January 2017
The world is a dangerous place to live.
Not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
Albert Einstein
2016 has been a year like no other. From the U.S. campaign trail to the refugee crisis and the Olympics, the news has kept photographers on their toes, pushing new boundaries and expanding their vision. We were blown away by the exquisite work we have seen day in and day out. They are a relentless group. Over the last few months we have been poring over thousands of photographs that provide a snapshot of the year in news and culture.
There were so many runners up to this year’s Top 10 photos but these, we feel, are the most striking and lasting. We spoke to each of the photographers about the picture they made; their words provide the captions that accompany their photos in this unranked gallery. She was making her stand and the police were going to arrest her. I quickly moved closer and took the shot.
BY JONATHAN BACHMAN
Last month, we published 100 Most Influential Photos of All Time, curated by TIME’s photo editors. The hardest part of the selection was choosing pictures from very recent history, because it’s usually time that dictates how influence can be quantified. Is there a picture in this Top 10 here that can be number 101? We invite your debate and discussion on TIME LightBox’s Twitter and Facebook. - Kira Pollack, TIME’s Director of Photography and Visual Enterprise.
On July 9, 2016, a group of demonstrators protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling by Baton Rouge police officers gathered on a road in front of the Baton Rouge police headquarters.
A mix of Louisiana law enforcement officers clad in full riot gear responded, herding most of the demonstrators off of the road and into an adjacent park. I began photographing the face-to-face confrontations between the police and the demonstrators when I heard someone say something like “Don’t stand there.” I turned and looked over my right shoulder and saw this woman standing in the road. I knew right away what was about to happen.
A few days later her name was released; Ieshia Evans, a 28-year-old nurse and the mother of a six-year-old son. Seeing her that day I thought of one word, “Powerful.” The strength and courage she displayed in standing up for a cause she so deeply believed in moved me.
Whatever the photographic merits of the image may be, I am most proud that it sparked an international conversation about police brutality and race relations in America. I believe that when there is conversation, no matter what side you are on, progress is being made and we begin to better understand one another. And to me, the ability to stimulate dialogue is one of the hallmarks of great photography.
Reference(s).. Time.com
Other 9 Photos of the year 2016
A massive snowstorm blankets the East Coast of the U.S., visible in a photograph taken from the International Space Station on January 23, 2016.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica competes in the Men’s 100-meter semifinal race during the Rio Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on Aug. 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Refugees wearing rain gear stand on a food distribution line at refugee camp in Greece, near the border with Macedonia. March 12, 2016.
Migrants wait to be rescued by members of the Proactiva Open Arms NGO in the Mediterranean Sea, some 15 nautical miles north of Libya, on Oct. 4, 2016.
Jimji, 6, cries out in anguish, saying “Papa” as workers move the body of her father, Jimboy Bolasa, 25, for burial, in Manila, Philippines, Oct. 9, 2016.
A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported airstrike in a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo on April 27, 2016.
Soldiers involved in a coup attempt to take control of Turkey surrender on Bosphorus bridge on July 16, 2016 in Istanbul.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to an overflow crowd during a campaign rally on Sept. 6, 2016, in Greenville, N.C.
Air Force One carrying U.S. President Barack Obama and his family flies over a neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, as it approaches the runway to land at Havana’s international airport, on March 20, 2016.