leading away from the interior ministry. There, the protesters regrouped and began throwing stones at police, who responded with more tear gas. It was at this point I took this shot.
Tunisian soldiers were standing in the middle, between the police and protesters, trying to persuade the two sides to calm down. I could not believe my eyes. For the first time in the Arab world I was seeing soldiers who were not taking the side of the government against the people. I directed my lens towards one of the soldiers, who was screaming at the police and protesters to stop. I have to confess I had tears in my eyes because it was such a moving moment. Later, it turned out this was the crucial factor in ousting Ben Ali. When the army refused his requests to use force against the protesters in the capital, he realized his power had evaporated. It is wonderful that I had the opportunity to be present at this historic moment.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/2500, ISO 400
Caption: A Tunisian soldier screams as he tries to calm down rioters during clashes with the police in downtown of the capital Tunis January 14, 2011. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Image 25 of 100: LI PING, China
“Having heard about what happened through a source from a news hotline, I reached the scene immediately. The streets under the building were already packed with people, so I decided to go upstairs to another nearby building which was still under construction. When I reached the sixth or seventh floor, I heard terrified screams coming from the crowd. So I raised the camera and pressed the shutter, since then, everything was out of instinct, and I didn’t even have a chance to take a breath. Fortunately, the woman was not injured in the incident.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark II, lens 145mm, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO200
Caption: A 22-year-old woman in a wedding gown is grabbed by Guo Zhongfan, a local community officer, as she attempts to kill herself by jumping out of a seven-storey residential building in Changchun, Jilin province May 17, 2011. According to local media, the woman tried to commit suicide after her boyfriend of four years broke up with her, just as they were making plans to get married. The woman did not sustain any injuries during the incident. REUTERS/China Daily
“Having heard about what happened through a source from a news hotline, I reached the scene immediately. The streets under the building were already packed with people, so I decided to go upstairs to another nearby building which was still under construction. When I reached the sixth or seventh floor, I heard terrified screams coming from the crowd. So I raised the camera and pressed the shutter, since then, everything was out of instinct, and I didn’t even have a chance to take a breath. Fortunately, the woman was not injured in the incident.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark II, lens 145mm, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO200
Caption: A 22-year-old woman in a wedding gown is grabbed by Guo Zhongfan, a local community officer, as she attempts to kill herself by jumping out of a seven-storey residential building in Changchun, Jilin province May 17, 2011. According to local media, the woman tried to commit suicide after her boyfriend of four years broke up with her, just as they were making plans to get married. The woman did not sustain any injuries during the incident. REUTERS/China Daily
Image 26 of 100: DWI OBLO, Indonesia “I had been waiting for more than an hour, yet I hadn’t made the strongest picture. There I was, on the edge of Mount Bromo’s crater (2,329 meters from ground level), in East Java, Indonesia, where the ceremony of Javanese Hindu “Yadya Kasada” was held. All of a sudden, about 50 yards from where I stood, I saw a middle-aged man carrying a few chickens. To photograph the man’s offering I needed to pass some people standing on the crater’s edge, which meant that I only had about an 11 inch wide space to walk, with chasms on my right and left side. For a few moments I hesitated, wondering if I would be able to catch up with him in time, since I was not sure if the path was safe enough to walk. Within those few seconds, my eyes caught hold of some women wearing kebayas (traditional outfits) and I saw they were able to walk on the path. “What makes me think I can’t do it? They can! In school, I used to be a climber, and I faced even riskier situations,” I thought to myself. Yes! Carefully running on the sandy crater’s edge towards this man, I successfully made some strong pictures of local people throwing away offerings to the crater. While also on the other side some people trying to catch the offerings. This is my strongest picture from that day that tells the story of the traditional ceremony which is believed to lead their life to a better future.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark III, lens 16-35mm, f10, 1/640, ISO 320
Caption: Villagers attempt to catch a chicken thrown by worshipers into a volcanic crater during the annual Kasada festival at Mount Bromo in Indonesia's East Java province August 15, 2011. Villagers and worshipers throw offerings such livestock and other crops into the volcanic crater of Mount Bromo to give thanks to the Hindu gods for ensuring their safety and prosperity. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo
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Canon EOS 1D Mark III, lens 16-35mm, f10, 1/640, ISO 320
Caption: Villagers attempt to catch a chicken thrown by worshipers into a volcanic crater during the annual Kasada festival at Mount Bromo in Indonesia's East Java province August 15, 2011. Villagers and worshipers throw offerings such livestock and other crops into the volcanic crater of Mount Bromo to give thanks to the Hindu gods for ensuring their safety and prosperity. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo
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Image 27 of 100: GORAN TOMASEVIC, Libya
“I was maybe between 150-200 meters from the explosion. It’s pretty much full frame. This picture was really easy, just point and shoot. It didn’t take much imagination. Sometimes you need to get creative and shoot it this way, or that way but this one; it just happened. Before the explosion, I didn’t hear anything and I don’t know how the rebels reacted after the explosion as they were behind me. Sometimes I looked around and saw them shouting.
I didn’t know when I took it that this picture would be used everywhere. I knew it was going to be used, because of a story like this but I like more some of the other pictures I took on the same day, with the rebels in the frame. It’s a very simple picture which is why I am surprised it was used so widely.“
Canon Mark IIII, lens 200mm, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 100
Caption: Vehicles belonging to forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi explode after an air strike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah March 20, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
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“I was maybe between 150-200 meters from the explosion. It’s pretty much full frame. This picture was really easy, just point and shoot. It didn’t take much imagination. Sometimes you need to get creative and shoot it this way, or that way but this one; it just happened. Before the explosion, I didn’t hear anything and I don’t know how the rebels reacted after the explosion as they were behind me. Sometimes I looked around and saw them shouting.
I didn’t know when I took it that this picture would be used everywhere. I knew it was going to be used, because of a story like this but I like more some of the other pictures I took on the same day, with the rebels in the frame. It’s a very simple picture which is why I am surprised it was used so widely.“
Canon Mark IIII, lens 200mm, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 100
Caption: Vehicles belonging to forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi explode after an air strike by coalition forces, along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah March 20, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
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Image 28 of 100: DAVID ANGELL, United States
“The Selfridge Air Show is a bi-annual event I've been covering for well over 15 years. Like all military air shows it features everything from antique war planes to modern jet aircraft demonstrations. This year the featured events included simulated bombing runs and dog fights. I covered both days and one of the featured events was Todd Green, a second generation wingwalker. Green performed a stunt in which he would transfer from a 1930's Stearman to a helicopter. On Saturday the stunt was performed without any problems, on Sunday however there were very high non-directional winds. Green and the pilots made two practice runs and decided to try to circumvent the winds by climbing from 150 feet to 200 feet. As the group flew past the trees and over the runway Green attempted the transfer from the plane to the helicopter. Due to an unknown cause the helicopter pulled up and out about 8 inches, this was just enough for Green to lose his balance and fall out of the plane.”
Canon EOS 50D, lens 300mm, f10, 1/1600, ISO 250
Caption: Wingwalker Todd Green falls from John Mohr's Stearman aircraft to his death, after losing his grip while trying to perform a transfer to the helicopter during Selfridge Air Show, less than 30 miles from Detroit, August 21, 2011. REUTERS/David Angell
“The Selfridge Air Show is a bi-annual event I've been covering for well over 15 years. Like all military air shows it features everything from antique war planes to modern jet aircraft demonstrations. This year the featured events included simulated bombing runs and dog fights. I covered both days and one of the featured events was Todd Green, a second generation wingwalker. Green performed a stunt in which he would transfer from a 1930's Stearman to a helicopter. On Saturday the stunt was performed without any problems, on Sunday however there were very high non-directional winds. Green and the pilots made two practice runs and decided to try to circumvent the winds by climbing from 150 feet to 200 feet. As the group flew past the trees and over the runway Green attempted the transfer from the plane to the helicopter. Due to an unknown cause the helicopter pulled up and out about 8 inches, this was just enough for Green to lose his balance and fall out of the plane.”
Canon EOS 50D, lens 300mm, f10, 1/1600, ISO 250
Caption: Wingwalker Todd Green falls from John Mohr's Stearman aircraft to his death, after losing his grip while trying to perform a transfer to the helicopter during Selfridge Air Show, less than 30 miles from Detroit, August 21, 2011. REUTERS/David Angell
Image 29 of 100: DENIS BALIBOUSE, Switzerland
“For the first time, this year I covered the Grande Odyssee sled dogs race close to the French Italian border for five days. On two occasions the mushers had to spend a night out sleeping in a tent next to their dogs, without the help of their handlers. I was offered by organizers to stay for the night in a hotel-restaurant some 500 yards away from the Polar Base as the lift would close at 9pm. I thought of the different pictures I could take than the usual action. On my second visit I was unable to connect to a mobile phone network to send my images so I decided to try from an overlooking point nearby. I was bewildered by the scene that was now light by a near full moon. I stayed nearly an hour as the temperature was not extreme. I sent my pictures but cherish that moment of sitting in the snow watching the clouds move; a nice experience of being “within” the landscape.“
Canon 5D, lens 16-35mm, f8.0, 30 seconds on a tripod, ISO 400
Caption: Switzerland's photographer Denis Balibouse files his pictures under a full moon sky from Mont-Cenis Pass Road in Lanslebourg during the Grande Odyssee sled dogs race January 19, 2011. This picture was taken with a long exposure. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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“For the first time, this year I covered the Grande Odyssee sled dogs race close to the French Italian border for five days. On two occasions the mushers had to spend a night out sleeping in a tent next to their dogs, without the help of their handlers. I was offered by organizers to stay for the night in a hotel-restaurant some 500 yards away from the Polar Base as the lift would close at 9pm. I thought of the different pictures I could take than the usual action. On my second visit I was unable to connect to a mobile phone network to send my images so I decided to try from an overlooking point nearby. I was bewildered by the scene that was now light by a near full moon. I stayed nearly an hour as the temperature was not extreme. I sent my pictures but cherish that moment of sitting in the snow watching the clouds move; a nice experience of being “within” the landscape.“
Canon 5D, lens 16-35mm, f8.0, 30 seconds on a tripod, ISO 400
Caption: Switzerland's photographer Denis Balibouse files his pictures under a full moon sky from Mont-Cenis Pass Road in Lanslebourg during the Grande Odyssee sled dogs race January 19, 2011. This picture was taken with a long exposure. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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Image 30 of 100: JIM URQUHART, United States
“It was my second night with the cowboys after the first full day on one of the last real horse drives in America. I had spent the day focusing on making art of wranglers gathering about 400 horses from their winter range outside Three Forks, Montana. After a frigid spring day in Montana, which included snow and rain, we had settled in for another cold night. About 30 people sat around a large fire for a chuck wagon dinner before heading to our canvas wall tents for the night. I made many frames of wranglers lit by fire light and even played with some time exposures but as I made my way around the fire I saw Dale Wetz dozing in and out of sleep but never dropping his beer. We were all beat, but these guys had spent the day working really hard. I just ran around with cameras while they wrestled horses. The fire was beginning to fade so I rested my lens on the stump of a log to steady it for a slow exposure and discreetly made as many frames as possible. Many of these guys are very humble and a bit camera shy. Later in the night Wetz was a bit shocked when I asked for his name for the caption. But that was just how many of the wranglers were. This is their work and they weren't doing anything special; just going about their lives working under the western sky.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f4, 1/13, ISO 4000
Caption: Wrangler Dale Wetz rests by the campfire after the group had gathered approximately 350 horses during Montana Horses' spring drive outside Three Forks, Montana April 22, 2011. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
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“It was my second night with the cowboys after the first full day on one of the last real horse drives in America. I had spent the day focusing on making art of wranglers gathering about 400 horses from their winter range outside Three Forks, Montana. After a frigid spring day in Montana, which included snow and rain, we had settled in for another cold night. About 30 people sat around a large fire for a chuck wagon dinner before heading to our canvas wall tents for the night. I made many frames of wranglers lit by fire light and even played with some time exposures but as I made my way around the fire I saw Dale Wetz dozing in and out of sleep but never dropping his beer. We were all beat, but these guys had spent the day working really hard. I just ran around with cameras while they wrestled horses. The fire was beginning to fade so I rested my lens on the stump of a log to steady it for a slow exposure and discreetly made as many frames as possible. Many of these guys are very humble and a bit camera shy. Later in the night Wetz was a bit shocked when I asked for his name for the caption. But that was just how many of the wranglers were. This is their work and they weren't doing anything special; just going about their lives working under the western sky.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f4, 1/13, ISO 4000
Caption: Wrangler Dale Wetz rests by the campfire after the group had gathered approximately 350 horses during Montana Horses' spring drive outside Three Forks, Montana April 22, 2011. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
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Image 31 of 100: MARGARITO PEREZ RETANA, Mexico
“It’s always a race against the clock. The phone rings, you listen to the report, you then grab your motorcycle and start searching as fast as possible for the neighborhood, the street, the place where the person was executed and his or her body abandoned. You have to rush and try to get there before the forensic services. It becomes more complicated when they are around, they limit the area and you always end up being too far away from the subject.
But this coverage was different, luck was on my side.
The killing occurred in the colony La Eterna Primavera (The Eternal Spring), a poor neighborhood, with no paved streets or sidewalks. Almost no people were around, only a few soldiers and medical examiners that reluctantly searched for evidence at the crime scene. The atmosphere was relaxed enough that I could get close enough to see the crimson stain on the grey wall and the face of the dead man, which looked horrible because it had been disfigured by a rock.
And that’s the moment when this very feminine detail of the high heels standing in the dirt became evident.”
Canon EOS 50D, lens 130mm, f6.3, 1/800, ISO 200
Caption: A forensic doctor stands next to a dead man at a crime scene in the Eterna Primavera (Eternal Spring) neighborhood in Temixco in Morelos state May 18, 2011. The man was stoned to death but it is not known why, according to local media. REUTERS/Margarito Perez Retana
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“It’s always a race against the clock. The phone rings, you listen to the report, you then grab your motorcycle and start searching as fast as possible for the neighborhood, the street, the place where the person was executed and his or her body abandoned. You have to rush and try to get there before the forensic services. It becomes more complicated when they are around, they limit the area and you always end up being too far away from the subject.
But this coverage was different, luck was on my side.
The killing occurred in the colony La Eterna Primavera (The Eternal Spring), a poor neighborhood, with no paved streets or sidewalks. Almost no people were around, only a few soldiers and medical examiners that reluctantly searched for evidence at the crime scene. The atmosphere was relaxed enough that I could get close enough to see the crimson stain on the grey wall and the face of the dead man, which looked horrible because it had been disfigured by a rock.
And that’s the moment when this very feminine detail of the high heels standing in the dirt became evident.”
Canon EOS 50D, lens 130mm, f6.3, 1/800, ISO 200
Caption: A forensic doctor stands next to a dead man at a crime scene in the Eterna Primavera (Eternal Spring) neighborhood in Temixco in Morelos state May 18, 2011. The man was stoned to death but it is not known why, according to local media. REUTERS/Margarito Perez Retana
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Image 32 of 100: BAZ RATNER, West Bank
“On May 15 clashes broke out throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem on the anniversary of Nakba (an Arabic word which means “catastrophe”), marking the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948. I was assigned to the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, where Palestinian youths were throwing stones at Israeli security forces. Police retaliated by firing rubber bullets and tear gas at the protesters. After several hours, police charged, scattering the Palestinians. Down a side alleyway, I saw riot police and a group of about ten masked men and a woman - all armed with pistols - detaining a few Palestinians. In the next few seconds I took pictures of a male Israeli undercover officer dressed as a Palestinian female holding a pistol. He jumped into a vehicle, leaving the detained protesters to the armored riot police.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IIII, lens 16mm, f5, 1/250, ISO 400
Caption: An undercover Israeli policeman dressed as a Palestinian woman opens a car door after detaining a Palestinian protester during clashes in Shuafat refugee camp, in the West Bank near Jerusalem May 15, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
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“On May 15 clashes broke out throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem on the anniversary of Nakba (an Arabic word which means “catastrophe”), marking the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948. I was assigned to the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, where Palestinian youths were throwing stones at Israeli security forces. Police retaliated by firing rubber bullets and tear gas at the protesters. After several hours, police charged, scattering the Palestinians. Down a side alleyway, I saw riot police and a group of about ten masked men and a woman - all armed with pistols - detaining a few Palestinians. In the next few seconds I took pictures of a male Israeli undercover officer dressed as a Palestinian female holding a pistol. He jumped into a vehicle, leaving the detained protesters to the armored riot police.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IIII, lens 16mm, f5, 1/250, ISO 400
Caption: An undercover Israeli policeman dressed as a Palestinian woman opens a car door after detaining a Palestinian protester during clashes in Shuafat refugee camp, in the West Bank near Jerusalem May 15, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
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Image 33 of 100: SHANNON STAPLETON, United States
"This was the first time I ever shot what they call the Running of the Brides which is held annually and has produced some nice feature photos in the past. When I arrived there were a few hundred brides-to-be waiting in line hoping to save hundreds if not thousands on designer wedding gowns. Once let in it truly was like the Running of the Bulls. I was almost trampled by brides and their friends racing to try on wedding gowns. It was a fun feature to cover and made for some nice images."
Canon Mark II 5D, lens 24 mm, f2.8, 1.125, ISO 1250
Caption: A shopper tries on bridal dresses during the Filene's Basement "Running of the Brides" bridal dress sale in New York June 3, 2011. The annual sale is known for its long queues and frantic shopping among brides-to-be hoping to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on designer wedding gowns. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
"This was the first time I ever shot what they call the Running of the Brides which is held annually and has produced some nice feature photos in the past. When I arrived there were a few hundred brides-to-be waiting in line hoping to save hundreds if not thousands on designer wedding gowns. Once let in it truly was like the Running of the Bulls. I was almost trampled by brides and their friends racing to try on wedding gowns. It was a fun feature to cover and made for some nice images."
Canon Mark II 5D, lens 24 mm, f2.8, 1.125, ISO 1250
Caption: A shopper tries on bridal dresses during the Filene's Basement "Running of the Brides" bridal dress sale in New York June 3, 2011. The annual sale is known for its long queues and frantic shopping among brides-to-be hoping to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on designer wedding gowns. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Image 34 of 100: DAMIR SAGOLJ, Japan
“When the scene happening in front of me is a strong scene, and this one was very strong and emotional, I don't feel like I need to add any of the usual aggressiveness to the image - no need for ambitious composition, for funky angles or for getting too close - the frame will work if the calmness and respect that is in the scene is transferred to the picture. I even took a few steps back to let the ambience and devastation speak for itself. It was all possible because I was the only photographer at the scene. And that was good - not only for "exclusiveness" of the picture but for the opportunity to work the way I think is appropriate. I'm afraid if more press were at the scene, we would all go too close (hello to Robert Capa and his famous quote) and the moment would be gone. The technical data for such a frame is not very important - it could have been shot with a mobile phone camera or on any settings - the most important things will still be there.”
Caption: Rescue workers pay their final respects to a dead body retrieved from the rubble in Rikuzentakat, Iwate Prefecture, days after the area was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami March 17, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
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“When the scene happening in front of me is a strong scene, and this one was very strong and emotional, I don't feel like I need to add any of the usual aggressiveness to the image - no need for ambitious composition, for funky angles or for getting too close - the frame will work if the calmness and respect that is in the scene is transferred to the picture. I even took a few steps back to let the ambience and devastation speak for itself. It was all possible because I was the only photographer at the scene. And that was good - not only for "exclusiveness" of the picture but for the opportunity to work the way I think is appropriate. I'm afraid if more press were at the scene, we would all go too close (hello to Robert Capa and his famous quote) and the moment would be gone. The technical data for such a frame is not very important - it could have been shot with a mobile phone camera or on any settings - the most important things will still be there.”
Caption: Rescue workers pay their final respects to a dead body retrieved from the rubble in Rikuzentakat, Iwate Prefecture, days after the area was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami March 17, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
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Image 35 of 100: SUSANA VERA, Spain
“Mirroring the popular uprisings in the northern African countries, this past spring young Spaniards resorted to social networking to voice their worries over their bleak futures and express their demands for real democracy. First, they marched together on May 15 in Spain’s main cities to protest against the government's handling of the economic crisis. That same night, and spontaneously, they started packing squares with tents across the country ahead of local and regional elections. Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square became the symbol of what the media called “15M” or the “indignant” movement. It was there where hundreds of people camped out for a month to voice their anger over a democratic system that has failed them.
The strength of the movement took politicians, the general public and the media by surprise. No one is too sure how much of an impact it will have in the long run, but everyone has learned it is a force to be reckoned with. As a photojournalist, but also as a Spaniard fed up with political corruption and social injustice, it was exciting to cover the story as it unfolded. In May I was witness to the birth of a small parallel society in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol where nothing was done without reaching a consensus. It was the closest I have been to a participatory democracy, where everyone is welcomed to take part in the decision making process.
The biggest challenge has been keeping a fresh eye day after day as well as dealing with demonstrators giving photographers a hard time for doing our job. No one complained at the beginning of our coverage. As a matter of fact, many were thankful we were helping them by spreading the word out of Spain. But after the first week the uncomfortable life on the square got the best of them and tension within the group made them grow wary of us, even hostile at times.
Overall, it was an incredibly interesting experience, not only photographically, but on a human level. It felt like documenting Spanish history, my history, in the making.“
Canon EOS 5 D Mark II, lens 35mm, f2, 1/80, ISO 800
Caption: Demonstrators kiss as they camp out at Madrid's Puerta del Sol, four days after Spanish regional and local elections, early May 26, 2011. REUTERS/Susana Vera
“Mirroring the popular uprisings in the northern African countries, this past spring young Spaniards resorted to social networking to voice their worries over their bleak futures and express their demands for real democracy. First, they marched together on May 15 in Spain’s main cities to protest against the government's handling of the economic crisis. That same night, and spontaneously, they started packing squares with tents across the country ahead of local and regional elections. Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square became the symbol of what the media called “15M” or the “indignant” movement. It was there where hundreds of people camped out for a month to voice their anger over a democratic system that has failed them.
The strength of the movement took politicians, the general public and the media by surprise. No one is too sure how much of an impact it will have in the long run, but everyone has learned it is a force to be reckoned with. As a photojournalist, but also as a Spaniard fed up with political corruption and social injustice, it was exciting to cover the story as it unfolded. In May I was witness to the birth of a small parallel society in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol where nothing was done without reaching a consensus. It was the closest I have been to a participatory democracy, where everyone is welcomed to take part in the decision making process.
The biggest challenge has been keeping a fresh eye day after day as well as dealing with demonstrators giving photographers a hard time for doing our job. No one complained at the beginning of our coverage. As a matter of fact, many were thankful we were helping them by spreading the word out of Spain. But after the first week the uncomfortable life on the square got the best of them and tension within the group made them grow wary of us, even hostile at times.
Overall, it was an incredibly interesting experience, not only photographically, but on a human level. It felt like documenting Spanish history, my history, in the making.“
Canon EOS 5 D Mark II, lens 35mm, f2, 1/80, ISO 800
Caption: Demonstrators kiss as they camp out at Madrid's Puerta del Sol, four days after Spanish regional and local elections, early May 26, 2011. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Image 36 of 100: JASON LEE, China
“It was the day before the 90th anniversary of the founding of Communist Party of China (CPC), I was shooting celebration events in China’s “Red Capital” Chongqing. Led by party secretary Bo Xilai, a famous princeling-politician with a revolutionary background, the city of Chongqing orchestrated a campaign of rousing revolutionary songs, or “red songs”, and mass red culture that has spread nationwide. The picture was taken at the end of a performance and a primary school girl, who was one of the performers dressed like a member of Chinese Red Army, was walking out of the venue. You can see exactly how Chongqing was pulling out every social resource to support their giant red song carnival.”
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm at 16mm, f2.8 , 1/400 sec, ISO320
Caption: A schoolgirl participant, dressed as a Chinese Red Army soldier, walks through a red curtain during a revolutionary song singing competition to celebrate the upcoming 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in Chongqing municipality June 30, 2011. REUTERS/Jason Lee
“It was the day before the 90th anniversary of the founding of Communist Party of China (CPC), I was shooting celebration events in China’s “Red Capital” Chongqing. Led by party secretary Bo Xilai, a famous princeling-politician with a revolutionary background, the city of Chongqing orchestrated a campaign of rousing revolutionary songs, or “red songs”, and mass red culture that has spread nationwide. The picture was taken at the end of a performance and a primary school girl, who was one of the performers dressed like a member of Chinese Red Army, was walking out of the venue. You can see exactly how Chongqing was pulling out every social resource to support their giant red song carnival.”
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm at 16mm, f2.8 , 1/400 sec, ISO320
Caption: A schoolgirl participant, dressed as a Chinese Red Army soldier, walks through a red curtain during a revolutionary song singing competition to celebrate the upcoming 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in Chongqing municipality June 30, 2011. REUTERS/Jason Lee
Image 37 of 100: DANIEL MUNOZ, Australia
“Breaking news said that a man had locked himself with his daughter and with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to himself. From 10:00 am and all day long I took pictures of the man through a window and a few other frames to describe the situation. By 6:00 pm most of the media had left as the chance to get a decent frame was one in a million. It was dark, we were more than 150 yards away, the blackout curtains were closed and we were certain that if something happened the pictures would be blocked by some police or fire truck as Australia has strong protective laws for victims and alleged criminals. I agreed with every single reason of each of my colleagues who left the scene but I decided to stay. Sadly, ‘bomb’ and ‘hostage’ are words that I am quite familiar with. Suddenly, the blackout curtains went up. Some police entered the building with tools that made clear they would break into the room, and they did. Finally, with nobody injured, an 11 hour wait had paid off.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 500mm, F 4.0, 1/125, ISO 6400
Caption: Police officers rescue a girl who was held hostage by a man in Parramatta, an outer Sydney suburb September 6, 2011. A man claiming to be carrying a bomb occupied a legal office in Sydney, holding his daughter captive in a security scare believed to be linked to a custody dispute, Australian media said. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz
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“Breaking news said that a man had locked himself with his daughter and with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to himself. From 10:00 am and all day long I took pictures of the man through a window and a few other frames to describe the situation. By 6:00 pm most of the media had left as the chance to get a decent frame was one in a million. It was dark, we were more than 150 yards away, the blackout curtains were closed and we were certain that if something happened the pictures would be blocked by some police or fire truck as Australia has strong protective laws for victims and alleged criminals. I agreed with every single reason of each of my colleagues who left the scene but I decided to stay. Sadly, ‘bomb’ and ‘hostage’ are words that I am quite familiar with. Suddenly, the blackout curtains went up. Some police entered the building with tools that made clear they would break into the room, and they did. Finally, with nobody injured, an 11 hour wait had paid off.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 500mm, F 4.0, 1/125, ISO 6400
Caption: Police officers rescue a girl who was held hostage by a man in Parramatta, an outer Sydney suburb September 6, 2011. A man claiming to be carrying a bomb occupied a legal office in Sydney, holding his daughter captive in a security scare believed to be linked to a custody dispute, Australian media said. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz
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Image 38 of 100: DAMIR SAGOLJ, Thailand
“This is a classic example of how still images can work better than video. The boy was installing a water pump at this primitive gold mine and he had to dive into muddy water to do it. He held onto a stick in the pond to offer a chance at a perfect composition. Just like in many other cases, the light of the late afternoon played a big part and I chose again a wide open 24 mm lens (maximum shutter speed on minimum ISO) to have the focus only on his hand and the stick making the borders a bit blurred. A second later he came out and the moment of mystery of "what is going on in the scene" was gone.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm
Caption: A man holds a stick as he installs a pump to extract mud at a primitive gold mine in Panompa near Phichin February 17, 2011. A group of Thais use primitive tools and methods to extract gold from self-run mines near the country's biggest and most modern Chatree gold mine. A family working at the mine can get around one gram of gold per day which they sell at the site for about 1000 Thai bahts ($32). REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
“This is a classic example of how still images can work better than video. The boy was installing a water pump at this primitive gold mine and he had to dive into muddy water to do it. He held onto a stick in the pond to offer a chance at a perfect composition. Just like in many other cases, the light of the late afternoon played a big part and I chose again a wide open 24 mm lens (maximum shutter speed on minimum ISO) to have the focus only on his hand and the stick making the borders a bit blurred. A second later he came out and the moment of mystery of "what is going on in the scene" was gone.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm
Caption: A man holds a stick as he installs a pump to extract mud at a primitive gold mine in Panompa near Phichin February 17, 2011. A group of Thais use primitive tools and methods to extract gold from self-run mines near the country's biggest and most modern Chatree gold mine. A family working at the mine can get around one gram of gold per day which they sell at the site for about 1000 Thai bahts ($32). REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Image 39 of 100: YANNIS BEHRAKIS, Tunisia
“Since early that morning I was covering the refugee influx at the Libyan-Tunisian border. The Tunisian authorities along with aid agencies were trying to cope with the increasing numbers of refugees fleeing the war in Libya. Somebody had tipped me off about a large number of Bangladeshi refugees walking the 6 miles from the border to the refugee camp. I raced to the car and drove towards the border crossing of Ras Jdir. Half way along the desert road I noticed an endless line of Bangladeshi refugees carrying their belongings making their way towards the camp, I shot plenty of pictures of them with both wide angle and long lenses, they seemed very tired but relieved to be alive and safe. Not too long after a dozen of photographers crowded the site. Aid agencies had set up a few supply points along the road giving water and bread to the exhausted refugees, I stayed with them for some time and at some point I noticed a loaf of bread left on the side of the road; the picture idea was obvious to me. Two other news photographers were lurking near me, so I did not shoot the picture until they moved away thinking that they would shoot the same frame. I shot several frames with a wide angle lens.”
Canon 5D MK2, lens 20mm, f8, 1/2000, ISO 200
Caption: Thousands of Bangladeshi evacuees carry their belongings as they walk away from the border area where they have been stranded for more than four days after crossing into Tunisia and fleeing the violence in Libya, at the border crossing of Ras Jdir March 4, 2011. The Bangladeshis walked for 10 km (6 miles) to reach a refugee camp set by UNHCR. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis
“Since early that morning I was covering the refugee influx at the Libyan-Tunisian border. The Tunisian authorities along with aid agencies were trying to cope with the increasing numbers of refugees fleeing the war in Libya. Somebody had tipped me off about a large number of Bangladeshi refugees walking the 6 miles from the border to the refugee camp. I raced to the car and drove towards the border crossing of Ras Jdir. Half way along the desert road I noticed an endless line of Bangladeshi refugees carrying their belongings making their way towards the camp, I shot plenty of pictures of them with both wide angle and long lenses, they seemed very tired but relieved to be alive and safe. Not too long after a dozen of photographers crowded the site. Aid agencies had set up a few supply points along the road giving water and bread to the exhausted refugees, I stayed with them for some time and at some point I noticed a loaf of bread left on the side of the road; the picture idea was obvious to me. Two other news photographers were lurking near me, so I did not shoot the picture until they moved away thinking that they would shoot the same frame. I shot several frames with a wide angle lens.”
Canon 5D MK2, lens 20mm, f8, 1/2000, ISO 200
Caption: Thousands of Bangladeshi evacuees carry their belongings as they walk away from the border area where they have been stranded for more than four days after crossing into Tunisia and fleeing the violence in Libya, at the border crossing of Ras Jdir March 4, 2011. The Bangladeshis walked for 10 km (6 miles) to reach a refugee camp set by UNHCR. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis
Image 40 of 100: DAMIR SAGOLJ, North Korea
“The farmer boy in North Korea is a classic golden hour photo - not only for the colors and light, but also for how relaxed and real the frame is. People are more relaxed (and tired) by the end of the day so all their reaction towards the photographer, all the acting and posing, are gone. This very frame was shot on a rare trip to North Korea's province controlled by officials. As we were driving back from a visit to a hospital in the area, I saw through the window of a bus a group of farmers working in the field. I asked the hosts if we could stop so I could take pictures of farmers working the land - they said yes, please take as many pictures as you want (everyone is relaxed at the end of the day). I went out and saw this child with a "perfect look" and decided to follow him for a few minutes. I would not have made a mistake if I followed any of the farmers but I guess the boy's "empty" look, almost no reaction to me photographing and his outfit made a difference. I shot with the lens wide open to blur the background and have the focus on the boy's face.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f2, 1/2500, ISO 100
Caption: A North Korean boy works in a field of a collective farm in the area damaged by summer floods and typhoons in South Hwanghae province September 30, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
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“The farmer boy in North Korea is a classic golden hour photo - not only for the colors and light, but also for how relaxed and real the frame is. People are more relaxed (and tired) by the end of the day so all their reaction towards the photographer, all the acting and posing, are gone. This very frame was shot on a rare trip to North Korea's province controlled by officials. As we were driving back from a visit to a hospital in the area, I saw through the window of a bus a group of farmers working in the field. I asked the hosts if we could stop so I could take pictures of farmers working the land - they said yes, please take as many pictures as you want (everyone is relaxed at the end of the day). I went out and saw this child with a "perfect look" and decided to follow him for a few minutes. I would not have made a mistake if I followed any of the farmers but I guess the boy's "empty" look, almost no reaction to me photographing and his outfit made a difference. I shot with the lens wide open to blur the background and have the focus on the boy's face.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f2, 1/2500, ISO 100
Caption: A North Korean boy works in a field of a collective farm in the area damaged by summer floods and typhoons in South Hwanghae province September 30, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
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Image 41 of 100: ATHAR HUSSAIN, Pakistan
“I had become severely ill in the days target killings in Karachi hit their peak. Covering breaking news is my passion. I figured the best way to get over my illness was to rejoin news coverage on August 23. The same day a source called to inform me that a dead body, found in a sack, was being shifted to a hospital. I rushed to the hospital where I found that the victim was Imran Ali. He was not dead, but in fact only injured.
Ali ,who was shot by gunmen three times during a months long wave of political and ethnic violence in Karachi, was lying on a stretcher while medics tended to his wounds. I was preparing to shoot some frames when I saw a family, including Ali’s eight-year-old niece, approach his stretcher.
I disengaged with everything and kept my focus on the girl, Sumayya, as she stood next to her uncle’s bed. As Ali opened his eyes to look towards his family, Sumayya’s mouth dropped. It was the moment I was waiting for.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 50mm, f1.8, 1/640, ISO 2500
Caption: Eight-year-old Sumayya, whose uncle, Imran Ali, was injured in a shootout by unidentified gunmen, looks at him as he is brought to a hospital for treatment in Karachi August 23, 2011. REUTERS/Athar Hussain
“I had become severely ill in the days target killings in Karachi hit their peak. Covering breaking news is my passion. I figured the best way to get over my illness was to rejoin news coverage on August 23. The same day a source called to inform me that a dead body, found in a sack, was being shifted to a hospital. I rushed to the hospital where I found that the victim was Imran Ali. He was not dead, but in fact only injured.
Ali ,who was shot by gunmen three times during a months long wave of political and ethnic violence in Karachi, was lying on a stretcher while medics tended to his wounds. I was preparing to shoot some frames when I saw a family, including Ali’s eight-year-old niece, approach his stretcher.
I disengaged with everything and kept my focus on the girl, Sumayya, as she stood next to her uncle’s bed. As Ali opened his eyes to look towards his family, Sumayya’s mouth dropped. It was the moment I was waiting for.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 50mm, f1.8, 1/640, ISO 2500
Caption: Eight-year-old Sumayya, whose uncle, Imran Ali, was injured in a shootout by unidentified gunmen, looks at him as he is brought to a hospital for treatment in Karachi August 23, 2011. REUTERS/Athar Hussain
Image 42 of 100: BRIAN SNYDER, United States
“At its most basic, and least cynical, political campaigns are about politicians trying to connect with voters, and voters connecting with a particular candidate. As a photographer covering a political event, I want to try to show that in my photographs, which means getting beyond a photograph of a politician speaking at a podium. Oftentimes it takes the form of politicians shaking hands with voters. But in this case, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was clearly determined to keep her distance from the crowd. She shook no hands as she made her way onstage, and as it turned out, none at the end of her speech. After making some photographs of Palin speaking, I positioned myself at the edge of the stage near the girl reflected in her iPad, thinking if Palin was going to shake some hands or sign some autographs, she would come over to the girl. The girl was taking photographs and videos of Palin with her iPad during the speech, so the reflection was right there for me to see as I stood there. The rest was figuring out how much depth of field I wanted in the image and lining up the girl’s reflection in the iPad’s screen.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 16-35mm lens at 35mm, f5, 1/400, ISO 1250
Caption: A supporter is reflected in her iPad as she makes a video of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin speaking at a Tea Party Express rally in Manchester, New Hampshire September 5, 2011. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
“At its most basic, and least cynical, political campaigns are about politicians trying to connect with voters, and voters connecting with a particular candidate. As a photographer covering a political event, I want to try to show that in my photographs, which means getting beyond a photograph of a politician speaking at a podium. Oftentimes it takes the form of politicians shaking hands with voters. But in this case, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was clearly determined to keep her distance from the crowd. She shook no hands as she made her way onstage, and as it turned out, none at the end of her speech. After making some photographs of Palin speaking, I positioned myself at the edge of the stage near the girl reflected in her iPad, thinking if Palin was going to shake some hands or sign some autographs, she would come over to the girl. The girl was taking photographs and videos of Palin with her iPad during the speech, so the reflection was right there for me to see as I stood there. The rest was figuring out how much depth of field I wanted in the image and lining up the girl’s reflection in the iPad’s screen.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 16-35mm lens at 35mm, f5, 1/400, ISO 1250
Caption: A supporter is reflected in her iPad as she makes a video of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin speaking at a Tea Party Express rally in Manchester, New Hampshire September 5, 2011. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Image 43 of 100: JON NAZCA, Spain
"Antonio Banderas is a prophet in his homeland.
He was elected to deliver the traditional speech known as the "Pregon" to declare the year's Malaga Holy Week open at Cervantes Theatre in Malaga. He arrived at the theatre very happy accompanied by his wife Melanie Griffith and their daughter Estela del Carmen.
I like taking pictures of him, because he knows what the photographers want of him. He is a lover of his city and a latin lover in the world. He loves the Holy Week and takes part as a penitent in the "Esperanza", "Lagrimas y Favores" and "Fusionadas" brotherhoods. During this week it is very difficult to take pictures of him, but during the "Pregon" all is easier.
While Banderas was delivering his speech, I decided to send the first photos for the wire, but my 3G modem had no signal inside the theatre, so I had to go outside to send them. Many people were watching Banderas' speech on a live screen TV outside the theatre very excited, like these two lovers... of Banderas."
CANON EOS 5D MARK II, lens 50mm, f/1.2, 1/100, ISO 640
Caption: People watch on a screen as Spanish actor and director Antonio Banderas delivers a traditional speech known as the "pregon" to open the year's Malaga Holy Week in Malaga, southern Spain April 9, 2011. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
"Antonio Banderas is a prophet in his homeland.
He was elected to deliver the traditional speech known as the "Pregon" to declare the year's Malaga Holy Week open at Cervantes Theatre in Malaga. He arrived at the theatre very happy accompanied by his wife Melanie Griffith and their daughter Estela del Carmen.
I like taking pictures of him, because he knows what the photographers want of him. He is a lover of his city and a latin lover in the world. He loves the Holy Week and takes part as a penitent in the "Esperanza", "Lagrimas y Favores" and "Fusionadas" brotherhoods. During this week it is very difficult to take pictures of him, but during the "Pregon" all is easier.
While Banderas was delivering his speech, I decided to send the first photos for the wire, but my 3G modem had no signal inside the theatre, so I had to go outside to send them. Many people were watching Banderas' speech on a live screen TV outside the theatre very excited, like these two lovers... of Banderas."
CANON EOS 5D MARK II, lens 50mm, f/1.2, 1/100, ISO 640
Caption: People watch on a screen as Spanish actor and director Antonio Banderas delivers a traditional speech known as the "pregon" to open the year's Malaga Holy Week in Malaga, southern Spain April 9, 2011. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Image 44 of 100: NAVESH CHITRAKAR, Nepal
”It was very early in the morning that I was on my way to shoot some daily life pictures as there were no big events happening in Kathmandu during that day. I was planning to visit the ancient city of Patan to shoot some pictures. On my way to Patan, my eyes fell on these two small children sitting on top of their luggage waiting to be fetched in Lalitpur, likely to leave the city. I was on my motor bike looking at them from the other side while I was driving. I immediately turned my bike and knew that this would make a good picture so I parked my bike and went close. I took out my camera and took a couple of shots of the boys. Their parents were close by watching me while I took the pictures. For the glowing effect on the boy’s face I waited for a vehicle to pass by, that created the mood in the picture. After taking a couple of pictures I thanked the boys and their parents and headed back for Patan. I was fortunate that I was at the right time, right place and right moment to get an opportunity to shoot the pictures of these boys.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 16mm, f2.8, 1/3, ISO 500
Children sit on top of their luggage waiting to be fetched during an early morning in Lalitpur August 12, 2011. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
”It was very early in the morning that I was on my way to shoot some daily life pictures as there were no big events happening in Kathmandu during that day. I was planning to visit the ancient city of Patan to shoot some pictures. On my way to Patan, my eyes fell on these two small children sitting on top of their luggage waiting to be fetched in Lalitpur, likely to leave the city. I was on my motor bike looking at them from the other side while I was driving. I immediately turned my bike and knew that this would make a good picture so I parked my bike and went close. I took out my camera and took a couple of shots of the boys. Their parents were close by watching me while I took the pictures. For the glowing effect on the boy’s face I waited for a vehicle to pass by, that created the mood in the picture. After taking a couple of pictures I thanked the boys and their parents and headed back for Patan. I was fortunate that I was at the right time, right place and right moment to get an opportunity to shoot the pictures of these boys.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 16mm, f2.8, 1/3, ISO 500
Children sit on top of their luggage waiting to be fetched during an early morning in Lalitpur August 12, 2011. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
Image 45 of 100: DYLAN MARTINEZ, Egypt
“You know how some days will stay with your forever? Well on February 11, 2011 I could tell you what I had for breakfast and what socks I was wearing (and not just because I am a creature of habit). What a day and what a night that was. I had been in Egypt for a couple of wonderful, stressful, beautiful and crazy weeks and was out shooting when our editor Steve Crisp called saying there were more rumors that President Hosni Mubarak was actually about to quit and I should hurry to Tahrir Square. Lucky, lucky, lucky me, I was only a couple of minutes away. What was not so lucky was when I arrived in Cairo custom officials had confiscated most of my kit – leaving me with a small camera and a 50mm lens. Steve had graciously lent me a couple of bodies and lenses but between us we had no flash gun.
Anyway as most of the world was waiting for Mubarak to step down I watched nervously as the light disappeared faster than a neutrino in a Swiss lab. So when the news finally broke that Mubarak had gone I had to find light – there was none. A temporary power cut made the street lights (my savior on many a previous night) redundant. I watched as all these jubilant protestors jumped and hugged and kissed and prayed and there was nothing I could do except weep as I shot too many unusable muzzy images. I was living my recurring nightmare. Thankfully, soon the power came back and patches of light appeared. I saw this guy holding a computer aloft like it was the World Cup and chanting “internet, internet…” I took a lot of frames that night but this one seems to tell the story of what had become known as the “facebook revolution”.”
Nikon D700, lens 50mm, f1.4, 1/100, ISO 2500
Caption: An opposition supporter holds up a laptop showing images of celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, after Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak resigned February 11, 2011. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
“You know how some days will stay with your forever? Well on February 11, 2011 I could tell you what I had for breakfast and what socks I was wearing (and not just because I am a creature of habit). What a day and what a night that was. I had been in Egypt for a couple of wonderful, stressful, beautiful and crazy weeks and was out shooting when our editor Steve Crisp called saying there were more rumors that President Hosni Mubarak was actually about to quit and I should hurry to Tahrir Square. Lucky, lucky, lucky me, I was only a couple of minutes away. What was not so lucky was when I arrived in Cairo custom officials had confiscated most of my kit – leaving me with a small camera and a 50mm lens. Steve had graciously lent me a couple of bodies and lenses but between us we had no flash gun.
Anyway as most of the world was waiting for Mubarak to step down I watched nervously as the light disappeared faster than a neutrino in a Swiss lab. So when the news finally broke that Mubarak had gone I had to find light – there was none. A temporary power cut made the street lights (my savior on many a previous night) redundant. I watched as all these jubilant protestors jumped and hugged and kissed and prayed and there was nothing I could do except weep as I shot too many unusable muzzy images. I was living my recurring nightmare. Thankfully, soon the power came back and patches of light appeared. I saw this guy holding a computer aloft like it was the World Cup and chanting “internet, internet…” I took a lot of frames that night but this one seems to tell the story of what had become known as the “facebook revolution”.”
Nikon D700, lens 50mm, f1.4, 1/100, ISO 2500
Caption: An opposition supporter holds up a laptop showing images of celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, after Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak resigned February 11, 2011. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Image 46 of 100: IRAKLI GEDENIDZE, Georgia
“On May 26, the opposition refused to stop the rally in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi in spite of the offer from the authorities, after which riot police appeared on Rustaveli Avenue. It was raining heavily so for me there was no sense to use flash. When the rally was dispersed and the smoke from tear gas disappeared I saw a person in handcuffs, there was blood on his face asking for help. I immediately shot his face which was begging for help without words. Then I asked a nearby police officer for a doctor’s help. The detained man was later taken to hospital.”
Nikon D3, lens 24-70mm, f2.8, 1/100, ISO 12800
Caption: Police detain protesters during clashes in Tbilisi May 26, 2011. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze
“On May 26, the opposition refused to stop the rally in front of the Parliament building in Tbilisi in spite of the offer from the authorities, after which riot police appeared on Rustaveli Avenue. It was raining heavily so for me there was no sense to use flash. When the rally was dispersed and the smoke from tear gas disappeared I saw a person in handcuffs, there was blood on his face asking for help. I immediately shot his face which was begging for help without words. Then I asked a nearby police officer for a doctor’s help. The detained man was later taken to hospital.”
Nikon D3, lens 24-70mm, f2.8, 1/100, ISO 12800
Caption: Police detain protesters during clashes in Tbilisi May 26, 2011. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze
Image 47 of 100: DIANA MARKOSIAN, Russia "I was in Chechnya when the airport bomber's name, Magomed Yevloyev, was announced. His family lived in the nearby republic of Ingushetia. I had no contacts or real understanding of where his family lived. A colleague at Reuters warned me that another journalist and a photographer had been arrested for trying to get into Yevloyev’s home for an interview. I decided to wait a day before driving there. I left from Grozny very early in the morning and parked my car far from her home. It is incredibly difficult to operate in the North Caucasus, there's an insurgency taking place in the region. This situation was especially intense because the family's home was closely monitored by federal security forces.
I was lucky to make it into her home and was the first to interview and photograph the suicide bomber's mother. She sat on her dead son's bed during the conversation. I took her portrait right away and hid the camera's memory card in my shoe, just in case I was stopped. It took me about an hour to get back to the city where I transmitted the images back to the bureau in Moscow."
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 35 mm, f.2, 1/200, ISO 400
Caption: Roza Yevloyeva, mother of 20-year-old suicide bomber Magomed Yevloyev, sits on her son's bed during an interview at her house in the town of Ali-Yurt, southeast of Ingushetia's biggest city Nazran, February 16, 2011. Speaking softly through tears in her family's tiny home in the North Caucasus, Yevloyeva apologized for her son's suicide bomb attack on Russia's busiest airport. Yevloyev detonated explosives strapped to his body at Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Jan. 24, killing 36 people. REUTERS/Diana Markosian
I was lucky to make it into her home and was the first to interview and photograph the suicide bomber's mother. She sat on her dead son's bed during the conversation. I took her portrait right away and hid the camera's memory card in my shoe, just in case I was stopped. It took me about an hour to get back to the city where I transmitted the images back to the bureau in Moscow."
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 35 mm, f.2, 1/200, ISO 400
Caption: Roza Yevloyeva, mother of 20-year-old suicide bomber Magomed Yevloyev, sits on her son's bed during an interview at her house in the town of Ali-Yurt, southeast of Ingushetia's biggest city Nazran, February 16, 2011. Speaking softly through tears in her family's tiny home in the North Caucasus, Yevloyeva apologized for her son's suicide bomb attack on Russia's busiest airport. Yevloyev detonated explosives strapped to his body at Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Jan. 24, killing 36 people. REUTERS/Diana Markosian
Image 48 of 100: JO YONG-HAK, Japan
“After spending days in the terrible earthquake and tsunami hit area, I was dispatched to Tokyo to cover stock markets and other reactions. I felt it was time to prepare to return to my home base, Seoul. Then I got an assignment to watch evacuations in Saitama, near Tokyo. It was nine days after the disaster. The previous day about 2,300 people mainly from Futaba area, a city near the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, arrived in the evacuees’ new shelter Saitama Super Arena to evacuate after radiation leakage warnings. When I arrived at the sports complex, I saw many people carrying relief goods and waiting in lines to donate it. I took pictures of the scene. Then I entered the building to see the evacuees’ lives. The large-scale arena was already crowded with lots of evacuees. In every hallway there were tired people who had to leave their hometown. The Saitama arena was located about 250 km (155 miles) away from Futaba.
This elderly man and woman who seemed to be a married couple rested in a hallway of the arena. They built their new house in a space cordoned off with cardboard in a hallway. Maybe six or seven cardboard boxes were used to make their own space. There was a small gate too. They surely brought almost nothing when they left suddenly from their home. The couple had only about-three-square-meters of space and some relief supplies like blankets, bread, cup noodles and water bottles. The cardboard house would be their home for a while until they could go back home. As it turned out, most media, maybe all journalists except me, couldn’t cover the evacuees in the arena. Because I couldn’t read Japanese, I just passed the warning sign, ‘No media access (in Japanese)’, it read at the entrance to the arena.”
Canon EOS Mark IV, lens 16-35mm (at 16mm), f4.5, 1/85, ISO 1250
Caption: People who evacuated from Futaba, a city near the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, rest in a space cordoned off with cardboard in a hallway at the evacuees' new shelter Saitama Super Arena, near Tokyo March 20, 2011, nine days after an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak
“After spending days in the terrible earthquake and tsunami hit area, I was dispatched to Tokyo to cover stock markets and other reactions. I felt it was time to prepare to return to my home base, Seoul. Then I got an assignment to watch evacuations in Saitama, near Tokyo. It was nine days after the disaster. The previous day about 2,300 people mainly from Futaba area, a city near the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, arrived in the evacuees’ new shelter Saitama Super Arena to evacuate after radiation leakage warnings. When I arrived at the sports complex, I saw many people carrying relief goods and waiting in lines to donate it. I took pictures of the scene. Then I entered the building to see the evacuees’ lives. The large-scale arena was already crowded with lots of evacuees. In every hallway there were tired people who had to leave their hometown. The Saitama arena was located about 250 km (155 miles) away from Futaba.
This elderly man and woman who seemed to be a married couple rested in a hallway of the arena. They built their new house in a space cordoned off with cardboard in a hallway. Maybe six or seven cardboard boxes were used to make their own space. There was a small gate too. They surely brought almost nothing when they left suddenly from their home. The couple had only about-three-square-meters of space and some relief supplies like blankets, bread, cup noodles and water bottles. The cardboard house would be their home for a while until they could go back home. As it turned out, most media, maybe all journalists except me, couldn’t cover the evacuees in the arena. Because I couldn’t read Japanese, I just passed the warning sign, ‘No media access (in Japanese)’, it read at the entrance to the arena.”
Canon EOS Mark IV, lens 16-35mm (at 16mm), f4.5, 1/85, ISO 1250
Caption: People who evacuated from Futaba, a city near the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, rest in a space cordoned off with cardboard in a hallway at the evacuees' new shelter Saitama Super Arena, near Tokyo March 20, 2011, nine days after an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak
Image 49 of 100: LUCAS JACKSON, United States
“This image was part of a collection that we photographed in collaboration with the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York before the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Fellow staff photographer Mike Segar had built a really great working relationship with the people from the Museum and we had been going in periodically to photograph both the construction of the new towers and the museum as it planned out their exhibits and acquired artifacts related to the disaster. We photographed around 20 different artifacts that had been donated to the museum that had a direct connection to September 11th as a special package we coordinated with text, video, and stills. Most of the items that we photographed that day were donated by the people who had either worn the items or had some connection to them, including these shoes. Seeing the hardened blood on the side of these was a rather poignant detail and I decided that for this image I wanted to isolate that piece of the story. Most of the other items were photographed with a soft box and at a very high aperture in order to preserve as much detail as possible but I really felt that the isolation helped this image.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 85mm, f1.4, 1/100, ISO 100
“Blood-stained shoes worn by Linda Lopez as she evacuated from the 97th Floor of Tower 2 on September 11, 2001 are seen in this photograph before becoming a part of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York August 22, 2011. Linda Lopez was at work at the Fiduciary Trust Company on the South Tower's 97th floor when the first plane crashed into North Tower, sending a fireball past their window and radiating a heat that she said felt like being sunburned. There was quickly a sense of confusion: Was it a bomb? Were the rumors that it was a plane crash true? Should people in the South Tower ignore the advice coming over the public address system to stay put and evacuate instead? Lopez felt she had to get out. She had reached only as far as the 61st when she was thrown against a wall as the second plane crashed into the floors above her. Taking off her shoes, she continued to head down the stairs, passing firefighters heading in the opposite direction. She ran barefoot out of the building, across broken glass and other debris. "Lady, your feet are bleeding," someone said to her as she paused a few blocks away in relative safety. She put her shoes back on, and began learning the details of what it was she had just escaped from. The museum, which occupies seven stories below the ground of the World Trade Center site--is still being built at the site of the fallen towers. It is due only to open in 2012, on the 11th anniversary of the attacks. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
“This image was part of a collection that we photographed in collaboration with the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York before the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Fellow staff photographer Mike Segar had built a really great working relationship with the people from the Museum and we had been going in periodically to photograph both the construction of the new towers and the museum as it planned out their exhibits and acquired artifacts related to the disaster. We photographed around 20 different artifacts that had been donated to the museum that had a direct connection to September 11th as a special package we coordinated with text, video, and stills. Most of the items that we photographed that day were donated by the people who had either worn the items or had some connection to them, including these shoes. Seeing the hardened blood on the side of these was a rather poignant detail and I decided that for this image I wanted to isolate that piece of the story. Most of the other items were photographed with a soft box and at a very high aperture in order to preserve as much detail as possible but I really felt that the isolation helped this image.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 85mm, f1.4, 1/100, ISO 100
“Blood-stained shoes worn by Linda Lopez as she evacuated from the 97th Floor of Tower 2 on September 11, 2001 are seen in this photograph before becoming a part of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York August 22, 2011. Linda Lopez was at work at the Fiduciary Trust Company on the South Tower's 97th floor when the first plane crashed into North Tower, sending a fireball past their window and radiating a heat that she said felt like being sunburned. There was quickly a sense of confusion: Was it a bomb? Were the rumors that it was a plane crash true? Should people in the South Tower ignore the advice coming over the public address system to stay put and evacuate instead? Lopez felt she had to get out. She had reached only as far as the 61st when she was thrown against a wall as the second plane crashed into the floors above her. Taking off her shoes, she continued to head down the stairs, passing firefighters heading in the opposite direction. She ran barefoot out of the building, across broken glass and other debris. "Lady, your feet are bleeding," someone said to her as she paused a few blocks away in relative safety. She put her shoes back on, and began learning the details of what it was she had just escaped from. The museum, which occupies seven stories below the ground of the World Trade Center site--is still being built at the site of the fallen towers. It is due only to open in 2012, on the 11th anniversary of the attacks. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Image 50 of 100: JAKOB DALL for the DANISH RED CROSS, Kenya
“It was a very hot and dry day in Hadado village in the Wajir district in Kenya. I was in Hadado village, to cover the drought situation in the area for the Danish Red Cross. There was not many picture stories, at that stage about the drought situation, but the NGO tried to get the public’s attention to the situation that worsened every day.
When I came into Hadado it was like a nightmare for the people living there. There was very little water and small fights over the resources broke out around the borehole. The village population was normally 400 families but now people had to flee to get some of the water and food from the WFP, so the population was more then 1200 families and people was still coming from far away.
The two elderly women in this picture were new arrivals and weren’t registered to get food, so they were dependent on other families to give them just a little food to survive. The woman in red stood up in front of me, so I could take her picture and show their hopeless situation out here in what has become a desert.”
Nikon D3X, lens 35 mm, f4, 1/1600, ISO 100
Caption: Women stand in the desert in Wajir in this recently taken photo released on July 21, 2011. REUTERS/Jakob Dall for the Danish Red Cross/Handout
“It was a very hot and dry day in Hadado village in the Wajir district in Kenya. I was in Hadado village, to cover the drought situation in the area for the Danish Red Cross. There was not many picture stories, at that stage about the drought situation, but the NGO tried to get the public’s attention to the situation that worsened every day.
When I came into Hadado it was like a nightmare for the people living there. There was very little water and small fights over the resources broke out around the borehole. The village population was normally 400 families but now people had to flee to get some of the water and food from the WFP, so the population was more then 1200 families and people was still coming from far away.
The two elderly women in this picture were new arrivals and weren’t registered to get food, so they were dependent on other families to give them just a little food to survive. The woman in red stood up in front of me, so I could take her picture and show their hopeless situation out here in what has become a desert.”
Nikon D3X, lens 35 mm, f4, 1/1600, ISO 100
Caption: Women stand in the desert in Wajir in this recently taken photo released on July 21, 2011. REUTERS/Jakob Dall for the Danish Red Cross/Handout
Image 51 of 100: DAMIR SAGOLJ, Thailand
“I waited several weeks for this frame. The floods had been the story in Thailand for some time but we all knew that the big frame would come when the water came into the capital. This picture has an urban look, a calmness of the end of the day and of a religious man caught in the big story. It was shot with very little light available and one would expect pictures to be shaken and blurred. But, no - despite the object moving and the lens wide open - frame by frame was in focus. I guess some of the monk’s calmness helped.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f2, 1/125, ISO 800
Caption: A Buddhist monk walks in a flooded street in central Bangkok October 24, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
“I waited several weeks for this frame. The floods had been the story in Thailand for some time but we all knew that the big frame would come when the water came into the capital. This picture has an urban look, a calmness of the end of the day and of a religious man caught in the big story. It was shot with very little light available and one would expect pictures to be shaken and blurred. But, no - despite the object moving and the lens wide open - frame by frame was in focus. I guess some of the monk’s calmness helped.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f2, 1/125, ISO 800
Caption: A Buddhist monk walks in a flooded street in central Bangkok October 24, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Image 52 of 100: AFOLABI SOTUNDE, Nigeria
“After travelling about 3 hours from Abuja to Niger State, northern Nigeria, on my way to cover the National Assembly elections in 3 states, I noticed a huge smoke cloud in the distance. I thought election violence had broken out and decided to investigate further. It turned out after a 15-20 minute drive that the smoke was not from election violence, rather a vandalised pipeline conveying petroleum had caught fire. Before the vote there had been concerns as to violence during the Nigeria elections. However to see that the smoke was from pipeline vandalization, which has been a recurrent incidence in the Niger delta region of Nigeria; and now was happening in Dadanbili, Niger State, was a deviation from the normal. So for me this was news. My plan to travel around 3 states for the election that day finally paid off with these pictures after the cancellation of the National Assembly elections.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 70-200mm at 70mm, f2.8, 1/30, ISO 400
Caption: A man walks as crude oil spills from a pipeline in Dadabili, Niger state, April 2, 2011. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
“After travelling about 3 hours from Abuja to Niger State, northern Nigeria, on my way to cover the National Assembly elections in 3 states, I noticed a huge smoke cloud in the distance. I thought election violence had broken out and decided to investigate further. It turned out after a 15-20 minute drive that the smoke was not from election violence, rather a vandalised pipeline conveying petroleum had caught fire. Before the vote there had been concerns as to violence during the Nigeria elections. However to see that the smoke was from pipeline vandalization, which has been a recurrent incidence in the Niger delta region of Nigeria; and now was happening in Dadanbili, Niger State, was a deviation from the normal. So for me this was news. My plan to travel around 3 states for the election that day finally paid off with these pictures after the cancellation of the National Assembly elections.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 70-200mm at 70mm, f2.8, 1/30, ISO 400
Caption: A man walks as crude oil spills from a pipeline in Dadabili, Niger state, April 2, 2011. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
Image 53 of 100: AKHTAR SOOMRO, Pakistan
“It was a normal morning on May 2, 2011 until I turned on my television and noticed the flashing red screen breaking news that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed near Islamabad.
I was anxious and paused for a moment to reflect on how this was the news the world, especially the United States, had been waiting for ever since the war against Al-Qaeda was declared in 2001 and Osama Bin Laden became the most wanted man in the world for his role in 9/11 tragedy. I reflected on how things had changed globally after 9/11 and how it also affected the common Pakistani people from all walks of life.
My first response was to check-in with Islamabad based photographerMian Khursheed. Before asking anything about the news he said, “Please prepare yourself if we need you here - please check flights.” The next day I was in Abbottabad, just northwest of Islamabad. The road leading to the compound, where bin Laden was reportedly killed, was packed with local and international media vehicles waiting to get in. At the location, large crowds of local residents and media personnel had gathered. Everyone was curious to get close to the residential compound to have a look at the place where bin Laden had been killed.
Vegetable fields surrounded the compound and I noticed local children gathered and were collecting debris left by a heavy firefight. Residents were asking questions of the media to confirm if the incident really occurred. They could not believe that Osama bin Laden had been their neighbor.
Even though the compound area was cordoned off, the city of Abbottabad felt normal as people still were going to work and children to school. The shops were still open. Outside the compound area, no one was really concerned about what had happened or what was happening now.
On the morning of May 5, I visited the compound in a quest to find any good picture and suddenly noticed a boy playing with a tennis ball just in front of the compound. It gave me a sense of hope, that things could finally go back to being normal after all that had changed after 9/11.
As I was thinking of it and taking photos - again questions started floating through my mind. Would the ‘War on Terror’ end after the killing of Osama bin Laden? I thought about 9/11 and how it had changed Pakistan. September 11 in Pakistan was previously recognized as the day Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah died. In Pakistan now the 9/11 attacks get more attention. In these ten years, I feel Pakistan has suffered the most. It has faced hundreds of suicide bombings that have led to thousands of deaths and injuries and caused tremendous losses.
I stayed in Abbottabad until May 22 until I received a call in the middle of the night from the Islamabad office. “There has been an attack on an air base in Karachi. Prepare yourself, we may need you there,” the voice of my editor said. And the next afternoon I was back in Karachi.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f6.7, 1/1000, ISO 250
Caption: Resident boy Adeel, 8, plays with a tennis ball in front of the compound where U.S. Navy SEAL commandos killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad May 5, 2011. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
“It was a normal morning on May 2, 2011 until I turned on my television and noticed the flashing red screen breaking news that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has been killed near Islamabad.
I was anxious and paused for a moment to reflect on how this was the news the world, especially the United States, had been waiting for ever since the war against Al-Qaeda was declared in 2001 and Osama Bin Laden became the most wanted man in the world for his role in 9/11 tragedy. I reflected on how things had changed globally after 9/11 and how it also affected the common Pakistani people from all walks of life.
My first response was to check-in with Islamabad based photographerMian Khursheed. Before asking anything about the news he said, “Please prepare yourself if we need you here - please check flights.” The next day I was in Abbottabad, just northwest of Islamabad. The road leading to the compound, where bin Laden was reportedly killed, was packed with local and international media vehicles waiting to get in. At the location, large crowds of local residents and media personnel had gathered. Everyone was curious to get close to the residential compound to have a look at the place where bin Laden had been killed.
Vegetable fields surrounded the compound and I noticed local children gathered and were collecting debris left by a heavy firefight. Residents were asking questions of the media to confirm if the incident really occurred. They could not believe that Osama bin Laden had been their neighbor.
Even though the compound area was cordoned off, the city of Abbottabad felt normal as people still were going to work and children to school. The shops were still open. Outside the compound area, no one was really concerned about what had happened or what was happening now.
On the morning of May 5, I visited the compound in a quest to find any good picture and suddenly noticed a boy playing with a tennis ball just in front of the compound. It gave me a sense of hope, that things could finally go back to being normal after all that had changed after 9/11.
As I was thinking of it and taking photos - again questions started floating through my mind. Would the ‘War on Terror’ end after the killing of Osama bin Laden? I thought about 9/11 and how it had changed Pakistan. September 11 in Pakistan was previously recognized as the day Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah died. In Pakistan now the 9/11 attacks get more attention. In these ten years, I feel Pakistan has suffered the most. It has faced hundreds of suicide bombings that have led to thousands of deaths and injuries and caused tremendous losses.
I stayed in Abbottabad until May 22 until I received a call in the middle of the night from the Islamabad office. “There has been an attack on an air base in Karachi. Prepare yourself, we may need you there,” the voice of my editor said. And the next afternoon I was back in Karachi.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f6.7, 1/1000, ISO 250
Caption: Resident boy Adeel, 8, plays with a tennis ball in front of the compound where U.S. Navy SEAL commandos killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad May 5, 2011. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Image 54 of 100: MOHAMAD TOROKMAN, West Bank
“This photo was taken at Israel's Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah during the holiday of the holy month of Ramadan. The Palestinian boy was looking at an Israeli soldier as he took part in a protest against the Israeli checkpoint and the conditions placed on Palestinians wanting to cross to Jerusalem from the West Bank. The Israeli authorities usually place an age restriction for Palestinians wanting to cross into Jerusalem, such that only men over the age of 55 and women over the age of 45 can cross whereas others need special permission to cross. After this photo was taken clashes between Israeli soldiers and the protesters erupted.”
Canon EOS -1D MarkIII, lens 17-35mm, f3.5, 1/640, ISO 200
Caption: A Palestinian boy looks at an Israeli soldier during a protest at Israel's Qalandiya checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Ramallah August 26, 2011. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
“This photo was taken at Israel's Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah during the holiday of the holy month of Ramadan. The Palestinian boy was looking at an Israeli soldier as he took part in a protest against the Israeli checkpoint and the conditions placed on Palestinians wanting to cross to Jerusalem from the West Bank. The Israeli authorities usually place an age restriction for Palestinians wanting to cross into Jerusalem, such that only men over the age of 55 and women over the age of 45 can cross whereas others need special permission to cross. After this photo was taken clashes between Israeli soldiers and the protesters erupted.”
Canon EOS -1D MarkIII, lens 17-35mm, f3.5, 1/640, ISO 200
Caption: A Palestinian boy looks at an Israeli soldier during a protest at Israel's Qalandiya checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Ramallah August 26, 2011. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
Image 55 of 100: AMMAR AWAD, Yemen
“It was in Sanaa two months into the uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. An ambulance driver carried the injured protester into a mosque converted to a field hospital, where worshippers prayed alongside the wounded, as the protests outside intensified.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 16-35mm, f3.5, 1/60, ISO 640
Caption: Anti-government protesters carry an injured fellow protester in Sanaa April 5, 2011. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
“It was in Sanaa two months into the uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. An ambulance driver carried the injured protester into a mosque converted to a field hospital, where worshippers prayed alongside the wounded, as the protests outside intensified.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 16-35mm, f3.5, 1/60, ISO 640
Caption: Anti-government protesters carry an injured fellow protester in Sanaa April 5, 2011. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Image 56 of 100: ANIS MILI, Libya
“I took this picture when I was with the rebels fighting Gaddafi’s troops, about two miles from the city of Sirte. I was mindful of what was happening, when I saw a man carrying an RPG. I was surprised by the courage of the man which insisted on fighting to win his freedom.”
Canon 7D, lens 200mm, f4.9, 1/2500, ISO 160
Caption: A rebel on crutches fires a rocket propelled grenade while fighting on the front line in Sirte September 24, 2011 REUTERS/Anis Mili
“I took this picture when I was with the rebels fighting Gaddafi’s troops, about two miles from the city of Sirte. I was mindful of what was happening, when I saw a man carrying an RPG. I was surprised by the courage of the man which insisted on fighting to win his freedom.”
Canon 7D, lens 200mm, f4.9, 1/2500, ISO 160
Caption: A rebel on crutches fires a rocket propelled grenade while fighting on the front line in Sirte September 24, 2011 REUTERS/Anis Mili
Image 57 of 100: NACHO DOCE, Brazil
“After observing activities that go on under some of the numerous bridges in Sao Paulo, one day I came across a boxing academy whose goal was to give a chance to poor people to exercise and practice boxing. After beginning the story, one day I was photographing different boxers punching a discarded refrigerator. Two of them, Gorila and Chibata, were ones who I had been following before in their training. The owner of the academy has a dog that was watching them train. I decided to include it in the photo as one of the gym’s permanent residents.”
Canon EOS5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f3.2, 1/320, ISO 5000
Caption: Aspiring boxers Chibata (L) and Valdir Aparecido (nicknamed "Gorilla") punch a discarded refrigerator during a training session at a gymnasium under the Alcantara Machado viaduct in the Mooca neighborhood of Sao Paulo, March 28, 2011. The Boxing Academy of Garrido, founded by Brazilian former pro boxer Nilson Garrido, adopts primitive training equipment that he developed himself during his years as a coach, in a project whose goal is to take the sport to the poor and marginalized population. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
Click here for a related blog
“After observing activities that go on under some of the numerous bridges in Sao Paulo, one day I came across a boxing academy whose goal was to give a chance to poor people to exercise and practice boxing. After beginning the story, one day I was photographing different boxers punching a discarded refrigerator. Two of them, Gorila and Chibata, were ones who I had been following before in their training. The owner of the academy has a dog that was watching them train. I decided to include it in the photo as one of the gym’s permanent residents.”
Canon EOS5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f3.2, 1/320, ISO 5000
Caption: Aspiring boxers Chibata (L) and Valdir Aparecido (nicknamed "Gorilla") punch a discarded refrigerator during a training session at a gymnasium under the Alcantara Machado viaduct in the Mooca neighborhood of Sao Paulo, March 28, 2011. The Boxing Academy of Garrido, founded by Brazilian former pro boxer Nilson Garrido, adopts primitive training equipment that he developed himself during his years as a coach, in a project whose goal is to take the sport to the poor and marginalized population. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
Click here for a related blog
Image 58 of 100: KEVIN LAMARQUE, United States
“Whether you’re a top professional golfer or a weekend hacker, all golfers feel the frustration of a backup on the course. As Phil Mickelson approached the 15th tee at the U.S. Open in Bethesda, Maryland, it was clear that he was in for a long wait before teeing off. Instead of swinging his club for 10 minutes or looking through his bag to nervously kill time, Mickelson simply used the moment to take a break in a marshal's chair and enjoy a snack. It was a very warm day, and the shade and the chair must have seemed too good to pass up. It is always difficult to get a different golf picture, but this was one of those off moments that provided a departure from the standard golf image.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f3.5, 1/500, ISO 200
Caption: Phil Mickelson of the U.S. takes a break in play on the 15th tee during the second round of the 2011 U.S. Open golf tournament at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, June 17, 2011. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
“Whether you’re a top professional golfer or a weekend hacker, all golfers feel the frustration of a backup on the course. As Phil Mickelson approached the 15th tee at the U.S. Open in Bethesda, Maryland, it was clear that he was in for a long wait before teeing off. Instead of swinging his club for 10 minutes or looking through his bag to nervously kill time, Mickelson simply used the moment to take a break in a marshal's chair and enjoy a snack. It was a very warm day, and the shade and the chair must have seemed too good to pass up. It is always difficult to get a different golf picture, but this was one of those off moments that provided a departure from the standard golf image.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f3.5, 1/500, ISO 200
Caption: Phil Mickelson of the U.S. takes a break in play on the 15th tee during the second round of the 2011 U.S. Open golf tournament at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, June 17, 2011. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Image 59 of 100: PAUL HACKETT, Libya
“I was staying in the Rixos Hotel, part of the official Libyan Government foreign press core. We would be taken out most days to photograph things the Libyan Government were keen to show the world. We were taken to a house in Tripoli which had been bombed by NATO. There were a couple of buildings very close together which had been flattened. The officials who were accompanying us on the tour of the buildings pointed out that one of the buildings had been some kind of medical storage facility. We stayed for about 45 minutes walking around the buildings. After about 20 minutes I looked around and saw a gazelle standing in the ruins of one of the buildings. It looked very scared and I thought I would be lucky to get a picture because I assumed it would bolt at any second. I took a couple of pictures as quickly as possible and then tried to get myself into a better position. To my surprise the animal didn't run and I moved as close as possible.”
Nikon D3s, lens 16-35mm, f8, 1/250, ISO 200
Caption: A gazelle stands in what local residents say is the bombed out ruins of the compound of Abdullah Al-Senussi, head of the Libyan Intelligence Service and brother in law of Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli August 19, 2011. REUTERS/Paul Hackett
“I was staying in the Rixos Hotel, part of the official Libyan Government foreign press core. We would be taken out most days to photograph things the Libyan Government were keen to show the world. We were taken to a house in Tripoli which had been bombed by NATO. There were a couple of buildings very close together which had been flattened. The officials who were accompanying us on the tour of the buildings pointed out that one of the buildings had been some kind of medical storage facility. We stayed for about 45 minutes walking around the buildings. After about 20 minutes I looked around and saw a gazelle standing in the ruins of one of the buildings. It looked very scared and I thought I would be lucky to get a picture because I assumed it would bolt at any second. I took a couple of pictures as quickly as possible and then tried to get myself into a better position. To my surprise the animal didn't run and I moved as close as possible.”
Nikon D3s, lens 16-35mm, f8, 1/250, ISO 200
Caption: A gazelle stands in what local residents say is the bombed out ruins of the compound of Abdullah Al-Senussi, head of the Libyan Intelligence Service and brother in law of Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli August 19, 2011. REUTERS/Paul Hackett
Image 60 of 100: POOL, United States (Entertainment editor Sam Mircovich’s account)
“The opening minutes of Dr. Conrad Murray's trial in the death of pop star Michael Jackson provided the most startling image of the proceedings. Deputy District Attorney's David Walgren's opening statement featured before and after pictures of Jackson taken 24 hours apart; one onstage during rehearsals for his sold out shows at the O2 arena, and the other, lying dead on a hospital gurney.
The image sent shockwaves around the world, as no one had seen an image of Jackson after his untimely death. As photo editor for Reuters, I was responsible for filing the pool images to the Singapore Photo Desk. I had a sinking suspicion the prosecution would open the trial with a bang and I was right.
I knew that if a graphic image of Jackson was shown, it would be at least 90 minutes before the pool photographer would be able to send it to us. Since the video feed was also pool, I quickly chatted with Reuters TV producer Lindsay Claiborn that we might need to frame grab from the video if warranted.
I was watching a web feed on my computer, and once the image was broadcast I shouted to Lindsay that we need to act quickly. She dropped what she was doing and moved to video editing software to grab the incoming images. Within a couple of minutes we had the images and I moved back to my desk to size the image and caption it. Once filed, the Singapore photo desk turned them around quickly for the world to see. Total filing time; 10 minutes.
Our competition ended up moving their own frame grabs at the end of the day, along with images shot by the pool photographer. It was a nice beat on a top story that week.”
This image taken from the prosecution courtroom evidence screen purports to show Michael Jackson lying on a hospital gurney in the screen grab from pool video during opening arguments in Dr. Conrad Murray's trial in the death of pop star Michael Jackson in Los Angeles September 27, 2011. REUTERS/CNN/Pool
“The opening minutes of Dr. Conrad Murray's trial in the death of pop star Michael Jackson provided the most startling image of the proceedings. Deputy District Attorney's David Walgren's opening statement featured before and after pictures of Jackson taken 24 hours apart; one onstage during rehearsals for his sold out shows at the O2 arena, and the other, lying dead on a hospital gurney.
The image sent shockwaves around the world, as no one had seen an image of Jackson after his untimely death. As photo editor for Reuters, I was responsible for filing the pool images to the Singapore Photo Desk. I had a sinking suspicion the prosecution would open the trial with a bang and I was right.
I knew that if a graphic image of Jackson was shown, it would be at least 90 minutes before the pool photographer would be able to send it to us. Since the video feed was also pool, I quickly chatted with Reuters TV producer Lindsay Claiborn that we might need to frame grab from the video if warranted.
I was watching a web feed on my computer, and once the image was broadcast I shouted to Lindsay that we need to act quickly. She dropped what she was doing and moved to video editing software to grab the incoming images. Within a couple of minutes we had the images and I moved back to my desk to size the image and caption it. Once filed, the Singapore photo desk turned them around quickly for the world to see. Total filing time; 10 minutes.
Our competition ended up moving their own frame grabs at the end of the day, along with images shot by the pool photographer. It was a nice beat on a top story that week.”
This image taken from the prosecution courtroom evidence screen purports to show Michael Jackson lying on a hospital gurney in the screen grab from pool video during opening arguments in Dr. Conrad Murray's trial in the death of pop star Michael Jackson in Los Angeles September 27, 2011. REUTERS/CNN/Pool
Image 61 of 100: EDGARD GARRIDO, Honduras
“It was three years ago that I photographed a childbirth room at Escuela hospital, the largest in Honduras. Time seems to have stood still. Now there are different doctors, mothers and children, but the poverty is the same. Rooms full of valiant women who bleed and wrap their children with old sheets adorn the poverty of this place where shame is not a valid issue. I walk freely between the birthing rooms, rest area, caesarean section and reception, but I have no permission to enter the pediatrics area until a new medical chief authorizes me. There are healthy and sick babies. One of them is this baby who got my attention because it moves non-stop. Next to him is a lamp that provides heat to stay alive. I expect that he will continue to play with his hands, making the image more aesthetic or photographic. After five minutes this happens and I shoot photos. I recognized that I have a "beautiful picture", but I do not see that the position of his fingers shows a number seven. It is a picture of a baby like so many others who were born, many of the 7 billion that live on our planet today. It hits me as it begins to emerge as poetry of life in Honduras where thousands of human beings are born, but where thousands are killed without completing their natural cycle; dramatically murdered every day.”
Canon EOS1D Mark IV, lens 80-200mm, f2.8, 1/1300, ISO 800
Caption: A baby gestures minutes after he was born inside the pediatric unit at hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa October 21, 2011. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
“It was three years ago that I photographed a childbirth room at Escuela hospital, the largest in Honduras. Time seems to have stood still. Now there are different doctors, mothers and children, but the poverty is the same. Rooms full of valiant women who bleed and wrap their children with old sheets adorn the poverty of this place where shame is not a valid issue. I walk freely between the birthing rooms, rest area, caesarean section and reception, but I have no permission to enter the pediatrics area until a new medical chief authorizes me. There are healthy and sick babies. One of them is this baby who got my attention because it moves non-stop. Next to him is a lamp that provides heat to stay alive. I expect that he will continue to play with his hands, making the image more aesthetic or photographic. After five minutes this happens and I shoot photos. I recognized that I have a "beautiful picture", but I do not see that the position of his fingers shows a number seven. It is a picture of a baby like so many others who were born, many of the 7 billion that live on our planet today. It hits me as it begins to emerge as poetry of life in Honduras where thousands of human beings are born, but where thousands are killed without completing their natural cycle; dramatically murdered every day.”
Canon EOS1D Mark IV, lens 80-200mm, f2.8, 1/1300, ISO 800
Caption: A baby gestures minutes after he was born inside the pediatric unit at hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa October 21, 2011. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
Image 62 of 100: DAMIR SAGOLJ, Thailand
“Drugs are a big problem in Thailand and often we see pictures from press conferences where police display confiscated narcotics and detained suspects after a raid. So, the normal reaction after seeing those was to try to join the police on one of their raids and see them in action. The action I followed took us early in the morning to a slum in Bangkok's suburbs. It was not a spectacular operation with lots of drugs found and suspects trying to avoid the detention. But, the real personal drama of the man detained was exposed when he hugged his son and cried as he was taken away. A small drug dealer crime - although petty if compared with those from the press conferences with tons of narcotics seized - can take a criminal to jail for a long time. When he comes out his son could be an adult man. Growing up in Bangkok's slums without a father is not the best way to avoid all the dangers and possible misery.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, wide open, 1/320, ISO 1000
Caption: A man in handcuffs cries as he says farewell to his son after he was arrested by the police on suspicion of drug dealing during a pre-dawn raid in an impoverished neighborhood of Bangkok February 25, 2011. The Narcotics Suppression Bureau of Thai police said their aim in 2011 is to stop the expansion of narcotics problem in the country. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
“Drugs are a big problem in Thailand and often we see pictures from press conferences where police display confiscated narcotics and detained suspects after a raid. So, the normal reaction after seeing those was to try to join the police on one of their raids and see them in action. The action I followed took us early in the morning to a slum in Bangkok's suburbs. It was not a spectacular operation with lots of drugs found and suspects trying to avoid the detention. But, the real personal drama of the man detained was exposed when he hugged his son and cried as he was taken away. A small drug dealer crime - although petty if compared with those from the press conferences with tons of narcotics seized - can take a criminal to jail for a long time. When he comes out his son could be an adult man. Growing up in Bangkok's slums without a father is not the best way to avoid all the dangers and possible misery.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, wide open, 1/320, ISO 1000
Caption: A man in handcuffs cries as he says farewell to his son after he was arrested by the police on suspicion of drug dealing during a pre-dawn raid in an impoverished neighborhood of Bangkok February 25, 2011. The Narcotics Suppression Bureau of Thai police said their aim in 2011 is to stop the expansion of narcotics problem in the country. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Image 63 of 100: CARLOS BARRIA, China
“During a trip to cover the aftermath of ethnic violence in the remote city of Kashgar, in western China, I noticed this quiet moment at the end of a long, hot day. I had arrived in the city around noon, after a six hour flight from Shanghai, and I spent the afternoon rushing from one spot to the next looking for a way to show how the Chinese authorities were cracking down on the city. The situation was tense and the police were keeping an eye on me, but I managed to file a few pictures of soldiers patrolling the streets. As I was transmitting my pictures, hotel staff knocked on the door of a room I was sharing with colleagues and instructed us to leave. Police officers then directed us to another hotel— one that didn’t have a view of the central plaza we had hoped to monitor. We were disappointed to lose our vantage point, but as I walked out into the hallway in our new hotel, I saw the sun was setting off a balcony nearby and I found this peaceful moment.”
Caption: An Uighur ethnic woman feeds her son on the roof of their house in Kashgar, Xinjiang province August 2, 2011. Chinese security forces blanketed central areas of Kashgar city in the western region of Xinjiang, days after deadly attacks that China blamed on Islamic militants highlighted ethnic tensions in the Muslim Uighur area. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
“During a trip to cover the aftermath of ethnic violence in the remote city of Kashgar, in western China, I noticed this quiet moment at the end of a long, hot day. I had arrived in the city around noon, after a six hour flight from Shanghai, and I spent the afternoon rushing from one spot to the next looking for a way to show how the Chinese authorities were cracking down on the city. The situation was tense and the police were keeping an eye on me, but I managed to file a few pictures of soldiers patrolling the streets. As I was transmitting my pictures, hotel staff knocked on the door of a room I was sharing with colleagues and instructed us to leave. Police officers then directed us to another hotel— one that didn’t have a view of the central plaza we had hoped to monitor. We were disappointed to lose our vantage point, but as I walked out into the hallway in our new hotel, I saw the sun was setting off a balcony nearby and I found this peaceful moment.”
Caption: An Uighur ethnic woman feeds her son on the roof of their house in Kashgar, Xinjiang province August 2, 2011. Chinese security forces blanketed central areas of Kashgar city in the western region of Xinjiang, days after deadly attacks that China blamed on Islamic militants highlighted ethnic tensions in the Muslim Uighur area. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Image 64 of 100: YURIKO NAKAO, Japan
“Three days after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan, I was at an evacuation center in Kawamata town, Fukushima, northern Japan, where residents who fled from areas nearby the Fukushima nuclear power plant were staying. The evacuation center, about 25-30 miles from the plant, was set up in a gymnasium of an elementary school where the floor was hard and the fluorescent light seemed to intensify the bitterness. Earlier in the day there was another explosion at the nuclear power plant, which added more burden and worries to those who had already lost their homes, families and their hometown.
In this sort of environment, I wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible, so I used no flash and used a silent mode on my camera as I photographed.
At the evacuation center, many people were quietly eating their small portion of distributed food, reading the papers, sleeping or just gazing. Some people broke in to tears as they told me their stories, or even offered me snacks as they were very compassionate despite their situation. As I walked through the packed room, I encountered a small boy playing with a blue balloon with his father. There were smiles on both of their faces. Obviously, the child didn’t understand the situation nor was worried about the future, but was enjoying that very moment, slowly bouncing the balloon back and forth with his father. Such a scene of daily life seemed so precious as their smiles stood out while others sat and slept among crumpled blankets.”
Canon EOS 1DMark IV, lens 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/80, ISO 1250
Caption: A boy plays with a balloon at an evacuation center set in a gymnasium in Kawamata, Fukushima Prefecture in northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao
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“Three days after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan, I was at an evacuation center in Kawamata town, Fukushima, northern Japan, where residents who fled from areas nearby the Fukushima nuclear power plant were staying. The evacuation center, about 25-30 miles from the plant, was set up in a gymnasium of an elementary school where the floor was hard and the fluorescent light seemed to intensify the bitterness. Earlier in the day there was another explosion at the nuclear power plant, which added more burden and worries to those who had already lost their homes, families and their hometown.
In this sort of environment, I wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible, so I used no flash and used a silent mode on my camera as I photographed.
At the evacuation center, many people were quietly eating their small portion of distributed food, reading the papers, sleeping or just gazing. Some people broke in to tears as they told me their stories, or even offered me snacks as they were very compassionate despite their situation. As I walked through the packed room, I encountered a small boy playing with a blue balloon with his father. There were smiles on both of their faces. Obviously, the child didn’t understand the situation nor was worried about the future, but was enjoying that very moment, slowly bouncing the balloon back and forth with his father. Such a scene of daily life seemed so precious as their smiles stood out while others sat and slept among crumpled blankets.”
Canon EOS 1DMark IV, lens 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/80, ISO 1250
Caption: A boy plays with a balloon at an evacuation center set in a gymnasium in Kawamata, Fukushima Prefecture in northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao
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Image 65 of 100: CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS, Venezuela
“One day after the morning editorial meeting I was asked to illustrate a story on the country’s high inflation and economic indicators. I first went to different stores along the street in search of an appropriate image, and entered a small supermarket where I found this woman shopping with a sad face, walking along the aisles, comparing prices and complaining out loud about how expensive everything was. I followed her for a few minutes until she appeared alone, carrying on with her difficult task of buying food.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f1.4, ISO 800
Caption: A woman looks for her groceries at a supermarket in Caracas February 28, 2011. Having lived with double-digit inflation since Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Venezuelans know a money-stretching trick or two the rest of the world could heed as soaring commodities push up prices. A relatively wealthy country with some of the world's largest crude reserves, Venezuela's reliance on exports of one commodity has produced a string of booms and crashes accompanied by double-digit inflation since 1985. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
“One day after the morning editorial meeting I was asked to illustrate a story on the country’s high inflation and economic indicators. I first went to different stores along the street in search of an appropriate image, and entered a small supermarket where I found this woman shopping with a sad face, walking along the aisles, comparing prices and complaining out loud about how expensive everything was. I followed her for a few minutes until she appeared alone, carrying on with her difficult task of buying food.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f1.4, ISO 800
Caption: A woman looks for her groceries at a supermarket in Caracas February 28, 2011. Having lived with double-digit inflation since Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Venezuelans know a money-stretching trick or two the rest of the world could heed as soaring commodities push up prices. A relatively wealthy country with some of the world's largest crude reserves, Venezuela's reliance on exports of one commodity has produced a string of booms and crashes accompanied by double-digit inflation since 1985. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Image 66 of 100: JASON LEE, China
“The boy’s name is Wang Gengxiang, known as the “Masked Boy” among Chinese Netizens. He is currently living in Mijiazhuang village on the outskirts of Fenyang, northwest China’s Shanxi province. Wang was severely burned in an accident involving a pile of burning straw last winter, causing most of the skin on his head to be burned off. Since then, he is required to wear a full surgical mask to prevent the scars from becoming infected. I first saw his pictures on the Internet, and luckily I got in touch with his father who granted me an opportunity to photograph. This picture was taken as Wang played on his bed in the morning before going to school. I was very surprised to see that he lived a happy and relaxing life, though the mask he was wearing made him itchy and it was difficult to breathe all the time. Thanks to Chinese Netizens on Weibo (Chinese Twitter), the family received many donations and support from all over the country. From this they were able to afford the necessary surgeries and medication. I hope my pictures can bring more help to them. After all, helping those in need is always part of my obligation as a photojournalist.”
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f5.0, 1/100, ISO 1000
Caption: Wang Gengxiang, known as "Masked Boy", holds a towel in his mouth as he plays on a bed at Mijiazhuang village on the outskirts of Fenyang, North China's Shanxi province September 9, 2011. Gengxiang, 6, was severely burned in an accident involving a pile of burning straw last winter. Most of the skin on his head was burned off, requiring him to wear a full surgical mask to prevent the scars from becoming infected. The doctors disclosed that they cannot continue his skin-graft surgery until his damaged trachea, or windpipe, is strong enough, according to local media reports. REUTERS/Jason Lee
Click here for a related blog
“The boy’s name is Wang Gengxiang, known as the “Masked Boy” among Chinese Netizens. He is currently living in Mijiazhuang village on the outskirts of Fenyang, northwest China’s Shanxi province. Wang was severely burned in an accident involving a pile of burning straw last winter, causing most of the skin on his head to be burned off. Since then, he is required to wear a full surgical mask to prevent the scars from becoming infected. I first saw his pictures on the Internet, and luckily I got in touch with his father who granted me an opportunity to photograph. This picture was taken as Wang played on his bed in the morning before going to school. I was very surprised to see that he lived a happy and relaxing life, though the mask he was wearing made him itchy and it was difficult to breathe all the time. Thanks to Chinese Netizens on Weibo (Chinese Twitter), the family received many donations and support from all over the country. From this they were able to afford the necessary surgeries and medication. I hope my pictures can bring more help to them. After all, helping those in need is always part of my obligation as a photojournalist.”
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f5.0, 1/100, ISO 1000
Caption: Wang Gengxiang, known as "Masked Boy", holds a towel in his mouth as he plays on a bed at Mijiazhuang village on the outskirts of Fenyang, North China's Shanxi province September 9, 2011. Gengxiang, 6, was severely burned in an accident involving a pile of burning straw last winter. Most of the skin on his head was burned off, requiring him to wear a full surgical mask to prevent the scars from becoming infected. The doctors disclosed that they cannot continue his skin-graft surgery until his damaged trachea, or windpipe, is strong enough, according to local media reports. REUTERS/Jason Lee
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Image 67 of 100: LUCAS JACKSON, United States
“On the date this image was taken the Occupy Wall Street movement had been going on for just shy of a month in the financial district of Manhattan. What started as a couple of dozen kids sleeping on the ground in a park has evolved into a nationwide grassroots movement and it has been fascinating to watch that evolution take place. It seems that every day I go down there the campsite has changed. One of the challenges is to be aware of the little things that are happening on any given day that will never happen again as the movement morphs. I was initially drawn into this scene because it was different than any I had seen before and was a more graphic "slice of life" than people sitting around their tents or discussing politics. I had to wait for a number of people to stop by for a free shave in order to add the little bit of information that the Guy Fawkes mask puts in the frame. One of the most interesting parts of the image is actually the information that is contained in the background. By the status of the campsites you can tell that this picture was taken before the NYPD allowed tents or structures attached to the trees. Shortly after this image tents began to appear in the park until the entire park was filled with small camping tents that have begun to evolve into large army style tents meant to last the winter. One of the most fascinating things about the Occupy movement in New York is not only seeing how long it lasts and what sort of dialogue it spurs but to watch the physical transition of the park. The freezing of a very finite part of its evolution is what I find most interesting about this image.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm at 19mm, f2.8, 1/400, ISO 400
Caption: A member of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Raven (R), gets a shave from Larry Left who is contributing his barber skills to the movement, in Zuccotti Park near the financial district of New York October 12, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Click here for a related blog
“On the date this image was taken the Occupy Wall Street movement had been going on for just shy of a month in the financial district of Manhattan. What started as a couple of dozen kids sleeping on the ground in a park has evolved into a nationwide grassroots movement and it has been fascinating to watch that evolution take place. It seems that every day I go down there the campsite has changed. One of the challenges is to be aware of the little things that are happening on any given day that will never happen again as the movement morphs. I was initially drawn into this scene because it was different than any I had seen before and was a more graphic "slice of life" than people sitting around their tents or discussing politics. I had to wait for a number of people to stop by for a free shave in order to add the little bit of information that the Guy Fawkes mask puts in the frame. One of the most interesting parts of the image is actually the information that is contained in the background. By the status of the campsites you can tell that this picture was taken before the NYPD allowed tents or structures attached to the trees. Shortly after this image tents began to appear in the park until the entire park was filled with small camping tents that have begun to evolve into large army style tents meant to last the winter. One of the most fascinating things about the Occupy movement in New York is not only seeing how long it lasts and what sort of dialogue it spurs but to watch the physical transition of the park. The freezing of a very finite part of its evolution is what I find most interesting about this image.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm at 19mm, f2.8, 1/400, ISO 400
Caption: A member of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Raven (R), gets a shave from Larry Left who is contributing his barber skills to the movement, in Zuccotti Park near the financial district of New York October 12, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Click here for a related blog
Image 68 of 100: GORAN TOMASEVIC, Egypt
“I went to my house to pick up another camera and I went back to the protests. There were barricades and stone throwing. It wasn’t safe. I was looking into the sky all the time to see what was coming towards me. I had a helmet and a gas mask. Some people were taking pictures of me with my helmet and gas mask but I was prepared. I was shooting for hours and hours.”
Canon Mark IIII, lens 16mm, f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 500 Caption: A woman opposition supporter takes shelter while providing water during rioting with pro-Mubarak demonstrators near Tahrir Square in Cairo February 3, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
“I went to my house to pick up another camera and I went back to the protests. There were barricades and stone throwing. It wasn’t safe. I was looking into the sky all the time to see what was coming towards me. I had a helmet and a gas mask. Some people were taking pictures of me with my helmet and gas mask but I was prepared. I was shooting for hours and hours.”
Canon Mark IIII, lens 16mm, f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 500 Caption: A woman opposition supporter takes shelter while providing water during rioting with pro-Mubarak demonstrators near Tahrir Square in Cairo February 3, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
Image 69 of 100: NODAS STYLIANIDIS, Greece
"I was doing some paperwork in my office which is located a few meters away from the bank. At some point I heard someone yelling, I looked out of my window and I saw the man protesting outside the bank while it was obvious that he was threatening to set himself on fire. I picked a camera and ran out. When I arrived I saw him pouring gasoline on himself and after a few seconds he set himself ablaze. Police, who had already been watching him, rushed to extinguish the fire. The man survived but with serious injuries".
Canon EOS 7D, lens 70-200mm, f10, 1/500
Caption: A man sets himself on fire outside a bank branch in Thessaloniki in northern Greece September 16, 2011. The 55-year old man had entered the bank and asked for a renegotiation of his overdue loan payments on his home and business, according to police, which he could not pay, but was refused by the bank. REUTERS/Nodas Stylianidis/www.photoreportage.gr
"I was doing some paperwork in my office which is located a few meters away from the bank. At some point I heard someone yelling, I looked out of my window and I saw the man protesting outside the bank while it was obvious that he was threatening to set himself on fire. I picked a camera and ran out. When I arrived I saw him pouring gasoline on himself and after a few seconds he set himself ablaze. Police, who had already been watching him, rushed to extinguish the fire. The man survived but with serious injuries".
Canon EOS 7D, lens 70-200mm, f10, 1/500
Caption: A man sets himself on fire outside a bank branch in Thessaloniki in northern Greece September 16, 2011. The 55-year old man had entered the bank and asked for a renegotiation of his overdue loan payments on his home and business, according to police, which he could not pay, but was refused by the bank. REUTERS/Nodas Stylianidis/www.photoreportage.gr
Image 70 of 100: RAFAEL MARCHANTE, Portugal
“Can a politician be a politician 24 hours a day? I think not. Election campaigns are for me the best moments to take pictures of politicians. During election campaigns, politicians are more accessible. They exploit their charisma and are at their friendliest. But there's always a moment that is not set in the script. I look for these moments when I work with political candidates.
In this photo, we see the Portuguese Popular Party leader Paulo Portas on the campaign trail for the last general elections, specifically at a rally in Coimbra. It was a long rally and Paulo Portas went out to the cafeteria to drink a coffee, suddenly he was grabbed by a supporter from behind. The candidate's reaction was unusual for a politician on an election campaign.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 50mm, f1.4, 1/160, ISO 800
Caption: Popular Party leader Paulo Portas is grabbed by a supporter before a rally in Coimbra May 29, 2011. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante
“Can a politician be a politician 24 hours a day? I think not. Election campaigns are for me the best moments to take pictures of politicians. During election campaigns, politicians are more accessible. They exploit their charisma and are at their friendliest. But there's always a moment that is not set in the script. I look for these moments when I work with political candidates.
In this photo, we see the Portuguese Popular Party leader Paulo Portas on the campaign trail for the last general elections, specifically at a rally in Coimbra. It was a long rally and Paulo Portas went out to the cafeteria to drink a coffee, suddenly he was grabbed by a supporter from behind. The candidate's reaction was unusual for a politician on an election campaign.”
Canon EOS 5D, lens 50mm, f1.4, 1/160, ISO 800
Caption: Popular Party leader Paulo Portas is grabbed by a supporter before a rally in Coimbra May 29, 2011. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante
Image 71 of 100: CATHAL MCNAUGHTON, Northern Ireland
“On the eve of the July 12 parades in Northern Ireland, bonfires are lit in Loyalist areas to mark the start of the festivities. Communities vie to build the biggest bonfire and, despite new regulations, these dangerous, towering piles of pallets and tires are still found in staunchly Protestant housing estates. I’d been keeping an eye on this bonfire site which took over a week to build. But as soon as I got out of my car, local youths who are in charge of protecting their fire, confronted me suspicious that I was from a rival estate and wanted to burn down the fire before the big night. On the days leading up to the Eleventh Night, local gangs protect their bonfire 24 hours a day – even sleeping beside them on old sofas. As tensions are running high, it’s not safe for an outsider to hang around so I had some work to do to convince the kids that I just wanted to take a picture. I worked quickly as they warily watched my every move. Their outright suspicion of me actually added to the mood of tension.”
Lens 17-35mm at 35mm, f10, 1/800, ISO 400
Caption: Youths pose near their bonfire in Ballykeel housing estate, in Ballymena, Northern Ireland July 11, 2011. Northern Irish Protestants traditionally light bonfires on the 11th of July to celebrate their culture. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton
“On the eve of the July 12 parades in Northern Ireland, bonfires are lit in Loyalist areas to mark the start of the festivities. Communities vie to build the biggest bonfire and, despite new regulations, these dangerous, towering piles of pallets and tires are still found in staunchly Protestant housing estates. I’d been keeping an eye on this bonfire site which took over a week to build. But as soon as I got out of my car, local youths who are in charge of protecting their fire, confronted me suspicious that I was from a rival estate and wanted to burn down the fire before the big night. On the days leading up to the Eleventh Night, local gangs protect their bonfire 24 hours a day – even sleeping beside them on old sofas. As tensions are running high, it’s not safe for an outsider to hang around so I had some work to do to convince the kids that I just wanted to take a picture. I worked quickly as they warily watched my every move. Their outright suspicion of me actually added to the mood of tension.”
Lens 17-35mm at 35mm, f10, 1/800, ISO 400
Caption: Youths pose near their bonfire in Ballykeel housing estate, in Ballymena, Northern Ireland July 11, 2011. Northern Irish Protestants traditionally light bonfires on the 11th of July to celebrate their culture. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton
Image 72 of 100: WANG XINKE, China
“Hundreds of people were washed away on this day. I was so lucky that I had climbed up an advertisement board. I’ve been shooting Qiantang River tides for 17 years. The tide usually reaches its highest level every year on the 18th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. However, the forces of nature are constantly changing. This year, Typhoon Nanmadol approached eastern China nearly at the same time the tide level was reaching its peak. As you can see, not many people were aware that the tide would be much greater than before.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 28mm, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO 200
Caption: Policemen and residents run as waves from a tidal bore surge past a barrier on the banks of Qiantang River in Haining, Zhejiang province August 31, 2011. As Typhoon Nanmadol approaches eastern China, the tides and waves in Qiantang River recorded its highest level in 10 years, local media reported. REUTERS/China Daily
“Hundreds of people were washed away on this day. I was so lucky that I had climbed up an advertisement board. I’ve been shooting Qiantang River tides for 17 years. The tide usually reaches its highest level every year on the 18th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar. However, the forces of nature are constantly changing. This year, Typhoon Nanmadol approached eastern China nearly at the same time the tide level was reaching its peak. As you can see, not many people were aware that the tide would be much greater than before.”
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, lens 28mm, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO 200
Caption: Policemen and residents run as waves from a tidal bore surge past a barrier on the banks of Qiantang River in Haining, Zhejiang province August 31, 2011. As Typhoon Nanmadol approaches eastern China, the tides and waves in Qiantang River recorded its highest level in 10 years, local media reported. REUTERS/China Daily
Image 73 of 100: HENG YI, China
“I work in the public relations and education department of the Bifengxia Base at the China Panda Protection and Research Center. It is my job to take photos of our giant pandas during our research. This project is the current one that we have been working on, which is trying to reintroducing the pandas to the wild. In order to make sure we have a complete “human-free” environment, the researchers put on panda costumes when they need to do physical examinations of the pandas. And of course, I had to take pictures from a long distance. I sincerely hope my pictures can draw more public attention to the protection of giant pandas.”
Nikon D700, lens 120mm, f6.3, 1/250, ISO320
Caption: Researchers dressed in panda costumes put a panda cub into a basket before transferring it to a new living environment at the Hetaoping Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan province February 20, 2011. The 6-month-old cub is being transferred to a bigger living environment with a higher altitude and a more complicated terrain, which marks the beginning of the second phase of its training to reintroduce it to the wild. Researchers wear panda costumes to ensure that the cub's environment is devoid of human influence. REUTERS/China Daily
“I work in the public relations and education department of the Bifengxia Base at the China Panda Protection and Research Center. It is my job to take photos of our giant pandas during our research. This project is the current one that we have been working on, which is trying to reintroducing the pandas to the wild. In order to make sure we have a complete “human-free” environment, the researchers put on panda costumes when they need to do physical examinations of the pandas. And of course, I had to take pictures from a long distance. I sincerely hope my pictures can draw more public attention to the protection of giant pandas.”
Nikon D700, lens 120mm, f6.3, 1/250, ISO320
Caption: Researchers dressed in panda costumes put a panda cub into a basket before transferring it to a new living environment at the Hetaoping Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan province February 20, 2011. The 6-month-old cub is being transferred to a bigger living environment with a higher altitude and a more complicated terrain, which marks the beginning of the second phase of its training to reintroduce it to the wild. Researchers wear panda costumes to ensure that the cub's environment is devoid of human influence. REUTERS/China Daily
Image 74 of 100: FINBARR O’REILLY, Senegal
“Every year I shoot Fashion Week in Dakar. I don't do so much runway stuff, mostly backstage. The light is usually terrible, but you can get creative and have fun and sometimes get satisfying results. The colors are often good and the models know me well enough now to just let me get on with working without posing or mugging for the camera. On this occasion, it was well before the show and I was just hanging out looking for candid moments while the models were eating ice cream. It's not one of my preferred images from that week, but people seem to like it for some reason.”
Canon 5D, lens 24-70mm at 46mm, f3.5, 1/20, ISO 1250
Caption: Senegalese models prepare backstage before a show during Dakar Fashion Week in Senegal's capital July 7, 2011. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
“Every year I shoot Fashion Week in Dakar. I don't do so much runway stuff, mostly backstage. The light is usually terrible, but you can get creative and have fun and sometimes get satisfying results. The colors are often good and the models know me well enough now to just let me get on with working without posing or mugging for the camera. On this occasion, it was well before the show and I was just hanging out looking for candid moments while the models were eating ice cream. It's not one of my preferred images from that week, but people seem to like it for some reason.”
Canon 5D, lens 24-70mm at 46mm, f3.5, 1/20, ISO 1250
Caption: Senegalese models prepare backstage before a show during Dakar Fashion Week in Senegal's capital July 7, 2011. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
Image 75 of 100: MARK BLINCH, Canada
“This photo was taken as a part of a series on Naturism at the Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park in Sharon, Ontario, Canada, about an hour north of the Canadian major metropolis Toronto. Some people may refer to Naturism as Nudism, but the International Federation of Naturism defines the term as “a way of life in harmony with nature, characterized by the practice of communal nudity, with the intention of encouraging respect for oneself, respect for others and respect for the environment.” At the park, people live all year round, some families come to camp, or you can come up and enjoy the parks amenities for the day.
Karen and Bruce Grant live in a trailer inside the community. They have two children who were also raised in Naturism, a son that still lives with them, and a daughter that has left home to attend school. I like that this photograph shows a typical moment between a husband and wife, like you would see in many homes across the world. They could be having a conversation about anything, without any clothes on. It’s a nice, subtle domestic moment. People always joke around with me and ask if I was naked too - yes I was! Some of my colleagues and friends don’t believe me. I didn't want to alienate myself from the story by wearing clothing. Working naked gained a mutual trust between the subjects and myself. It was an experience I will never forget.“
Nikon D3x, lens 14-24mm at 16m, f4.5, 1/50, ISO 500
Caption: Park manager Karen Grant speaks with her husband Bruce inside their home at the Bare Oaks Family Naturist park in Sharon June 8, 2011. REUTERS/Mark Blinch
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“This photo was taken as a part of a series on Naturism at the Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park in Sharon, Ontario, Canada, about an hour north of the Canadian major metropolis Toronto. Some people may refer to Naturism as Nudism, but the International Federation of Naturism defines the term as “a way of life in harmony with nature, characterized by the practice of communal nudity, with the intention of encouraging respect for oneself, respect for others and respect for the environment.” At the park, people live all year round, some families come to camp, or you can come up and enjoy the parks amenities for the day.
Karen and Bruce Grant live in a trailer inside the community. They have two children who were also raised in Naturism, a son that still lives with them, and a daughter that has left home to attend school. I like that this photograph shows a typical moment between a husband and wife, like you would see in many homes across the world. They could be having a conversation about anything, without any clothes on. It’s a nice, subtle domestic moment. People always joke around with me and ask if I was naked too - yes I was! Some of my colleagues and friends don’t believe me. I didn't want to alienate myself from the story by wearing clothing. Working naked gained a mutual trust between the subjects and myself. It was an experience I will never forget.“
Nikon D3x, lens 14-24mm at 16m, f4.5, 1/50, ISO 500
Caption: Park manager Karen Grant speaks with her husband Bruce inside their home at the Bare Oaks Family Naturist park in Sharon June 8, 2011. REUTERS/Mark Blinch
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Image 76 of 100: JON NAZCA, Spain
"Hundreds of Easter processions take place round-the-clock during Holy Week in Spain. On this day, Thursday, the Spanish legionnaires carry a statue of the Christ of Mena along the streets of the Andalusian city of Malaga. Thousands of people flock around a square in front of a church to see the start of the procession. The square is restricted because it is a military act and the media are on a platform.
Some parents dress up their children as Spanish legionnaires. One of these children was the focus of attention as he walked alone through the square. I quickly get off the media platform and began to take some pictures of him when another child appeared in my frame holding a toy.
Why did he hide his toy from the young legionnaire? It’s just kid stuff!"
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f/1.4, 1/3200, ISO 50
Caption: A child dressed up as a Spanish legionnaire looks at another holding a toy during the Holy Week in Malaga, southern Spain, April 21, 2011. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
"Hundreds of Easter processions take place round-the-clock during Holy Week in Spain. On this day, Thursday, the Spanish legionnaires carry a statue of the Christ of Mena along the streets of the Andalusian city of Malaga. Thousands of people flock around a square in front of a church to see the start of the procession. The square is restricted because it is a military act and the media are on a platform.
Some parents dress up their children as Spanish legionnaires. One of these children was the focus of attention as he walked alone through the square. I quickly get off the media platform and began to take some pictures of him when another child appeared in my frame holding a toy.
Why did he hide his toy from the young legionnaire? It’s just kid stuff!"
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 50mm, f/1.4, 1/3200, ISO 50
Caption: A child dressed up as a Spanish legionnaire looks at another holding a toy during the Holy Week in Malaga, southern Spain, April 21, 2011. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Image 77 of 100: STRINGER, Ivory Coast
“Light and heavy weapons were detonating and the sound of the French army bombing resounded. I could hear them from the Hotel Golf, the headquarters of proclaimed president Alassane Ouattara and where we had been hiding since the presidential elections in November 2010. The intensive bombing and advancement of pro-Ouattarra forces made me understand that it was the end of my ordeal at the hotel where conditions were becoming more and more difficult. There was not enough food or places to sleep, considering the number of people – hotel staff, members of the Ouattara party, members of the party of Henri Konan Bedie, local and foreign journalists and sympathizers – who were holed out there.
I was enormously surprised to be there for the arrival of former president Laurent Gbago followed by his wife and escorted by pro-Ouattara forces. When I finally entered the room where they were, the atmosphere was very unusual. I had taken pictures of them before, but never in these conditions. I told myself that I am a photographer and if I have to write a line in the history of my country, I should not hesitate.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 17- 40mm
Caption: Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo (L) and his wife Simone sit in a room at Hotel Golf in Abidjan, after they were arrested, April 11, 2011. Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo was arrested by opposition forces after French troops closed in on the compound where the self-proclaimed president had been holed up in a bunker for the past week. Gbagbo refused to step down when Alassane Ouattara won November's presidential election, according to results certified by the United Nations, reigniting violence that has claimed more than a thousand lives and uprooted a million people. The hotel is where his rival Ouattara has his headquarters. REUTERS/Stringer
“Light and heavy weapons were detonating and the sound of the French army bombing resounded. I could hear them from the Hotel Golf, the headquarters of proclaimed president Alassane Ouattara and where we had been hiding since the presidential elections in November 2010. The intensive bombing and advancement of pro-Ouattarra forces made me understand that it was the end of my ordeal at the hotel where conditions were becoming more and more difficult. There was not enough food or places to sleep, considering the number of people – hotel staff, members of the Ouattara party, members of the party of Henri Konan Bedie, local and foreign journalists and sympathizers – who were holed out there.
I was enormously surprised to be there for the arrival of former president Laurent Gbago followed by his wife and escorted by pro-Ouattara forces. When I finally entered the room where they were, the atmosphere was very unusual. I had taken pictures of them before, but never in these conditions. I told myself that I am a photographer and if I have to write a line in the history of my country, I should not hesitate.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 17- 40mm
Caption: Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo (L) and his wife Simone sit in a room at Hotel Golf in Abidjan, after they were arrested, April 11, 2011. Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo was arrested by opposition forces after French troops closed in on the compound where the self-proclaimed president had been holed up in a bunker for the past week. Gbagbo refused to step down when Alassane Ouattara won November's presidential election, according to results certified by the United Nations, reigniting violence that has claimed more than a thousand lives and uprooted a million people. The hotel is where his rival Ouattara has his headquarters. REUTERS/Stringer
Image 78 of 100: KIERAN DOHERTY, England
“This was a protest against the Egyptian government during or prior to the momentous events in Tahrir Square. Demonstrators had gathered outside the Egyptian Embassy in London and had moved to the Libyan Embassy on Hyde Park corner en route to Downing Street.
I noticed the three men praying and stopped to take a picture when I saw the man and his pet dogs. In order to make the picture work I had to walk past the three men praying and position myself behind the dog walker. By this time he hadn't noticed the praying men. Then he did and there was just one frame. I waited as he walked past them to see if there would be any further reaction by him or the dogs but it didn't really amount to much. I just thought it was an odd sight in the middle of a huge march to see three protesters find an opportunity for a quick prayer.”
Leica M9 rangefinder, lens 28mm, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 200
Caption: Muslims pray in Hyde Park as protesters demonstrate to show solidarity with the Arab peoples, as they march to Downing Street, in London February 25, 2011. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty
“This was a protest against the Egyptian government during or prior to the momentous events in Tahrir Square. Demonstrators had gathered outside the Egyptian Embassy in London and had moved to the Libyan Embassy on Hyde Park corner en route to Downing Street.
I noticed the three men praying and stopped to take a picture when I saw the man and his pet dogs. In order to make the picture work I had to walk past the three men praying and position myself behind the dog walker. By this time he hadn't noticed the praying men. Then he did and there was just one frame. I waited as he walked past them to see if there would be any further reaction by him or the dogs but it didn't really amount to much. I just thought it was an odd sight in the middle of a huge march to see three protesters find an opportunity for a quick prayer.”
Leica M9 rangefinder, lens 28mm, f2.8, 1/250, ISO 200
Caption: Muslims pray in Hyde Park as protesters demonstrate to show solidarity with the Arab peoples, as they march to Downing Street, in London February 25, 2011. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty
Image 79 of 100: FABRIZIO BENSCH, Norway
“In the hours after the bombing in Oslo and shooting of youths by anti-immigration zealot Anders Behring Breivik at Utoeya Island, northwest of the Norwegian capital I took a plane from Berlin (Germany) to finally reach the island by car. Early the next day, I drove to a hotel near the island where the survivors were staying. The island was in the middle of lake Tyrifjorden and the only way to get closer pictures on what was going on there was to go by boat. Police and rescue teams on boats were searching for missing victims and I was not sure how close I could approach to the island. Together with a local Norwegian photographer we drove to a campsite where we rented a boat. He knew the area very well and steered the boat in the direction of Utoeya island. News reports said a total of 80 people died in the bombing and shooting.
My main concern was not to attract the interest of the police. My equipment was hidden. As we got closer to Utoeya, from the boat I saw white spots on the rocks along the shoreline of the island. What could have been covered with what seemed to be white blankets? As we approached the island I connected my 1.4X converter to get a 700mm telephoto lens. With the help of that lens I could see legs and feet under the white blankets. Everywhere on the shore were corpses of the youths shot by the Norwegian right-wing extremist. It was an eerie, gruesome and frightening moment. Around me was a total silence. No voices of people just the monotonous sound of our boat engine. Just hours before youths had tried to escape the bullets by jumping and swimming in the lake to reach the safe shore or by hiding on the island. Dozens had no chance to escape and were killed by Breivik like helpless animals. We drove around the island and we saw more bodies. When we arrived on the other side, we were finally stopped by a police boat.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 500mm+1.4 times teleconverter, f5.6, 1/1250, ISO 2000
Caption: Covered corpses are seen on the shore of the small, wooded island of Utoeya July 23, 2011. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Click here for a related blog
“In the hours after the bombing in Oslo and shooting of youths by anti-immigration zealot Anders Behring Breivik at Utoeya Island, northwest of the Norwegian capital I took a plane from Berlin (Germany) to finally reach the island by car. Early the next day, I drove to a hotel near the island where the survivors were staying. The island was in the middle of lake Tyrifjorden and the only way to get closer pictures on what was going on there was to go by boat. Police and rescue teams on boats were searching for missing victims and I was not sure how close I could approach to the island. Together with a local Norwegian photographer we drove to a campsite where we rented a boat. He knew the area very well and steered the boat in the direction of Utoeya island. News reports said a total of 80 people died in the bombing and shooting.
My main concern was not to attract the interest of the police. My equipment was hidden. As we got closer to Utoeya, from the boat I saw white spots on the rocks along the shoreline of the island. What could have been covered with what seemed to be white blankets? As we approached the island I connected my 1.4X converter to get a 700mm telephoto lens. With the help of that lens I could see legs and feet under the white blankets. Everywhere on the shore were corpses of the youths shot by the Norwegian right-wing extremist. It was an eerie, gruesome and frightening moment. Around me was a total silence. No voices of people just the monotonous sound of our boat engine. Just hours before youths had tried to escape the bullets by jumping and swimming in the lake to reach the safe shore or by hiding on the island. Dozens had no chance to escape and were killed by Breivik like helpless animals. We drove around the island and we saw more bodies. When we arrived on the other side, we were finally stopped by a police boat.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 500mm+1.4 times teleconverter, f5.6, 1/1250, ISO 2000
Caption: Covered corpses are seen on the shore of the small, wooded island of Utoeya July 23, 2011. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
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Image 80 of 100: BOBBY YIP, China
“I was covering migrant workers returning back to their hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families. This young migrant, waiting for his turn to get on a train, symbolizes many of those who are in their early 20s working far away from their homes. He has a fashionable hairstyle, one of the few things he could take total control of to present his own character, which distinguishes himself from many others, apart from working for long hours in factories or service sectors with them.”
Canon EOS 5D, 16-35mm lens at 16mm, f11, 1/350, ISO200
Caption: Migrant workers waiting to board trains wait outside the Dongguan East train station in China's southern Pearl River Delta January 24, 2011. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
“I was covering migrant workers returning back to their hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families. This young migrant, waiting for his turn to get on a train, symbolizes many of those who are in their early 20s working far away from their homes. He has a fashionable hairstyle, one of the few things he could take total control of to present his own character, which distinguishes himself from many others, apart from working for long hours in factories or service sectors with them.”
Canon EOS 5D, 16-35mm lens at 16mm, f11, 1/350, ISO200
Caption: Migrant workers waiting to board trains wait outside the Dongguan East train station in China's southern Pearl River Delta January 24, 2011. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
Image 81 of 100: JORGE DAN LOPEZ, Mexico
“Hundreds of people had gathered for a book signing of Ricky Martin’s autobiography and were standing in a long line outside a shopping center in the south of Mexico City. It was sunny when I arrived but many had been waiting since early morning when it was still cold. It was a mixed crowd; I was particularly impressed by a man who was holding Martin’s book, he was holding it tightly and singing passionately to Martin’s music sounding in the background.
When Ricky Martin arrived, he greeted the waiting fans and sat down to sign the books. A woman who was standing in the front row and who was visibly excited at being so close to the performer suddenly took a leap trying to get onto the stage but a bodyguard jumped in and swiftly picked her up and carried her away.
Ricky Martin laughed, he looked half amused, half nervous, but he continued to sign the books as if nothing had happened.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f4, 1/800, ISO 320
Caption: Puerto Rican singer and Latin Grammy winner Ricky Martin (R) reacts as a female fan is restrained by security during a promotional event for his "Music + Soul + Sex" tour in Mexico City April 5, 2011. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez
“Hundreds of people had gathered for a book signing of Ricky Martin’s autobiography and were standing in a long line outside a shopping center in the south of Mexico City. It was sunny when I arrived but many had been waiting since early morning when it was still cold. It was a mixed crowd; I was particularly impressed by a man who was holding Martin’s book, he was holding it tightly and singing passionately to Martin’s music sounding in the background.
When Ricky Martin arrived, he greeted the waiting fans and sat down to sign the books. A woman who was standing in the front row and who was visibly excited at being so close to the performer suddenly took a leap trying to get onto the stage but a bodyguard jumped in and swiftly picked her up and carried her away.
Ricky Martin laughed, he looked half amused, half nervous, but he continued to sign the books as if nothing had happened.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f4, 1/800, ISO 320
Caption: Puerto Rican singer and Latin Grammy winner Ricky Martin (R) reacts as a female fan is restrained by security during a promotional event for his "Music + Soul + Sex" tour in Mexico City April 5, 2011. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez
Image 82 of 100: TOBY MELVILLE England
“Lighting conditions were perfect, as from test times outside the abbey, the exact minute the couple were due to appear. When I had checked out the position two days before in bright sunlight, a huge shadow would have been cast from a nearby building diagonally across them. A white dress would have been totally blown out and shadow detail gone black, rendering the image virtually unusable - especially for magazine clients. The rain that was also forecast in London, which would have given a flat and soft looking frame, never materialized either...so bright even shade was perfect...as nearly every wedding photographer will tell you!
Having Best Man Prince Harry behind, and his interaction with Kate's sister, the Chief Bridesmaid, Pippa Middleton, was just a spot of luck really, but a wee bonus on the day. Apart from six months of logistical planning by the UK Pictures Desk team and IT support guys for picture transmission and editing in almost real time via under road cabled broadband lines from the media centre to my cameras and laptop, the only other hurdle to jump on the day was crossing my legs from 5.30 in the morning to 1pm in the afternoon as there was no toilet available in our 'secured, sterile' photo position opposite the Abbey!”
Nikon D3s, lens 500mm, f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 400
Caption: Britain's Prince William (L) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, look at one another after their wedding ceremony in Westminster Abbey, in central London April 29, 2011. REUTERS/Toby Melville
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“Lighting conditions were perfect, as from test times outside the abbey, the exact minute the couple were due to appear. When I had checked out the position two days before in bright sunlight, a huge shadow would have been cast from a nearby building diagonally across them. A white dress would have been totally blown out and shadow detail gone black, rendering the image virtually unusable - especially for magazine clients. The rain that was also forecast in London, which would have given a flat and soft looking frame, never materialized either...so bright even shade was perfect...as nearly every wedding photographer will tell you!
Having Best Man Prince Harry behind, and his interaction with Kate's sister, the Chief Bridesmaid, Pippa Middleton, was just a spot of luck really, but a wee bonus on the day. Apart from six months of logistical planning by the UK Pictures Desk team and IT support guys for picture transmission and editing in almost real time via under road cabled broadband lines from the media centre to my cameras and laptop, the only other hurdle to jump on the day was crossing my legs from 5.30 in the morning to 1pm in the afternoon as there was no toilet available in our 'secured, sterile' photo position opposite the Abbey!”
Nikon D3s, lens 500mm, f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 400
Caption: Britain's Prince William (L) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, look at one another after their wedding ceremony in Westminster Abbey, in central London April 29, 2011. REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Image 83 of 100: DAVID GRAY, South Korea
“This picture of Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand laying on the track after falling during a heat of the women's 1,500 meters was taken during the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, on August 28. This front-on slightly raised position at the end of the straight is where I have photographed athletics from for the last decade. As usual, I was watching the runners complete their laps, always ready for someone to be pushed or bumped by a fellow competitor, which can lead to someone, very occasionally, falling and not finishing the race. The final turn leading into the straight is where the most action happens, and it is here you must be ready and alert. I saw Nikki start being bumped by the runners at the top of the straight, and so I focused on her, even though she was in the middle of the field. Then, she disappeared behind the front-runners, and I knew that she had gone down. Now, I had a conflict, as I needed to not only get her lying on the track, but also capture the winners of the heat. So, I quickly focused on her, and then straight after I took this picture, I went back to the runners crossing the line. When I saw that the winners did not react in any way to their victory, I went straight back to Nikki and took some shots of her getting up, and walking off the track crying. Athletics can be a cruel sport, as I am sure she, like all the athletes, put many, many hours into reaching this level."
Canon Mark IV, lens 400mm, f4, 1/1600, ISO 1000
Caption: Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand lays on the track after falling during the women's 1,500 meters heats at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011. REUTERS/David Gray
“This picture of Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand laying on the track after falling during a heat of the women's 1,500 meters was taken during the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, on August 28. This front-on slightly raised position at the end of the straight is where I have photographed athletics from for the last decade. As usual, I was watching the runners complete their laps, always ready for someone to be pushed or bumped by a fellow competitor, which can lead to someone, very occasionally, falling and not finishing the race. The final turn leading into the straight is where the most action happens, and it is here you must be ready and alert. I saw Nikki start being bumped by the runners at the top of the straight, and so I focused on her, even though she was in the middle of the field. Then, she disappeared behind the front-runners, and I knew that she had gone down. Now, I had a conflict, as I needed to not only get her lying on the track, but also capture the winners of the heat. So, I quickly focused on her, and then straight after I took this picture, I went back to the runners crossing the line. When I saw that the winners did not react in any way to their victory, I went straight back to Nikki and took some shots of her getting up, and walking off the track crying. Athletics can be a cruel sport, as I am sure she, like all the athletes, put many, many hours into reaching this level."
Canon Mark IV, lens 400mm, f4, 1/1600, ISO 1000
Caption: Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand lays on the track after falling during the women's 1,500 meters heats at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu August 28, 2011. REUTERS/David Gray
Image 84 of 100: ALBERT GONZALEZ FARRAN, Sudan
"Several UN agencies (OCHA, UNHCR, FAO and UNICEF) and UNAMID were participating in an aid operation in Kuma Garadayat, a remote village located in North Darfur (Sudan), when some straw huts were set on fire accidentally. During the summer, the dryness and the heat frequently cause these kinds of accidents in Darfur. When the first signs of smoke alerted the population, each villager knew their role to play. Men and boys armed themselves with branches to extinguish the fire, while women and girls went to the houses to collect their belongings and tried to move everything out of the way of the fire. This image shows how a frightened girl escaped from the flames. Fortunately, nothing very bad happened. Just part of the village was completely burnt."
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f4.0, 1/2000, ISO 160
Caption: Women and children run away with their belongings from a fire in Kuma Garadayat, a village located in North Darfur controlled by members of SLA-Free Will faction, a signatory of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) May 19, 2011. Some shelters caught on fire accidentally while UN agencies, OCHA, UNHCR and FAO, were participating in an operation conducted by UNAMID to secure access to remote, conflict-affected areas. REUTERS/Albert Gonzalez Farran/UNAMID
"Several UN agencies (OCHA, UNHCR, FAO and UNICEF) and UNAMID were participating in an aid operation in Kuma Garadayat, a remote village located in North Darfur (Sudan), when some straw huts were set on fire accidentally. During the summer, the dryness and the heat frequently cause these kinds of accidents in Darfur. When the first signs of smoke alerted the population, each villager knew their role to play. Men and boys armed themselves with branches to extinguish the fire, while women and girls went to the houses to collect their belongings and tried to move everything out of the way of the fire. This image shows how a frightened girl escaped from the flames. Fortunately, nothing very bad happened. Just part of the village was completely burnt."
Canon EOS-5D Mark II, lens 16-35mm, f4.0, 1/2000, ISO 160
Caption: Women and children run away with their belongings from a fire in Kuma Garadayat, a village located in North Darfur controlled by members of SLA-Free Will faction, a signatory of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) May 19, 2011. Some shelters caught on fire accidentally while UN agencies, OCHA, UNHCR and FAO, were participating in an operation conducted by UNAMID to secure access to remote, conflict-affected areas. REUTERS/Albert Gonzalez Farran/UNAMID
Image 85 of 100: PETE SOUZA for the White House, United States
“This photo was taken in the Situation Room as the President and most of his national security team monitored in real time the mission against Osama bin Laden. The Situation Room is actually comprised of several conference rooms. Most of the pictures that the public has seen inside the Situation Room are from the large conference room. This was in a smaller conference room, which is why everyone was kind of jammed into the room. I made about 100 exposures during the 40 or so minutes they were in this room.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 35mm, f3.5, 1/100, ISO 1600
Caption: President Barack Obama (2nd L) and Vice President Joe Biden (L), along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011. Also pictured are Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (2nd R) and Defense Secretary Robert Gates (R). Please note: A classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured at source. REUTERS/White House/Pete Souza/Handout
“This photo was taken in the Situation Room as the President and most of his national security team monitored in real time the mission against Osama bin Laden. The Situation Room is actually comprised of several conference rooms. Most of the pictures that the public has seen inside the Situation Room are from the large conference room. This was in a smaller conference room, which is why everyone was kind of jammed into the room. I made about 100 exposures during the 40 or so minutes they were in this room.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 35mm, f3.5, 1/100, ISO 1600
Caption: President Barack Obama (2nd L) and Vice President Joe Biden (L), along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011. Also pictured are Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (2nd R) and Defense Secretary Robert Gates (R). Please note: A classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured at source. REUTERS/White House/Pete Souza/Handout
Image 86 of 100: DANIEL LECLAIR, Guatemala
“While riding through the streets of Guatemala City, I came across this pair of security guards, weapons drawn, struggling with a suspected assassin who had pulled a gun on a public bus. It was a tense situation. I photographed them from a few feet away even as one security guard dropped his pistol and all three fought for it. A crowd of passengers from the bus gathered around us screaming for the stripped-shirt man to be lynched, but the guards called the police and tried to settle the crowd. The police finally did show up and loaded the beaten and bleeding suspect into a pickup truck. The by-standers were angrily protesting, fearing the man would be let off easy, when suddenly my taxi driver grabbed the back of my shirt, letting me know it was time to make a quick exit as the frustrated crowd looked for someone else to turn their anger on.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f3.5, 1/320, ISO 100
Caption: A man (C) who pulled out a gun on a public bus tries to run after being captured by security guards in Guatemala City February 15, 2011. Robberies on buses are a daily occurrence in Guatemala, according to the GAM (Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo), an organization that monitors human rights abuses. Twenty-four passengers were killed and 110 injured while using public buses last year, according to GAM. REUTERS/Daniel LeClair
“While riding through the streets of Guatemala City, I came across this pair of security guards, weapons drawn, struggling with a suspected assassin who had pulled a gun on a public bus. It was a tense situation. I photographed them from a few feet away even as one security guard dropped his pistol and all three fought for it. A crowd of passengers from the bus gathered around us screaming for the stripped-shirt man to be lynched, but the guards called the police and tried to settle the crowd. The police finally did show up and loaded the beaten and bleeding suspect into a pickup truck. The by-standers were angrily protesting, fearing the man would be let off easy, when suddenly my taxi driver grabbed the back of my shirt, letting me know it was time to make a quick exit as the frustrated crowd looked for someone else to turn their anger on.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f3.5, 1/320, ISO 100
Caption: A man (C) who pulled out a gun on a public bus tries to run after being captured by security guards in Guatemala City February 15, 2011. Robberies on buses are a daily occurrence in Guatemala, according to the GAM (Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo), an organization that monitors human rights abuses. Twenty-four passengers were killed and 110 injured while using public buses last year, according to GAM. REUTERS/Daniel LeClair
Image 87 of 100: GORAN TOMASEVIC, Libya
“This was the day that most of the journalists left Benghazi. It was when coalition forces were bombing Gaddafi tanks. I heard a lot of noise from the house where I was staying. There were people shooting into the air as the rebels had come across a tank captured from Gaddafi forces. After each bombardment, the rebels got happier and happier.“
Canon Mark IIII, lens 20mm, f9, 1/320, ISO 400
Caption: A woman rebel fighter supporter shoots an AK-47 rifle as she reacts to the news of the withdrawal of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces from Benghazi March 19, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
“This was the day that most of the journalists left Benghazi. It was when coalition forces were bombing Gaddafi tanks. I heard a lot of noise from the house where I was staying. There were people shooting into the air as the rebels had come across a tank captured from Gaddafi forces. After each bombardment, the rebels got happier and happier.“
Canon Mark IIII, lens 20mm, f9, 1/320, ISO 400
Caption: A woman rebel fighter supporter shoots an AK-47 rifle as she reacts to the news of the withdrawal of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces from Benghazi March 19, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
Image 88 of 100: SHAHID SHINWARI, Pakistan
“I captured this photo when an oil tanker, carrying fuel for NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, was attacked along the Pak-Afghan highway in Landikotal Khyber Agency. A contact from the anti-narcotics force called to say a powerful bomb had exploded around an oil tanker on the highway near Landikotal Bazar. I rushed there by taxi and travelled some four miles to the spot.
After arriving at the scene, I saw oil tankers and private vehicles, all set ablaze. Local residents and some children were trying to strip vehicles of metal on the spot. I started capturing the scene from a nearby hill. After photographing the scene I went back to my office. Due to frequent power outages, electricity was not available and I used a generator to send the photos.”
Canon DSC-P150, lens 8mm, f5.6, 1/200, ISO 100
Caption: Children try to salvage metal and other parts from damaged vehicles near burning oil tankers, used to carry fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan, after they were hit by a bomb attack in the outskirts of Landikotal, northwest Pakistan on August 16, 2011. A bomb blast destroyed four trucks carrying fuel for U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of Khyber, local government officials said. REUTERS/Shahid Shinwari
“I captured this photo when an oil tanker, carrying fuel for NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, was attacked along the Pak-Afghan highway in Landikotal Khyber Agency. A contact from the anti-narcotics force called to say a powerful bomb had exploded around an oil tanker on the highway near Landikotal Bazar. I rushed there by taxi and travelled some four miles to the spot.
After arriving at the scene, I saw oil tankers and private vehicles, all set ablaze. Local residents and some children were trying to strip vehicles of metal on the spot. I started capturing the scene from a nearby hill. After photographing the scene I went back to my office. Due to frequent power outages, electricity was not available and I used a generator to send the photos.”
Canon DSC-P150, lens 8mm, f5.6, 1/200, ISO 100
Caption: Children try to salvage metal and other parts from damaged vehicles near burning oil tankers, used to carry fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan, after they were hit by a bomb attack in the outskirts of Landikotal, northwest Pakistan on August 16, 2011. A bomb blast destroyed four trucks carrying fuel for U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of Khyber, local government officials said. REUTERS/Shahid Shinwari
Image 89 of 100: BAZ RATNER, Afghanistan
“My assignment in Afghanistan in June and July 2011 was to cover the last days of the Canadian army’s combat role, as they prepare to depart after 10 years in Afghanistan as one of the contributing forces. The unit I was embedded with was the Canadian 22nd royal regiment, or Van Doos as it is known in Canada. They were based in Seprwan Ghar forward operating base (FOB) in the Panjwai district, Kandahar province southern Afghanistan. I was going out on patrols with them for a while. On June 12 the container I was staying in started shaking from shelling blasts. I went to see what was happening. U.S. soldiers from 2nd Platoon, B battery 2-8 field artillery were firing their howitzers about 200 meters from where I was trying to sleep.
I took some pictures of them shooting it and as they repositioned the piece and fired, the cannon recoiled back and the gravel surrounding it was flung into the air. I managed to get a picture where the gravel seems suspended around the cannon and specialist Lucas Couvaras from Phoenix Arizona, who was there to reloaded the cannon, surprising both him and me.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 16mm, f5, 1/3200, ISO 3200
Caption: U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Platoon, B battery 2-8 field artillery, fire a howitzer artillery piece at Seprwan Ghar forward fire base in Panjwai district, Kandahar province southern Afghanistan, June 12, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
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“My assignment in Afghanistan in June and July 2011 was to cover the last days of the Canadian army’s combat role, as they prepare to depart after 10 years in Afghanistan as one of the contributing forces. The unit I was embedded with was the Canadian 22nd royal regiment, or Van Doos as it is known in Canada. They were based in Seprwan Ghar forward operating base (FOB) in the Panjwai district, Kandahar province southern Afghanistan. I was going out on patrols with them for a while. On June 12 the container I was staying in started shaking from shelling blasts. I went to see what was happening. U.S. soldiers from 2nd Platoon, B battery 2-8 field artillery were firing their howitzers about 200 meters from where I was trying to sleep.
I took some pictures of them shooting it and as they repositioned the piece and fired, the cannon recoiled back and the gravel surrounding it was flung into the air. I managed to get a picture where the gravel seems suspended around the cannon and specialist Lucas Couvaras from Phoenix Arizona, who was there to reloaded the cannon, surprising both him and me.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 16mm, f5, 1/3200, ISO 3200
Caption: U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Platoon, B battery 2-8 field artillery, fire a howitzer artillery piece at Seprwan Ghar forward fire base in Panjwai district, Kandahar province southern Afghanistan, June 12, 2011. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
Click here for a related blog
Image 90 of 100: OMAR FARUK, Somalia
“It was early in the morning when I went to Iskola Bulisiya square in Somalia's capital Mogadishu where many people were waiting for a public execution. Suddenly a convoy with two blindfolded men arrived. After a few minutes a group of soldiers started the preparations and opened fire on the two men. Then a Somali government soldier with an AK47 shot at close range to execute two former soldiers Abdi Sankus Abdi (R) and Abdullahi Jinow Guure (L) as they cried loudly saying “forgive us, we never, ever kill humankind”. After they died their relatives came and covered them with white clothes and they were buried near the square. The two men were found guilty of killing another soldier and a civilian on the basis of witness testimony, the Chairman of the Military Court Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab said.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 70-200mm, ISO 640
Caption: A Somali government soldier shoots at close range to execute two former soldiers Abdi Sankus Abdi (R) and Abdullahi Jinow Guure (L) at the Iskola Bulisiya square in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, August 22, 2011. The military court of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) executed Abdi, 31, and Guure, 29, after they were found guilty of killing another soldier and a civilian on the basis of witness testimony, the Chairman of the Military Court Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab said. REUTERS/Omar Faruk
“It was early in the morning when I went to Iskola Bulisiya square in Somalia's capital Mogadishu where many people were waiting for a public execution. Suddenly a convoy with two blindfolded men arrived. After a few minutes a group of soldiers started the preparations and opened fire on the two men. Then a Somali government soldier with an AK47 shot at close range to execute two former soldiers Abdi Sankus Abdi (R) and Abdullahi Jinow Guure (L) as they cried loudly saying “forgive us, we never, ever kill humankind”. After they died their relatives came and covered them with white clothes and they were buried near the square. The two men were found guilty of killing another soldier and a civilian on the basis of witness testimony, the Chairman of the Military Court Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab said.”
Canon EOS 7D, lens 70-200mm, ISO 640
Caption: A Somali government soldier shoots at close range to execute two former soldiers Abdi Sankus Abdi (R) and Abdullahi Jinow Guure (L) at the Iskola Bulisiya square in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, August 22, 2011. The military court of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) executed Abdi, 31, and Guure, 29, after they were found guilty of killing another soldier and a civilian on the basis of witness testimony, the Chairman of the Military Court Hassan Mohamed Hussein Mungab said. REUTERS/Omar Faruk
Image 91 of 100: ARND WIEGMANN, Switzerland
“After the intersection of the first 35.41 mile long tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel on October 15, 2010 the final break-through in the second parallel single track tunnel took place on March 23 this year. More than twenty years of planning and construction work at the world’s longest railway tunnel crossing the Swiss Alps took a crucial hurdle.
Together with miners and a group of journalists I was shuttled from the Alptransit construction camp in the southern Swiss town of Faido by bus through a side access tunnel to the station of a mining railroad deep in the mountains. It took us 45 minutes by train to reach the venue of the intersection ceremony underneath the St. Gotthard massif.
A sound and light show accompanied the noise and heavy vibrations of the giant 4,500 horsepower strong boring machine ‘Heidi’, with a diameter of nine yards, on its way through the last meters of granite. As the machine had finished its job a miner climbed over the fallen rocks to welcome his colleagues from the other side of the intersection.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 24-70mm at 40mm, f6.3, 1/250sec, ISO 2500
Caption: A miner climbs on excavated rocks after a giant drill machine broke through at the final section Sedrun-Faido, at the construction site of the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel March 23, 2011. Crossing the Alps, the world's longest train tunnel should become operational at the end of 2016. The project consists of two parallel single track tunnels, each of a length of 57 km (35 miles). REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
“After the intersection of the first 35.41 mile long tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel on October 15, 2010 the final break-through in the second parallel single track tunnel took place on March 23 this year. More than twenty years of planning and construction work at the world’s longest railway tunnel crossing the Swiss Alps took a crucial hurdle.
Together with miners and a group of journalists I was shuttled from the Alptransit construction camp in the southern Swiss town of Faido by bus through a side access tunnel to the station of a mining railroad deep in the mountains. It took us 45 minutes by train to reach the venue of the intersection ceremony underneath the St. Gotthard massif.
A sound and light show accompanied the noise and heavy vibrations of the giant 4,500 horsepower strong boring machine ‘Heidi’, with a diameter of nine yards, on its way through the last meters of granite. As the machine had finished its job a miner climbed over the fallen rocks to welcome his colleagues from the other side of the intersection.”
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, lens 24-70mm at 40mm, f6.3, 1/250sec, ISO 2500
Caption: A miner climbs on excavated rocks after a giant drill machine broke through at the final section Sedrun-Faido, at the construction site of the NEAT Gotthard Base Tunnel March 23, 2011. Crossing the Alps, the world's longest train tunnel should become operational at the end of 2016. The project consists of two parallel single track tunnels, each of a length of 57 km (35 miles). REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
Image 92 of 100: LUCA BETTINI, France
“I have basically been shooting cycling pictures since 2006; all the big races like Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta de Espana and all of the other classic cycling races. During this year’s Tour de France I took this picture on the 9th stage from Issoire to Saint-flour. There was a break away with five riders included Johnny Hoogerland.
The photographers following the race on motorbikes need to overtake the riders before the 25km before the finish mark or they don’t have a chance of shooting the winner of the stage. In this case we were at the 36km before finish mark when I decided to overtake the break away to run to take my place at the finish line.
At the same moment some TV cars following the break away had the same idea and just in front of me one of these cars hit the back of the bicycle of a rider which touched Johny Hoogerland. He fell through the barber wire placed on the side of the narrow road. I couldn’t believe this happened. My reaction time to stop the bike was a bit late and we stopped after about 40 yards. I ran back and got this shot when Johnny tried to get across the barbed wire to restart the stage.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 70/200mm, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 400
Caption: Vacansoleil-DCM rider Johnny Hoogerland of the Netherlands is pictured after crashing during the ninth stage of the Tour de France 2011 cycling race from Issoire to Saint-Flour July 10, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Bettini
“I have basically been shooting cycling pictures since 2006; all the big races like Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta de Espana and all of the other classic cycling races. During this year’s Tour de France I took this picture on the 9th stage from Issoire to Saint-flour. There was a break away with five riders included Johnny Hoogerland.
The photographers following the race on motorbikes need to overtake the riders before the 25km before the finish mark or they don’t have a chance of shooting the winner of the stage. In this case we were at the 36km before finish mark when I decided to overtake the break away to run to take my place at the finish line.
At the same moment some TV cars following the break away had the same idea and just in front of me one of these cars hit the back of the bicycle of a rider which touched Johny Hoogerland. He fell through the barber wire placed on the side of the narrow road. I couldn’t believe this happened. My reaction time to stop the bike was a bit late and we stopped after about 40 yards. I ran back and got this shot when Johnny tried to get across the barbed wire to restart the stage.”
Canon Mark IV, lens 70/200mm, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 400
Caption: Vacansoleil-DCM rider Johnny Hoogerland of the Netherlands is pictured after crashing during the ninth stage of the Tour de France 2011 cycling race from Issoire to Saint-Flour July 10, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Bettini
Image 93 of 100: NOZIM KALANDAROV, Tajikistan
“About one week before this assignment, I saw a picture of zookeeper Zukhro walking with lion Vadik at Dushanbe zoo shot by a fellow photographer. He photographed them with a small compact camera from far away and Vadik was almost unseen. I negotiated my assignment with the zoo director and agreed with him to shoot with a telephoto lens, as all visitors have to stay away for safety reasons. Soon, I got my chance as Zukhro led Vadik from his cage to the open-air enclosure.”
Canon 1D Mark IIN, lens 100-400mm
Caption: Zukhro, an employee of the city zoo, walks with Vadik, an 18-month-old male lion, on the territory of the zoo in the capital Dushanbe, January 20, 2011. Employees take the lion from its cage to have a promenade along the territory two times a week while holding a piece of meat to attract Vadik's attention so it walks nearby. REUTERS/Nozim Kalandarov
“About one week before this assignment, I saw a picture of zookeeper Zukhro walking with lion Vadik at Dushanbe zoo shot by a fellow photographer. He photographed them with a small compact camera from far away and Vadik was almost unseen. I negotiated my assignment with the zoo director and agreed with him to shoot with a telephoto lens, as all visitors have to stay away for safety reasons. Soon, I got my chance as Zukhro led Vadik from his cage to the open-air enclosure.”
Canon 1D Mark IIN, lens 100-400mm
Caption: Zukhro, an employee of the city zoo, walks with Vadik, an 18-month-old male lion, on the territory of the zoo in the capital Dushanbe, January 20, 2011. Employees take the lion from its cage to have a promenade along the territory two times a week while holding a piece of meat to attract Vadik's attention so it walks nearby. REUTERS/Nozim Kalandarov
Image 94 of 100: FEISAL OMAR, Somalia
“I met a shocked mother at Banadir Hospital. The mother was standing behind her 3-year-old dying son as she wept, “Save my son, save my son”. Nurses at the hospital rushed to the scene and injected water into the boy. After thirty minutes a nurse told the mother that her baby had died. The mother cried loudly as she leaned against a wall. The boy died of malnourishment as he was a victim of the famine victim that hit Somalia.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 35mm, ISO 400
A Somali doctor treats a malnourished child, as the child's mother (L) looks on at Banadir hospital in Mogadishu, July 21, 2011. The child later passed away. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
“I met a shocked mother at Banadir Hospital. The mother was standing behind her 3-year-old dying son as she wept, “Save my son, save my son”. Nurses at the hospital rushed to the scene and injected water into the boy. After thirty minutes a nurse told the mother that her baby had died. The mother cried loudly as she leaned against a wall. The boy died of malnourishment as he was a victim of the famine victim that hit Somalia.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 35mm, ISO 400
A Somali doctor treats a malnourished child, as the child's mother (L) looks on at Banadir hospital in Mogadishu, July 21, 2011. The child later passed away. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
Image 95 of 100: FEISAL OMAR, Somalia
Caption: A Somali woman weeps for her dead child at Banadir hospital in Mogadishu, July 21, 2011. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
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Caption: A Somali woman weeps for her dead child at Banadir hospital in Mogadishu, July 21, 2011. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
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Image 96 of 100: TORU HANAI, Japan
“The tsunami generated by the giant earthquake of March 11 washed away not only people, cars, houses but also family photographs loaded with memories. I visited Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, which had suffered serious tsunami damage, to cover volunteers cleaning family photographs about one month after the tsunami struck.
They worked in one room of a volunteer center which just barely avoided being damaged by the tsunami. Rescue teams, police, firefighters and the Japan Self Defense Force gathered the muddied and damaged pictures during their search for missing persons and brought the photos to the volunteer center to be restored. There was an enormous quantity. It is extraordinary work.
As volunteers cleaned the mud from the photos under running water with a brush they were careful not to injure those captured smiles, revived in the sequence of images. It reminded me that this city, now overflowing with disaster, was once covered with smiles.
All the photographs in this picture are of the same baby. The number of the work space, made me feel the deep love of the baby’s parents. I worried about what situation this disaster had brought to the family.
I later found out that the baby is now a 4-year-old girl who is well and living with her family.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f2.2, 1/800 sec, ISO 400
Caption: A volunteer cleans a family photo that was washed by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami as baby photos are placed to dry at a volunteer center in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, April 12, 2011. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Click here for a related slideshow
“The tsunami generated by the giant earthquake of March 11 washed away not only people, cars, houses but also family photographs loaded with memories. I visited Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, which had suffered serious tsunami damage, to cover volunteers cleaning family photographs about one month after the tsunami struck.
They worked in one room of a volunteer center which just barely avoided being damaged by the tsunami. Rescue teams, police, firefighters and the Japan Self Defense Force gathered the muddied and damaged pictures during their search for missing persons and brought the photos to the volunteer center to be restored. There was an enormous quantity. It is extraordinary work.
As volunteers cleaned the mud from the photos under running water with a brush they were careful not to injure those captured smiles, revived in the sequence of images. It reminded me that this city, now overflowing with disaster, was once covered with smiles.
All the photographs in this picture are of the same baby. The number of the work space, made me feel the deep love of the baby’s parents. I worried about what situation this disaster had brought to the family.
I later found out that the baby is now a 4-year-old girl who is well and living with her family.”
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, lens 24mm, f2.2, 1/800 sec, ISO 400
Caption: A volunteer cleans a family photo that was washed by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami as baby photos are placed to dry at a volunteer center in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, April 12, 2011. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Click here for a related slideshow
Image 97 of 100: DAMIR SAGOLJ, North Korea
“After days of excitement and lots of rare pictures in the provinces, I came back to Pyongyang without big plans for shooting in the capital. All I wanted were some moody general views of the city. This is probably the easiest big picture I shot for a long time - it was taken from the window of my hotel room in Pyongyang early morning, just before the sunrise. I knew that portrait was there and I insisted with our hosts to get a room on a very high floor facing that direction. So, all I had to do is to wake up early in the morning, make a coffee, light a cigarette and make sure I exposed well. The scene has this eerie look for maybe 5 to 10 minutes, then the revolutionary songs and propaganda speeches from loudspeakers wake the city up.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f4, 1/60, ISO 800
Caption: A picture of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung decorates a building in the capital Pyongyang early October 5, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
“After days of excitement and lots of rare pictures in the provinces, I came back to Pyongyang without big plans for shooting in the capital. All I wanted were some moody general views of the city. This is probably the easiest big picture I shot for a long time - it was taken from the window of my hotel room in Pyongyang early morning, just before the sunrise. I knew that portrait was there and I insisted with our hosts to get a room on a very high floor facing that direction. So, all I had to do is to wake up early in the morning, make a coffee, light a cigarette and make sure I exposed well. The scene has this eerie look for maybe 5 to 10 minutes, then the revolutionary songs and propaganda speeches from loudspeakers wake the city up.”
Canon 5D Mark II, lens 70-200mm, f4, 1/60, ISO 800
Caption: A picture of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung decorates a building in the capital Pyongyang early October 5, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Image 98 of 100: CARLOS BARRIA, Japan
“When the tsunami hit Japan, I was on vacation in my hometown of Bariloche, in Patagonia, literally on the other side of the planet. A few days later, I began my 36-hour journey back to Shanghai, where I’m based, and I arrived in Japan a week after the tsunami. One day, during a reporting trip to a coastal town, I saw a white pole sticking out of the water next to a white form near the surface. I asked my colleagues to stop for a while. After a closer look, I realized it was a vehicle completely submerged and I wondered if someone had marked the spot with the white stick. I climbed a tree to get a better view, and I saw two ducks swimming towards the spot. I shot a couple of pictures and paused. It seemed to me I had been waiting for something living to cross the frame, which made the picture a sad one for me.”
Canon Mark II, lens 135mm, f2, 1/320
Caption: Ducks swim past a submerged vehicle after the earthquake and tsunami in Yamada town, Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan, March 24, 2011. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Click here for a related slideshow
“When the tsunami hit Japan, I was on vacation in my hometown of Bariloche, in Patagonia, literally on the other side of the planet. A few days later, I began my 36-hour journey back to Shanghai, where I’m based, and I arrived in Japan a week after the tsunami. One day, during a reporting trip to a coastal town, I saw a white pole sticking out of the water next to a white form near the surface. I asked my colleagues to stop for a while. After a closer look, I realized it was a vehicle completely submerged and I wondered if someone had marked the spot with the white stick. I climbed a tree to get a better view, and I saw two ducks swimming towards the spot. I shot a couple of pictures and paused. It seemed to me I had been waiting for something living to cross the frame, which made the picture a sad one for me.”
Canon Mark II, lens 135mm, f2, 1/320
Caption: Ducks swim past a submerged vehicle after the earthquake and tsunami in Yamada town, Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan, March 24, 2011. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Click here for a related slideshow
Image 99 of 100:
Image 100 of 100: FINBARR O’REILLY, Ivory Coast
“It was barely a few days after Laurent Gbagbo was removed from power by the UN and forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, who had won an election several months before. Gbagbo refused to accept defeat and clung to power, leading to months of instability, fighting and death. Ivory Coast's main city of Abidjan had been on lock down for weeks and corpses left in the street to rot littered the roads. You could smell them long before you could see them. I was on a UN bus travelling to the UN office when I caught that familiar whiff of putrid flesh and I knew there was a body somewhere nearby. I saw it up ahead as the bus slowed down to go around it. We were travelling around 30-40 kms/hr when I shot the frame out of the window of the moving bus, which is why the angle is so high. It's gruesome, but there's something strangely beautiful about the dead man's pose. It's almost as if he was trying to run away from death, but it caught up with him anyway.”
Canon 5D, lens 24-70mm
Caption: A decomposing body lies on a road in Abidjan April 14, 2011. Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo was overthrown by Ivorians, not by foreign powers, the United Nations said amid rising criticism of its role in the removal of the former leader. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
“It was barely a few days after Laurent Gbagbo was removed from power by the UN and forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, who had won an election several months before. Gbagbo refused to accept defeat and clung to power, leading to months of instability, fighting and death. Ivory Coast's main city of Abidjan had been on lock down for weeks and corpses left in the street to rot littered the roads. You could smell them long before you could see them. I was on a UN bus travelling to the UN office when I caught that familiar whiff of putrid flesh and I knew there was a body somewhere nearby. I saw it up ahead as the bus slowed down to go around it. We were travelling around 30-40 kms/hr when I shot the frame out of the window of the moving bus, which is why the angle is so high. It's gruesome, but there's something strangely beautiful about the dead man's pose. It's almost as if he was trying to run away from death, but it caught up with him anyway.”
Canon 5D, lens 24-70mm
Caption: A decomposing body lies on a road in Abidjan April 14, 2011. Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo was overthrown by Ivorians, not by foreign powers, the United Nations said amid rising criticism of its role in the removal of the former leader. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
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