Yuri Kozyrev. From "The Revolutionaries." February 14, 2011 issue.
To win the army over to their side, protest leaders urged people to "hug a soldier."Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
Sometimes words just aren’t enough. We realize that’s a bold statement for a news magazine to make. After all, words are our currency. Yet we know that there are times when, to fully tell the stories that need to be shared, we need more than words.
This year it was as evident as ever. From the tsunami in Japan, to the war in Afghanistan, to the Arab Spring, our reporters, columnists and correspondents worked tirelessly to bring you the stories that matter. But beyond the words and interviews that filled our pages, our photojournalists sought out the pictures that told a deeper story. Whether they were behind the political scene like Diana Walker as she photographed Hillary Clinton aboard a military plane or risking life and limb like Yuri Kozyrev as he captured the conflict of Libya’s revolution, TIME’s dedicated photographers brought the stories to life.
In March, acclaimed TIME contract photographer James Nachtwey traveled to Japan to capture images in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. A veteran photojournalist, even he found himself at a loss for words when trying to describe the country’s devastation. Yet in his hauntingly bleak images of ravaged towns and wounded families, we glimpsed what language failed to convey — and it was heart breaking.
TIME‘s words offer the important facts, clear-eyed insights and sharp analysis needed to understand the story. Our photojournalism offers the chance to not only see, but also feel the story. —Megan Gibson
Dominic Nahr. From "Can Sudan Split Without Falling Apart?" January 10, 2011 issue.
A boy playing the keyboard is covered up a by a huge curtain during at a special event also attended by Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the semi-autonomous government and Vice President of Sudan, at the Nyakuron cultural centre in Juba. Daily life images of South Sudan during the run up to the Referendum being held January 9th 2011. Many are hopeful that everything will run peacefully, although others believe war may break out at any moment.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEJames Nachtwey. From "The Birds Of Hope: With A Black Hawk Medevac Unit In Afghanistan." January 17, 2011 issue.
A Marine carries an Afghan child, one of two wounded by coalition aircraft during an air support mission in Marjah.James Nachtwey for TIMEJames Nachtwey. From "The Birds Of Hope: With A Black Hawk Medevac Unit In Afghanistan." January 17, 2011 issue.
Two Afghan children wounded by coalition aircraft fire are treated en route to Camp Dwyer by medevac crew members.
James Nachtwey for TIME Yuri Kozyrev. From "The Revolutionaries." February 14, 2011 issue.
To win the army over to their side, protest leaders urged people to "hug a soldier."Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEYuri Kozyrev. From "The Revolution". February 14, 2011 issue (cover story).
A crowd lifts a demonstrator during the February 1st march in Tahrir Square, Egypt.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEYuri Kozyrev. From "Learn to Love the Revolution." March 7, 2011 issue.
Bahraini protesters regain Pearl Square after a military crackdown.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEYuri Kozyrev. From "Yemen: The Most Dangerous Domino." March 14, 2011 issue.
A man carries a shark in a fish market in Aden, Yemen.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEYuri Kozyrev. From "Yemen: The Most Dangerous Domino." March 14, 2011 issue.
Pictures of President Saleh hang in a shop in the old town of Sana'a.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEChristopher Morris. From "Gaddafi's Libya." Published on LightBox, March 18, 2011.
Inside the Hotel Rixor in Tripoli. Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEChristopher Morris. From "Dispatch from Tripoli." Published on LightBox, March 23 2011.
A supporter of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi holds a poster overlooking a demonstration in Ban-Waled.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEChristopher Morris. From "Theater and War." Published on LightBox, April 8, 2011.
A man watches a funeral procession at Martyrs Cemetery in Tripoli, March 24, 2011.Christopher Morris—VII for TIMEDominic Nahr. From "Dispatch from Japan." Published on LightBox, March 22, 2011.
A woman near the devastated coastline of Misawa, Japan, March 19, 2011.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEDominic Nahr. From "Dispatch from Japan." Published on LightBox, April 3, 2011.
A cloth-covered urn at a group funeral for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami at a temple in Minami Sanriku, Japan. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEYuri Kozyrev. From "Closeup." March 28, 2011 issue.
For weeks, the rebels held out against Muammar Gaddafi, and held on to hope that the world would come to their aid. Defiance (and dreams) faded as the dictator's planes and tanks began to retake what had, with hopeless optimism, been dubbed Free Libya. Town after rebel-held town fell, while world powers debated endlessly about a no-fly zone. The loss of Ras Lanuf, followed by Brega and Ajdabiyah, meant that little remained between the tyrant and the rebel capital, Benghazi.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEJames Nachtwey. From "The Day the Earth Moved." March 28, 2011 issue.
A lone house in an overflowed river in Kesennuma, Japan on March 15, 2011.
James Nachtwey for TIME James Nachtwey. From "The Day the Earth Moved." March 28, 2011 issue.
A man assesses the damage on a mountain of debris in Kesennuma, Japan on March 15, 2011.
James Nachtwey for TIMEJames Nachtwey. From "The Day the Earth Moved." March 28, 2011 issue.
Under harsh conditions, police officers work to recover the remains of the dead in Rikuzentakata, Iwate prefecture, Japan, on March 16, 2011.
James Nachtwey for TIME James Nachtwey. From "The Day the Earth Moved." March 28, 2011 issue.
Cars totaled by the tsunami are strewn across a river that runs through Kesennuma, Japan on March 15, 2011.
James Nachtwey for TIME Yuri Kozyrev. From "Why Are We in Libya?" April 4, 2011 issue.
In Ras Lanuf rebels leave pockets of fire as they advance during a battle with government troops.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEThomas Dworzak. From "Egypt In Flux." Published on LightBox, April 7 2011.
A couple sits near a panorama in Cairo depicting Egypt's war with Israel, April 2, 2011.Thomas Dworzak—Magnum for TIMEYuri Kozyrev. From "Table of Contents." April 11, 2011 issue.
Libyan rebels scrawl graffiti on a wall near a hospital in Ras Lanuf on March 27, 2011. The wall was previously defaced, in green, by Gaddafi troops.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEYuri Kozyrev. From "A Call to Arms." April 11, 2011 issue.
Rebel fighters stand near a Gaddafi tank that was destroyed outside Ajdabiyah.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEJoachim Ladefoged. From "Under the Influence of Justin Bieber." Published on LightBox, April 21, 2011.
For part of the set Bieber serenades the audience from a floating heart shaped lift where he plays guitar.
Joachim Ladefoged—VII for TIMEJoachim Ladefoged. From "Under the Influence of Justin Bieber." Published on LightBox, April 21, 2011.
A view of Bieber from backstage during the show.
Joachim Ladefoged—VII for TIMEJames Nachtwey. From "The Poppy Poison." May 9, 2011 issue.
Inside the bomb-blasted ruins of Kabul’s old town, the morning crowd of heroin addicts huddle under woolen blankets to keep the cold out and noxious smoke in.
James Nachtwey for TIME Brooks Kraft. From "Death Comes for the Terrorist." May 20, 2011 issue.Crowds celebrate on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington, after President Barack Obama announced that Al-Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden had been killed.Brooks Kraft for TIMELauren Fleishman. From "Revelry and Requiem." May 20, 2011 issue.A crowd gathered at New York's Ground Zero right after Obama's speech announcing the death of Osama Bin Laden on May 1, 2011. Revelers in the crowd scrambled up light poles over the cheering crowd.Lauren Fleishman for TIMEPeter Hapak. From "Backstage with the Cuban National Ballet." Published on LightBox, June 2, 2011.
A dancer takes time to stretch backstage at the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Havana, Cuba. May 2011Peter Hapak for TIMEPeter Hapak. From "Backstage with the Cuban National Ballet." Published on LightBox, June 2, 2011.
Grettel Morejon, 22, is a rising star of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. On May 16th she made her debut in Swan Lake. She says, “The United States is such a ballet stronghold, but I am confident I will impress the audience.”Peter Hapak for TIMEPeter Hapak. From "Backstage with the Cuban National Ballet." Published on LightBox, June 2, 2011.
Dancers during a performance of Swan Lake at the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Havana, Cuba. May 2011.Peter Hapak for TIMEEdward Keating. From "Torn Asunder." June 6, 2011 issue.
Much of Joplin is unrecognizable since the tornado. A woman walks by the railroad tracks near 20th St. on May 24, 2011.
Edward Keating—Contract for TimeShaul Schwarz. From "Mexico's Ongoing Drug Violence." Published on LightBox, June 30, 2011.
Family members of victims wait for the arrival of Javier Sicilia during the week-long Caravan for Peace in Juarez. Sicilia, a prominent Mexican poet and activist who's son was killed, is spearheading a national march for peace with hundreds of fellow demonstrators to demand an end to drug-related bloodshed. June 9, 2011Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIMEShaul Schwarz. From "Mexico's Ongoing Drug Violence." Published on LightBox, June 30, 2011.
Border Patrol officers inspect the inside of a van filled with roughly 800 pounds of marijuana after a car chase that included helicopter assistance. Authorities were able to eventually stop the suspect who was trying to race the car and the drugs back to the Mexican border. He was stopped and arrested in this field in McAllen, Texas less than a mile from the border. Helicopter units constantly patrol this narco trafficking hot spot in an effort to slow down the activity of drug smuggling in the area. April 23, 2011.Shaul Schwarz—Reportage by Getty Images for TIMEJehad Nga. From "Haven and Hell." August 8, 2011 issue.
A sandstorm blows through Ifo Camp where new arrivals live. 30,000 people are estimated to have arrived at the camp in June, a steep climb from the average of 5,000 last year. Dadaab, Eastern Kenya, July 18, 2011.
Jehad Nga for TIME Jehad Nga. From "Haven and Hell." August 8, 2011 issue.
At a processing center in the Dadaab complex, newly arrived Somalis wait for some clothes, cooking pots and food.Jehad Nga for TIMEDanny Wilcox Frazier. From "The True Believer." August 8, 2011 issue.
Representative Michele Bachmann has a radio interview after she formally announced her bid for the Republican presidential nomination in Waterloo, Iowa, her childhood home.Danny Wilcox Frazier for TIMEGeorge Steinmetz. From "Parched Earth." August 22, 2011 issue.
Water levels in New Mexico’s Elephant Butte Reservoir in the Rio Grande Valley are at extreme lows.George Steinmetz for TIMEBrian Ulrich. From "How to Save the Housing Market: Destroy Houses." September 5, 2011 issue.
A foreclosed home being torn down in Cleveland, Ohio. Brian Ulrich for TIMEYuri Kozyrev. From "The Savage and the Strange." September 12, 2011 issue.
A rebel fighter walks inside a warehouse containing the remains of at least 50 burned bodies in Tripoli, Libya on August 28, 2011. A survivor said they were civilians killed by pro-Gaddafi soldiers. Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIMEDiana Walker. From "Hillary Clinton; the Rise of Smart Power". November 7, 2011 issue (cover story).
Hillary Clinton checks her PDA in sunglasses upon departure in a military plane from Malta bound for Tripoli, on October 18, 2011.Diana Walker for TIMEDiana Walker. From "Hillary Clinton; the Rise of Smart Power". November 7, 2011 issue (cover story).
Clinton recording interviews for American Sunday morning television shows in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on October 23, 2011.Diana Walker for TIMEJoakim Eskildsen. From "Below The Line: Portraits of American Poverty." Published on LightBox, November 17, 2011.
Eric, 3, lives with two siblings, his mother and grandparents in a trailer park for migrant farm workers in Firebaugh, Calif. His grandmother regularly walks two miles with him to pick up free food from the local community center to supplement the family’s $350/week income. June 1, 2011.Joakim Eskildsen for TIMEPeter van Agtmael. From "An Army Apart." Published on LightBox, November 21, 2011.
Recruits participate in a Physical Training test. Sept. 1, 2011.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIMEPeter van Agtmael. From "An Army Apart." Published on LightBox, November 21, 2011.
Soldiers and a dummy wait for recruits to enter for a Combat Lifesaver basic training course. The recruits will enter the fake Iraqi market to the sound of gunfire and the screams of the wounded. They will then treat the wounded and drag them out of the kill zone while others pull security. Sept. 2, 2011.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum for TIMEPeter van Agtmael. From "Penn State Of Mind." December 12, 2011 issue.
Roses dropped at the statue of disgraced football coach Joe Paterno reveal the conflicted state of mind at the university. Peter van Agtmael
