Most Powerful Photos of the Year 2013 from Reuters Photojournalists

Photography Tips

As 2013 draws to a close, we reflect back on the high points (and low points) experienced in the past year. Many people look back on the year by reviewing the top news stories, Google searches, and top videos, but we are revisiting the events of 2013 in photos. From Miley twerking at the VMAs to the riots in Cairo, Reuters compiled the most extraordinary images from their photographers across the globe:

Some photos capture news events that made headlines worldwide, such as the death of Nelson Mandela. This photo captures 24-year-old Nelson Tavares working on a commemorative mural in Lisbon, Portugal.

Others show a very personal moment in the wake of disaster. Following a fire set by an angry mob, 68-year-old Azra looks at her dead pet bird in her destroyed Badami Bagh in Lahore.

All photos capture specific moments, but some of the best pictures of the year make time stand still. Here, a child gazes at jellyfish at the Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia, Canada.

While you may not recognize every event or person photographed in these pictures, there’s no doubt that each photo evokes the raw emotions that represent these major events we experienced in the past year.