TIME’s Best Portraits of 2014

1 minute read

We know them as head of states, movie stars or athletes. They are forward-thinking, rebellious or controversial. They lead us or challenge us. Yet, behind their extraordinary auras and personalities, they are human beings like the rest of us.

This year, as TIME reinforced its legacy of strong visual storytelling, these newsmakers reveled in the flashes of the magazine’s photographers. From Marco Grob’s playful portrait of Seth Meyer to Yuri Kozyrev’s powerful – and exclusive – shoot with Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of the Pussy Riots, TIME’s commissioned photographers crisscrossed the world to meet with the world’s most influential personalities; culminating in an unprecedented four-country, 12-city photo shoot by Jackie Nickerson and Bryan Schutmaat with TIME’s Person of the Year – the Ebola Fighters.

 

Seth Meyers. From "We'll Do it Late." January 13, 2014 issue.Marco Grob for TIME
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Spike Jonze. From "Lonely Boy." January 20, 2014 issue.Dan Winters for TIME
Maria Alyokhina (left) and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. From "What Pussy Riot Does Next." January 20, 2014 issue.Yuri Kozyrev for TIME
Janet Yellen. From "The Sixteen Trillion Dollar Woman." January 20, 2014 issue.Peter Hapak for TIME
Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux. From "The Enforcers." February 10, 2014 issue.Michele Asselin for TIME
Portrait of France’s President François Hollande  at the presidential Élysée Palace in Paris, France. January 2014
François Hollande. From "Can He Fix France?" February 17, 2014 issue.Marco Grob for TIME
The Dalai Lama. From "Tibetan Wisdom." March 3, 2014 issue.Marco Grob for TIME
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Lupita Nyong'o. From "The Front Runner." March 3, 2014 issue.Sebastian Kim for TIME
Portrait of Wes Anderson photographed at the Aldon Hotel Kempinski, Berlin, Germany, February 8, 2014. (Markus Jans  for TIME)
Wes Anderson. From "On the Night Train With Wes Anderson." March 10, 2014 issue.Markus Jans for TIME
Woody Allen. From "No. 1 With a Bullet." April 14, 2014 issue.Therese + Joel for TIME
Tokyo, Japan : April 5, 2014Portrait of Prime Minister Shinzó Abe CREDIT BELOW:Takashi Osato for TIME
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. From "The Patriot." April 28, 2014 issue.Takashi Osato for TIME
John Oliver. From "Oliver's Twist." April 28, 2014 issue.Peter Yang for TIME
Colin Firth. From "10 Questions." April 28, 2014 issue.Peter Hapak for TIME
Eric Holder. From TIME's "100 Most Influential People in the World." May 5 / May 12, 2014 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIME
Mary Barra. From TIME's "100 Most Influential People in the World." May 5 / May 12, 2014 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIME
Serena Williams. From TIME's "100 Most Influential People in the World." May 5 / May 12, 2014 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIME
Jason Collins. From TIME's "100 Most Influential People in the World." May 5 / May 12, 2014 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIME
Robert Redford. From TIME's "100 Most Influential People in the World." May 5 / May 12, 2014 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIME
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. From TIME's "100 Most Influential People in the World." May 5 / May 12, 2014 issue.Peter Hapak for TIME
Laverne Cox. From "America's Transition." June 9, 2014 issue.Gillian Laub for TIME
Jamie Ewing. From "America's Transition." June 9, 2014 issue.Gillian Laub for TIME
Jenny Slate. From "Good Humor Woman." June 16, 2014 issue.Peter Hapak for TIME
US Soccer Team
Jürgen Klinsmann. From "Stars, Stripes and Soccer." June 23, 2014 issue.Levon Biss for TIME
US Soccer Team
Left to right: Jermain Jones, Fabian Johnson and Geoff Cameron. From "Stars, Stripes and Soccer." June 23, 2014 issue.Levon Biss for TIME
Au Patheon
JR. From "French photographer JR thinks selfies can change the world." June 23, 2014 issue.Lauren Fleishman for TIME
Jeff Koons. From "Show Me the Bunny." July 7 /July 14, 2014 issue.Sebastian Kim for TIME
Mark (left) and Ilja Terebin. From "The Antisocial Network." July 7 / July 14, 2014 issue.Rafal Milach—INSTITUTE for TIME
Jack Antonoff. From "Music Therapy." July 21, 2014 issue.Geordie Wood for TIME
Terry Crews. From "Crews Control." September 22, 2014 issue.Peter Hapak for TIME
Henry Kissinger. From "The Lion in Winter." September 22, 2014 issue.Marco Grob for TIME
U2. From "U2's New Mission." September 29, 2014 issue.Sebastian Kim for TIME
Gillian Flynn. From "The Marriage Plot." October 6, 2014 issue.Daniel Shea for TIME
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. From "After the Revolution." October 6, 2014 issue.Peter Hapak for TIME
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Mia Wasikowska. From "The Long Trek." October 6, 2014 issue.Erik Tanner for Time
Mark Bittman. From "How to Eat Now." October 20, 2014 issue.Grant Cornett for TIME
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Eddie Redmayne. From "Let's Get Physicist." November 10, 2014 issue.Sebastian Kim for TIME
Portrait of Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Matthew McConaughey photographed in the California Science Center, Los Angeles, California, October 22, 2014.Photograph by Robert Maxwell for TIMEIssue Date: 11/10/14Please contact photographer for usage
Jessica Chastain. From "The Art of Science." November 10, 2014 issue. Robert Maxwell for TIME
Portrait of Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Matthew McConaughey photographed in the California Science Center, Los Angeles, California, October 22, 2014.Photograph by Robert Maxwell for TIMEIssue Date: 11/10/14Please contact photographer for usage
Matthew McConaughey. From "The Art of Science." November 10, 2014 issue.Robert Maxwell for TIME
Portrait of Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Matthew McConaughey photographed in the California Science Center, Los Angeles, California, October 22, 2014.Photograph by Robert Maxwell for TIMEIssue Date: 11/10/14Please contact photographer for usage
Anne Hathaway. From "The Art of Science." November 10, 2014 issue.Robert Maxwell for TIME
Taylor Swift. From "Taylor Strikes A Chord." November 24, 2014 issue.Martin Schoeller for TIME
Channing Tatum. From "Body of Work." November 24, 2014 issue.Carlos Serrao for TIME
Benedict Cumberbatch. From "The Price of Genius." Dec. 1 / Dec. 8, 2014 issue.Dan Winters for TIME
Angelina Jolie. From "The Lady and The Scamp. Angelina Jolie Finds Her Equal." Dec. 1 / Dec. 8, 2014 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIME
Chris Rock. From "Will The Real Chris Rock Please Stand Up?" Dec. 1 / Dec. 8, 2014 issue.Geordie Wood for TIME
Dr. Jerry Brown. From "2014 Person of the Year." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issue.Jackie Nickerson for TIME
Salome Karwah. From "2014 Person of the Year." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issueJackie Nickerson for TIME
Katie Meyler. From "2014 Person of the Year." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issueJackie Nickerson for TIME
Kaci Hicox
Bryan Schutmaat for TIME
Professor Thomas W. Geisbert. From "2014 Person of the Year." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issueBryan Schutmaat for TIME
Peter Piot. From "2014 Person of the Year." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issueBryan Schutmaat for TIME
Michael Keaton. From "The Best of Culture 2014." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issue.John Scarisbrick for TIME
FKA twigs. From "The Best of Culture 2014." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issue.John Scarisbrick for TIME
David Oyelowo. From "The Best of Culture 2014." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issue.John Scarisbrick for TIME
Emily St. John Mandel. From "The Best of Culture 2014." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issue.John Scarisbrick for TIME
Julianne Moore. From "The Best of Culture 2014." Dec. 22 / Dec. 29, 2014 issue.John Scarisbrick for TIME

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