2013: An Amazing Year of Déjà Vu

2 minute read

At this time last year, TIME LightBox presented a gallery of photographic duos — pairs brought together for their similarities. Whether the resemblance was conscious, accidental, coincidental or merely aesthetic, these images — like peas in a pod — bore remarkable and often surprising likeness to each other.

These days, it’s close to impossible for a photographer to produce a wholly original image. Everyone is a photographer, and chances are, if you’re taking a photograph of something, someone else is too. Photographers, thus, have to try harder and harder to produce an image uniquely theirs — free of clichés and imitation.

But photo-driven déjà vu can take one by surprise, too. Triggered by images’ composition or content, similarities in pictures of divergent subjects can often seem like far more than mere coincidence. Unlikely connections in disparate photos can nag at us, even when the images are made years or many miles apart. And, of course, photographers working in different countries or on separate continents can have no idea that they’ve made an image nearly identical to another taken somewhere over the horizon, or on the other side of the world.

This year, we decided to play off the idea of déjà vu that we started last year — embarking on an anthropological dig through our collective visual memory to unearth images from the past year that awaken a familiar sense of recognition. Although it feels you may have seen it before, coincidence can be truly unbelievable!


Phil Bicker is a senior photo editor at TIME.


The first 16 photographs are of similar subjects taken at different locations—sometimes days, months or even a year apart.Left: April 13, 2012. Men use ropes to try and right a supply truck overloaded with wheat straw, used as animal feed, along a road in Dargai, Pakistan. Right: Aug. 12, 2013. Reporters gather around a truck that was involved in a traffic accident in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mian Kursheed—Reuters | Natacha Pisarenko—AP
A swimmer dives into the icy water of the Houhai Lake in central Beijing
Left: Feb. 16, 2013. A swimmer dives into the icy water of the Houhai Lake in central Beijing, China. Right: March 9, 2013. A man bathes in river Yamuna at Kalindi Kunj in New Delhi, India.Petar Kujundzic—Reuters | Sonu Mehta—Hindustan Times/Getty Images
Supreme Court Hears Arguments On California's Prop 8 And Defense Of Marriage Act
Left: March 26, 2013. Plaintiff couple Sandy Steier (L) and Kris Perry hold hands after attending oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court after oral arguments in Washington. Right: June 28, 2013. Russian same-sex couple Yury Gavrikov and Maxim Lysak arrive at a registry office to apply for marriage licenses in St. Petersburg.Mark Wilson—Getty Images | Artur Bainozarov—Reuters
APTOPIX Mali Fighting
Left: Feb. 6, 2013. A Malian man sits on a window sill to watch the Nigeria versus Mali Africa Cup of Nations semifinal soccer match taking place in South Africa, in Gao, northern Mali. Right: July 12, 2013. A Palestinian Muslim worshipper sneaks through a hole in the Old City wall near the Lions Gate after prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City, Israel.Jerome Delay—AP | Abir Sultan—EPA
A flock of 500 sheep were burned during
Left: July 23, 2012. A flock of 500 sheep were burned during a wildfire in Darnius near La Junquera (Girona), close to the Spanish-French border. Right: May 21, 2013. Dead horses waiting to be buried after being killed by an F5 tornado in Moore, Okla. Lluis Gene—AFP/Getty Images | Bryan Anselm—The New York Times/Redux
A relative of a victim of human rights abuses touches a memorial wall for people who disappeared during a ceremony to commemorate 40 years of the military coup at the "Parque Por La Paz"
Left: Sept. 10, 2013. A relative of a victim of human rights abuses touches a memorial wall for people who disappeared during a ceremony to commemorate 40 years of the military coup at the "Parque Por La Paz" (Park for Peace) on the grounds of the former Villa Grimaldi torture center in Santiago, Chile. Right: Nov. 11, 2013. Veterans of the Vietnam War make rubbings of names of friends and loved ones on "The Wall" during a Veterans Day event at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington. Ivan Alvarado—Reuters | Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images
Identification of victims of fire at 'Kiss' nightclub
Left: Jan. 27, 2013. A close-up of the hands of a victim from the fire at 'Kiss' nightclub that left at least 233 people dead and 106 injured, during the identification process in Santa Maria, 286 km from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Right: March 13, 2013. A woman prays in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.Marcelo Sayao—EPA | Gregorio Borgia—AP
Iceland Fish Deaths
Left: Feb. 5, 2013. Herring worth billions in exports are seen floating dead in Kolgrafafjordur, a small fjord on the northern part of Snaefellsnes peninsula, west Iceland, for the second time in two months. Right: Sept. 3, 2013. Dead fish float on the Fuhe River in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province.Brynjar Gauti—AP | Cheng Min—Xinhua
A Free Syrian Army fighter dives into a swimming pool inside a house in the old city of Aleppo
Left: Aug. 12, 2012. A rebel fighter with the Lions of Tawhid jumps into a pool at the unit's base in Tal Rifaat, Syria. Right: June 24, 2013. A Free Syrian Army fighter dives into a swimming pool inside a house in the old city of Aleppo, Syria.Bryan Denton—The New York Times/Redux | Muzaffar Salman—Reuters
A rubber glove being used as a marker bobs in the water after flooding in Fox Lake, Illinois
Left: April 22, 2013. A rubber glove being used as a marker bobs in the water after flooding in Fox Lake, Ill. Right: Oct. 21, 2013. People sailing on Vltava River by the giant purple middle finger sculpture by Czech artist David Cerny in Prague.Jim Young—Reuters | Michal Cizek—AFP/Getty Images
Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2013/2014 - Day 4
Left: March 27, 2013. A model gets ready backstage before MGPIN Make-up Styling Collection on the fourth day of Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2013/2014 at 751 D.PARK Workshop in Beijing. Right: Sept. 27, 2013. A model wears a creation during a hair art show at the international beauty festival "Banks of the Neva River" in St Petersburg. Feng Li—Getty Images | Alexander Demianchuk—Reuters
INDIA-ARTS-TOURISM-KERALA
Left: March 12, 2013. A traditional Kathakali performer puts on makeup before an event organised by India's Kerala state Tourism Department in Bangalore, India. Right: Sept. 4, 2013. An Indian Kathakali artist is reflected on a mirror as he dons make up prior to a performance in Chennai, India. Manjunath Kiran—AFP/Getty Images | Arun Sankar—AP
Ultra-orthodox Jewish boy wears a costume ahead of  Purim in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighbourhood
Left: Feb. 22, 2013. An ultra-Orthodox Jewish boy wears a costume ahead of the Jewish holiday of Purim in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood. Right: Feb. 24, 2013. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and a boy in a lion's costume read from the Scroll of Esther during the Purim festival at a synagogue in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shaarim in Jerusalem.Amir Cohen—Reuters | Abir Sultan—EPA
Pakistan Daily Life
Left: April 25, 2013. The busy Murree road is reflected in mirrors displayed for sale at an automotive accessories shop in the old city of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Right: May 23, 2013. Pakistani pedestrians and vehicles moving on a road are reflected in mirrors displayed for sale outside a mechanic shop, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.B. K. Bangash—AP | Muhammed Muheisen—AP
Audience members watch a model during the J. Mendel Spring/Summer 2013 show at New York Fashion Week
Left: Sept. 12, 2012. Audience members watch a model during the J. Mendel Spring/Summer 2013 show at New York Fashion Week. Right: Oct. 29, 2013. A model showcases designs on the runway at Hu Sheguang Haute Couture Collection show during Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2014 at 751 D-PARK Workshop in Beijing. Andrew Burton—Reuters | Feng Li—Getty Images
European People's Party meeting
Left: Oct. 24, 2013. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) arrives for a meeting of the European People's Party (EPP) ahead of a European Union summit at Meise, outside Brussels, Belgium. Right: Oct. 30, 2013. The chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union Party, CDU, German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at the Social Democratic Party's, SPD, headquarters for coalition talks in Berlin.Thierry Roge—EPA | Markus Schreiber—AP
A Palestinian girl play outside her family's tent in a poverty-stricken quarter of the town of Younis
The following 41 photographs are of different subjects doing similar things in different locationsLeft: August 27, 2013. A Palestinian girl play outside her family's tent in a poverty-stricken quarter of the town of Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Right: Oct. 29, 2013. A Palestinian boy plays with a duck near the house of Palestinian prisoner Omar Massud's family, held by Israel since 1993, prior to his release in Gaza City.Ali Ali—EPA | Mohammed Abed—AFP/Getty Images
Free Syrian Army fighter holds the head of a mannequin up to a hole in a wall of a Syrian Army base to attract and locate a sniper during heavy fighting in Damascus
Left: Feb. 3, 2013. A Free Syrian Army fighter holds the head of a mannequin up to a hole in a wall of a Syrian Army base to attract and locate a sniper during heavy fighting in the Arabeen neighborhood of Damascus. Right: Sept. 18, 2013. A Kurdish Free Syrian Army fighter holds out a doll while his fellow fighter takes shooting position in Ashrafieh, Aleppo, Syria.Goran Tomasevic—Reuters | Muzaffar Salman—Reuters
A cat looks at Lipizzaner horse "Alea" as it stands under a solarium at the stables of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
Left: April 18, 2012. A cat looks at Lipizzaner horse "Alea" as it stands under a solarium at the stables of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria. Right: April 9, 2013. A breeding bull stands under infrared lights, used to relax his muscles, at an artificial insemination center in the village of Hohenzell, Upper Austria.Lisi Niesner—Reuters | Leonhard Foeger—Reuters
North Korea Daily Life
Left: April 9, 2012. A North Korean woman cleans a portrait of the late North Korean leaders Kim Jong Il, right, and Kim Il Sung at an office in Pyongyang, North Korea. Right: June 21, 2013. A woman arranges flowers in front of a painting depicting the late leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il at the lobby of a hotel in Haeju city, South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Ng Han Guan—AP | Alexander F. Yuan—AP
Internally displaced children watch cartoons in a classroom of a school in Kafranbel in Idlib
Left: Jan. 16, 2013. Internally displaced children watch cartoons in a classroom of a school in Kafranbel in Idlib province, Syria. Right: Feb. 20, 2013. Activists watch a televised broadcast of the Champions League soccer match between Barcelona and AC Milan in a school hall in Aleppo, Syria.Giath Taha—Reuters | Muzaffar Salman—Reuters
Hand of reveller is seen as she dresses outside the Sambadrome for the first night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro
Left: Feb. 10, 2013. The hand of a reveler is seen as she dresses outside the Sambadrome for the first night of the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Right: Sept. 12, 2013. Jyoti Amge's poses for photos at the Empire State building observation deck in New York. Standing 24.7 inches tall, Amge holds the Guinness title for world's shortest woman and came to New York to promote the Guinness World Records 2014 edition book.Pilar Olivares—Reuters | Mary Altaffer—AP
Bratislav Stojanovic, a homeless man, holds candles as he walks out of a tomb where he lives in southern Serbian town of Nis
Left: Feb. 9, 2013. Bratislav Stojanovic, a homeless man, holds candles as he walks out of a tomb where he lives in southern Serbian town of Nis. Right: May 2, 2013. A woman lights a fire in front of the graves of her relatives at a cemetery in the village of Copaciu, 42 km (26 miles) southwest of Bucharest.Marko Djurica—Reuters | Bogdan Cristel—Reuters
The hand of a dead man is partially covered by a table cloth at a crime scene in Mazatlan
Left: Jan. 2, 2012. The hand of a dead man is partially covered by a table cloth at a crime scene in Mazatlan, Mexico. Right: March 29, 2013. A statue of Jesus Christ on the cross is seen on the ground before a Good Friday procession in San Antonio de Escazu, near San Jose, Costa Rica. Reuters | Juan Carlos Ulate—Reuters
Water Hole
Left: April 20, 2013. From the series "Water Hole," Australia. Right: Sept. 5, 2013. Nick Vujicic, an Australian motivational speaker who was born without limbs, swims with sharks at the Marine Life Park in Singapore. Narello Autio—Agence VU | Edgar Su—Reuters
A model poses nude while a girl draws her during drawing workshop on Valentine's Day in Mexico City
Left: Feb. 14, 2013. A model poses nude while a girl draws her during drawing workshop on Valentine's Day in Mexico City. Right: April 18, 2013. A teacher instructs during a drawing class at Mangyongdae Children's Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea.Edgard Gerrido—Reuters | Alexander F. Yuan—AP
WINTER WEATHER FEB 5TH
Left: Feb. 5, 2013. A sheep looks out from its snow covered shed in Penistone, South Yorkshire. Right: Feb. 9, 2013. A woman reacts to the snow after opening her front door in Boston, Massachusetts. Anna Gowthorpe—PA/Landov | Jared Wickerham—Getty Images
Chicago River Dyed Green In St. Patrick's Day Tradition
Left: March 16, 2013. Workers begin dying the Chicago River green to kick off the city's St. Patrick's day celebration in Chicago, Ill. Right: Aug. 21, 2013. A man cleans garbage and removes water hyacinths from a river in Wuyi county, Zhejiang province, China. Scott Olson—Getty Images | Reuters
A cannon fires a ceremonial shot just outside Jerusalem's Old City, to mark the end of Muslims' daily fast during Ramadan
Left: July 10, 2013. A cannon fires a ceremonial shot just outside Jerusalem's Old City, to mark the end of Muslims' daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Right: Sept. 3, 2013. Laborers work at a coal dump site outside Kabul, Afghanistan. Ronen Zvulun—Reuters | Mohammad Ismail—Reuters
Left: July 17, 2013 Palestinian families suffering from extreme poverty receive food assistance from institutions.Right: July 23, 2013.A Palestinian woman looks out from her family house Jabaliya refugee camp before the breakfast during the holy month of Ramadan in North Gaza Strip.Majdi Fathi—Demotix/Corbis | Ali Ali—EPA
Palestinian boy sleeps amidst suitcases at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip, after the crossing's closure
Left: Aug. 19, 2013. A Palestinian boy sleeps amidst suitcases at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip, after the crossing's closure. Right: Aug. 24, 2013. A boy takes a nap on suitcases as he waits to cross into Egypt at Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip.Ibraheem Abu Mustafa—Reuters | Ali Ali—EPA
Mideast Israel Siyum HaíShas
Left: July 30, 2012. Ultra-Orthodox Jews attend Siyum HaíShas, a celebration marking the completion of the learning cycle of the Babylonian Talmud, a collection of oral Jewish laws and traditions passed down from generation to generation, at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. Right: Oct. 7, 2013. Ultra-Orthodox Jews gather to watch the funeral procession of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in Jerusalem.Oded Balilty—AP | Oded Balilty—AP
File photo of worker of German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp controlling a blast furnace in Duisburg
Left: Dec. 6, 2012. A worker controls a tapping of a blast furnace at Europe's largest steel factory of Germany's industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp AG in the western German city of Duisburg. Right: Aug. 26, 2013. A worker operates in the blast furnace at ArcelorMittal's steel plant in Ostrava, Czech Republic.Ina Fassbender—Reuters | Martin Divisek—Bloomberg/Getty Images
APTOPIX Spain Carnival
Left: Feb. 9, 2013. A performer spits fire during a carnival celebration in Madrid, Spain. Right: April 20, 2013. Ecuadorean busker Cristian Arroyo, 16, breathes fire along a street in Quito, Ecuador. Andres Kudacki—AP | Guillermo Granja—Reuters
Worshippers, one holding wooden crosses, lift their hands to the light as they take part in the Christian Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old city
Left: May 4, 2013. Worshippers, one holding wooden crosses, lift their hands to the light as they take part in the Christian Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old city. Right: May 30, 2013. People carry candles and rosary beads during a procession to celebrate Corpus Christi along a street in Brasilia, Brazil.Ammar Awad—Reuters | Ueslei Marcelino—Reuters
INDONESIA-RELIGION-ISLAM-RAMADAN
Left: Aug. 6, 2013. Hundreds of Indonesians wait to receive "zakat," or alms, given to poor people during Ramadan at a tabacco factory of Gudang Garam, Indonesia's biggest clove cigarette manufacturer, in Kediri in East Java province. Right: April 18, 2013. Youths peek through a barrier as they wait to enter a stadium where Zimbabwe's 33rd independence celebrations are being held in Harare. M. Andika—AFP/Getty Images | Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi—AP
Hindu Devotees Gather For The Maha Kumbh
Left: Feb. 8, 2013. A Hindu devotee is seen silhouetted through a drying sari as he prays after having bathed on the banks of Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India. Right: July 7, 2013. Palestinian children play 'Khalaf Al' in a tent in Gaza.Daniel Berehulak—Getty Images | Ezz Zanoun—Demotix/Corbis
FRANCE-HEAT-ELDERY
Left: July 22, 2013. A nurse sprays water to cool off an old woman at the geriatric hospital of Argenteuil as France swelters under a summer heatwave. Right: July 30, 2013. Female supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi are sprayed with water to cool themselves down as they continue their sit-in in Cairo while fasting.Fred Dufour—AFP/Getty Images | Mosa'ab Elshamy for TIME
AFGHANISTAN-SOCIETY
Left: April 1, 2013. Afghan refugee boys, play a traditional fighting game, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. Right: April 22, 2013. Afghan Children play Ghursai, a traditional boy's game played in the countryside in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.Noorullah Shirzada—AFP/Getty Images | Muhammed Muheisen—AP
Left: March 11, 2011. Rebels flee under fire from the Libyan army in Ras Lanuf. Right: May 9, 2013. Afghan border policemen take their positions on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Goshta district of Jalalabad province east of Kabul.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME | Rahmat Gul—AP
APTOPIX Mideast Syria
Left: Sep. 2, 2012. A boy looks back while he and another boy play on a Syrian military tank, destroyed during fighting with the Rebels, in the Syrian town of Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria. Right: July 7, 2013. Israeli children climb on an old tank on display at the Armored Corps memorial for fallen soldiers before the start of the ceremony marking the annual Memorial Day for soldiers and civilians killed in more than a century of conflict between Jews and Arabs, in Latrun near Jerusalem.Muhammed Muheisen—AP | Ariel Schalit—AP
A soldier from the People's Liberation Army jumps through a ring of fire as part of training during the PLA Army Day in Wenzhou
Left: Aug. 1, 2013. A soldier from the People's Liberation Army jumps through a ring of fire as part of training during the PLA Army Day in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China. Right: Oct. 14, 2013. Cadets of the Syrian police college demonstrate going through an obstacle course during a graduation ceremony for a new batch of police cadets, at an unknown location in this handout photograph distributed by Syria's national news agency SANA.Reuters | SANA/Reuters
Employee of a foreign exchange trading company looks at monitors in Tokyo
Left: April 8, 2013. An employee of a foreign exchange trading company looks at monitors in Tokyo, Japan. Right: June 20, 2013. A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Korea Exchange Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea.Toru Hanai—Reuters | Ahn Young-Joon—AP
Kevin Anderson of South Africa serves to Fernando Verdasco of Spain during their men's singles match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne
Left: Jan. 18, 2013. Kevin Anderson of South Africa serves to Fernando Verdasco of Spain during their men's singles match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. Right: Oct. 9, 2013. Rafael Nadal of Spain serves to Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine during their men's singles match at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai. Damir Sagolj—Reuters | Carlos Barria—Reuters
Juventus' Mirko Vucinic celebrates after scoring against Pescara during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the Juventus stadium in Turin
Left: April 6, 2013. Juventus' Mirko Vucinic (C) celebrates after scoring against Pescara during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the Juventus stadium in Turin, Italy. Right: Sept. 24, 2013. Jan Verttonghen of Tottenham Hotspur hangs on to the shorts of Nicklas Helenius of Aston Villa during the Capital One Cup third round match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.Reuters | Laurence Griffiths—Getty Images
Italian supporters in Rome
Left: July 1, 2012. Dejected Italian supporters at a public viewing of ancient Circus Maximus in central Rome, Italy, watching the UEFA EURO 2012 final between Spain and Italy taking place in Kiev, Ukraine. Right: March 22, 2013. An employee of Laiki bank, center, reacts during a rally outside the Cypriot parliament.Guido Montani—EPA | Petros Giannakouris—AP
Left: March 12, 2013. A general view of Abu Nawas Street in Baghdad, Iraq, at the site of a photograph of Iraqi orphan Fady al-Sadik waking on the street, taken by photographer Maya Alleruzzo in April 2003. Right: Nov. 7, 2013. Holding up a photo taken at the same location on November 21, 1963 of people waiting for the passage of John F. Kennedy's convoy on Travis Street in Houston, near the intersection of Rusk, one day before the assassination.Maya Alleruzzo—AP | Cody Duty—Houston Chronicle/AP
Gorilla baby at Prague Zoo
Left: Dec. 30, 2012. The foot of an eight-day-old gorilla baby at the Prague Zoo, Czech Republic. Right: Jan. 31, 2013. A one week young Drill baby is held by its mother Kaduna in the primate enclosure in the zoo of Munich Hellabrunn, southern Germany.Filip Singer—EPA | Christof Stache—AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian National Circus presents new show
Left: Sept. 19, 2013. A Ukrainian National Circus artist performs with a raccoon during the presentation of the new show program 'The Caravan of Wonders' at the Ukrainian National Circus in Kiev, Ukraine. Right: Sept. 20, 2013. A model walks with a dog presenting a creation by designers Karen Reichardt and Mariela Schiavo during the so-called "2013 Spring-Summer Caribbean Colour Paws" show in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sergey Dolzhenko—EPA | Enrique Marcarian—Reuters
CZECH-ZOO-GIRAFFE
Left: March 15, 2013. One month old baby Rotschild giraffe stands in front of her mother at the Zoo in Prague. Right: April 19, 2013. Eric the new born Rothschild giraffe stands in front the mother Lotti during its first presentation for public at the Tierpark zoo in Berlin.Michal Cizek—AFP/Getty Images | Markus Schreiber—AP
Chinese inventor Tao controls his self-made humanoid robot with a remote controller as he poses with it at his house in Beijing
Left: Aug. 8, 2013. Chinese inventor Tao Xiangli controls his self-made humanoid robot with a remote controller as he poses with it during a photo opportunity at his house located in a old residential area in Beijing. Right: Aug. 6, 2013. Ukrainian Dmitry Balandin poses with his wooden model Cylon in his flat in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine.Kim Kyung Hoon—Reuters | Gleb Garanich—Reuters
Samsonov sunbathes as he sits on an ice floe on the Yenisei River in Krasnoyarsk
Left: April 26, 2013. Vladimir Samsonov, 59, a resident from the Siberian town of Zheleznogorsk and a member of the Cryophil winter swimmers club, sunbathes as he sits on an ice floe on the Yenisei River in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Right: May 6, 2013. Winter swimmers jump onto a piece of drifting ice with a Chinese national flag on the Amur River, in the Chinese border city of Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China.Ilya Naymushin—Reuters | China Daily/Reuters
Cam Auge Caylee Wasilenko
Left: Aug. 28, 2013. Newly weds Cam Auge and Caylee Wasilenko share a kiss as they water ski in Bedwell Bay in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Right: Oct. 26, 2013. A photographer takes pictures of Fang Jing (R) in a wedding gown next to her husband, surnamed Zhao, as they hang from a cliff during a rock climbing exercise in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.Jonathan Hayward—Canadian Press/AP | Reuters
Peru Lima Beachgoers
Left: Jan. 24, 2013. Maria Kalet, 6, lies buried in the sand at Agua Dulce beach in Lima, Peru. Right: July 9, 2013. Zack Miller buries himself in the mud pit during the 26th annual Mud Day at Nankin Mills recreation complex in Westland, Mich. Rodrigo Abd—AP | Jeff Kowalsky—EPA
India Wildlife
Left: April 4, 2013. A leopard trapped in a well looks up to forest officials on the premises of the Kamakhya temple in Gauhati, India. Right: April 22, 2013. A man looks up at his friends (unseen) as they pull a sack filled with mud while constructing a well at Khokana, Lalitpur, Nepal. Anupam Nath—AP | Navesh Chitrakar—Reuters
Bagram Afghanistan January 29 2013 Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Division await takeoff of a C-17 Globemaster that will take them from Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan to Manas Airbase in Kyrgyzstan. The troops, who have completed combat tours in easter Afghanistan, will then be flown back to the United States.
Left: Jan. 29 2013 Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Division await takeoff of a C-17 Globemaster that will take them from Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan to Manas Airbase in Kyrgyzstan. Right: Nov. 22, 2013. Residents displaced by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines fill the cargo hold of a C-17 Globemaster military cargo plane.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR | Peter D. Blair—U.S. Navy /AFP/Getty Images
Israelis react and run for cover as a siren sounds warning of incoming rockets in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi
Left: Nov. 15, 2012. Israelis react and run for cover as a siren sounds warning of incoming rockets in the southern town of Kiryat Malachi. Right: March 8, 2013. Palestinians react to tear gas fired by Israeli police during clashes after Friday prayers at a compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City.Nir Elias—Reuters | Ammar Awad—Reuters
A bull is seen with a banderilla stuck into its back during the seventh bullfight of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona
The following 8 photographs are of different subjects photographed in aesthetically similar ways. Left: July 13, 2013. A bull is seen with a banderilla stuck into its back during the seventh bullfight of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona. Right: Oct. 10, 2013. Blood trickles down the tattooed torso of a devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine as he is pierced before the beginning of a street procession during the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand.Susana Vera—Reuters | Athit Perawongmetha—Reuters
AP10ThingsToSee North Korea Daily Life
Left: Nov. 5, 2013. Illuminated portraits of North Korea's late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il glow amid the dark buildings of central Pyongyang before dawn. Right: Oct. 28, 2013. An electronic screen is seen on a building amid heavy smog in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China.David Guttenfelder—AP | Sheng Li—Reuters
Students attend a masterclass with dancers of the Royal Opera House at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theatre
Left: Feb. 23, 2013. Students attend a masterclass with dancers of the Royal Opera House at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theatre. Right: Feb. 23, 2013. Riot police stand in line during a protest against austerity, near the Spanish Parliament in Madrid.Ricardo Moraes—Reuters | Juan Medina—Reuters
Dancers perform a fire dragon dance during a folk art performance to celebrate traditional Chinese Spring Festival at an amusement park in Beijing
Left: Feb. 10, 2013. Dancers perform a fire dragon dance in the shower of molten iron spewing firework-like sparks during a folk art performance to celebrate traditional Chinese Spring Festival at an amusement park in Beijing. Right: Feb. 24, 2013. A Chinese blacksmith throws molten metal against a cold stone wall to create sparks, during the Lantern Festival which traditionally marks the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations, in Nuanquan, Hebei province.Kim Kyung-Hoon—Reuters | Mark Ralston—AFP/Getty Images
BULGARIA-CHURCH-BEES
Left: Feb. 10, 2013. Believers pray above a cross shaped by candles placed on jars of honey in the Church of the Blessed Virgin during a celebration in honor of St. Haralampi, protector of the beekeepers. Right: May 19, 2013. Explosives go off as Dunyang highway viaduct collapses during a controlled demolition in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province.Nikolay Doychinov—AFP/Getty Images | AFP/Getty Images
Rainy weather in Germany
Left: Oct. 4, 2012. Raindrops glide off a Brown Pelican's feathers at the zoo in Hanover, Germany. Right: Jan. 20, 2013. Ice crystals formed on this window on a home in Medina, Minnesota with the temperature around 10 below zero.Jochen Luebke—EPA | Richard Sennott—Minneapolis Star Tribune/Zuma Press
TOPSHOTS-PHILIPPINES-POLITICS-ANNIVERSARY
Left: Feb. 25, 2013. Philippine soldiers on an Armored Personnel Carrier participate in the re-enactment of events leading to the fall of the dictatorship of then president Ferdinand Marcos during the 27th anniversary of the People Power revolution at the People Power Monument in Manila. Right: Oct. 29, 2013. Trails left by fireflies as they flit round the woods at night looking for a mate in in Brevard, N.C. Noel Celis—AFP/Getty Images | Spencer Black—National News/Zuma Press
BRITAIN-ANIMAL-CRUFTS
Left: March 10, 2013. The nose of a Boxer dog is pictured on the fourth day of Crufts dog show in Birmingham, central England. Right: Sept. 18, 2013. The last touches are applied to the Panda face on the front of a British Airways 777 ahead of the inaugural flight to Chengdu, pictured at British Airways Engineering, London Heathrow.Carl Court—AFP/Getty Images | Nick Morrish—British Airways/Eyevine/Zuma Press
TOPSHOTS-VATICAN-POPE-ANGELUS
The following 27 photographs of the same or similar subjects were taken on different dates in the same location Left: Feb. 24, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI leads the Angelus prayer from the window of his apartment at the Vatican. Right: March 17, 2013. Pope Francis leads his first Angelus Prayer and blessing from the studio of his private apartment at the Vatican.L'Osservatore Romano/AFP/Getty Images | Alessandra Benedetti—L'Osservatore Romano/Corbis
North Korea
Left: Feb. 17, 2013. North Korean soldiers ride an escalator past a model of their country's Unha Rocket as they enter an exhibition in Pyongyang, where Kimjongilia flowers, named after the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, were on display. Right: April 12, 2013. People visit a flower show featuring thousands of Kimilsungia flowers, named after the late leader Kim Il Sung, while models of a rocket and missiles are also displayed in Pyongyang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder—AP | Alexander F. Yuan—AP
TOPSHOTS-US-POLITICS-ECONOMY-BUDGET-SHUTDOWN
Left: Oct. 1, 2013. A U.S. Capitol Police Officer walks past a statue of Gerald Ford, who was U.S. president during the 1976 shutdown of the federal government, in the Rotunda while the building was closed to tours on Capitol Hill in Washington. Right: Oct. 14, 2013. A man walks through the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol during the partial government shutdown in Washington.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images | Joshua Roberts—Reuters
Chinese honor guard at state guest arrival
These photographs of the same or similar subjects were taken on different dates in the same locationLeft: April 9, 2012. A member of a Chinese guard of honor from the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) gets entangled with the red flag as wind blows during a welcoming ceremony for Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard hosted by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing. Right: April 22, 2013. An honor guard is covered by a flag during a welcoming ceremony for U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey at the Bayi Building in Beijing.Diego Azubel—EPA | Alexander Demianchuk—Reuters
Circus on Fontanka
Left: Feb. 12, 2012. Artists gesture as a bear sits on a rope during the performance of their new program at the Circus on Fontanka in St. Petersburg, Russia. Right: Feb. 1, 2013. Masha, an 11-year-old bear from a travelling circus troupe based in Moscow, practises a tightrope walking act during rehearsals at the Circus on Fontanka in St. Petersburg.Anatoly Maltsev—EPA | Alexander Demianchuk—Reuters
Portugal Surf McNamara
Left: Jan. 28, 2013. U.S. surfer Garrett McNamara rides a wave off Praia do Norte beach in Nazare, Portugal. Right: Oct. 28, 2013. Brazilian surfer Carlos Burle rides a big wave at the Praia do Norte, north beach, outside the fishing village of Nazare in Portugal's Atlantic coast.To Mane—Barcroft Media/Landov | Miguel Barreira—AP
An Indian photographer lifts a fake tige
Left: Aug. 6, 2013. An Indian man carries a life size stuffed tiger amidst during the monsoon festival at Saputara, about 420 kilometers (260 miles) south of Ahmadabad, India. Right: Aug. 6, 2013. A photographer carries a toy tiger to take a photo with in the fog at Saputara in the Gujarat state of India.Ajit Solanki—AP | Siddharaj Solanki—Demonix/Corbis
A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine with two guns pierced through his cheeks takes a part in procession during the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket
Left: Oct. 20, 2012. A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine with two guns pierced through his cheeks takes a part in procession during the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand. Right: Oct. 11, 2013. A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine, with two guns pierced through his cheeks, takes part in a street procession during the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand.Damir Sagolj—Reuters | Athit Perawongmetha—Reuters
APTOPIX Indonesia Volcano
Left: Nov. 6, 2013. A flower blossoms from vegetation covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Sinabung in Mardingding, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Right: Nov. 19, 2013. A hibiscus flower is seen on an ash-covered plant at Mardingding village in Karo district, Indonesia's north Sumatra province, Indonesia.Binsar Bakkara—AP | Roni Bintang—Reuters
Fans watch Spain's Rafael Nadal change his shirt after he defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in their match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing
Left: Oct. 2, 2013. Fans watch Spain's Rafael Nadal change his shirt after he defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in their match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing. Right: Oct. 4, 2013. Fans watch as Rafael Nadal of Spain change his shirt following his win against Fabio Fognini of Italy during their men's quarter final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing.Kim Kyung-Hoon—Reuters | Ed Jones—AFP/Getty Images
US-POLITICS-OBAMA-DEPARTURE
Left: April 8, 2013. Marine One with U.S. President Barack Obama aboard departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Right: April 3, 2013.Marine One helicopter is framed by blooming Magnolia trees as President Barack Obama lifts off from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington as he travels to Denver and San Francisco. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images | Charles Dharapak—AP
The company of HMS Lancaster Poppy display
Left: Oct. 24, 2013. Members of the company of the British Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Lancaster muster on the flight deck and pay their respects by creating a bright red poppy and bowing their heads in silence while on patrol in the Caribbean. Right: July 23, 2013. Crew members of the British warship HMS Lancaster celebrating the birth of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge's baby while on patrol in the Caribbean.Jay Allen—British Ministry of Defense/EPA | Jay Allen—British Ministry of Defense/AFP/Getty Images
Members of a local winter swimming club take part in their weekly bath in the Yenisei River, while air temperatures stand at minus 17 degrees Celsius, in town of Divnogorsk
Left: Jan. 11, 2013. Members of a local winter swimming club take part in their weekly bath in the Yenisei River, while air temperatures stand at -17 degrees Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit), in the town of Divnogorsk, outside Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. Right: Feb. 4, 2013. People walk across the frozen Yenisei River in the taiga area some 52 km (32 miles) south of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.Ilya Naymushin—Reuters | Ilya Naymushin—Reuters
A boy plays on a giant trampoline at a mall in Mumbai
Left: July 5, 2012. A boy plays on a giant trampoline at a mall in Mumbai, India. Right: Feb 5, 2013. A girl enjoys bungee jumping at a shopping mall in Mumbai, India.Ahmad Masood—Reuters | Rafiq Maqbool—AP
APTOPIX Afghanistan
Left: May 8, 2013.An Afghan Army soldier adjusts his helmet at a training facility on the outskirts of Kabul. Right: Nov. 26, 2013. An Afghan army soldier adjusts his helmet as he lines up with others at a training facility in the outskirts of Kabul.Anja Niedringhaus—AP | Anja Niedringhaus—AP
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men take part in a yoga class at a studio near Jerusalem
Left: Jan. 1, 2013. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men take part in a yoga class at a studio in Ramat Beit Shemesh, some 20 km (12 miles) from Jerusalem. Right: April 5, 2013. Abraham Kohlberg (C), ultra-Orthodox Jewish yoga teacher, leads a yoga class in the city of Beit Shemesh, Israel. Ronen Zvulun—Reuters | Abir Sultan—EPA
People sunbath as Ferrari Brazilian's dr
Left: May 21, 2009. People sunbath as Ferrari Brazilian's driver Felipe Massa drives at the Monaco racetrack in Monte Carlo, Monaco during the second free practice session of the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. Right: May 25, 2013. Women sunbath as Ferrari's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa drives past during the third practice session at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco ahead of the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix.Pascal Guyot—AFP/Getty Images | Alexander Klein—AFP/Getty Images
Madhav Narayan festival
Left: Feb. 7, 2013. Nepalese Hindu devotees roll on the ground before taking a holy bath in the Hanumante river during the last day of the month long Madhav Narayan festival and end of the fast, in Bhaktapur, Nepal.Right: Feb. 25, 2013.Nepalese Hindu devotees roll on the ground before taking a holy bath in the Hanumante river during the last day of the month long Madhav Narayan festival and end of the fast, in Bhaktapur, Nepal.Narendra Shrestha—EPA | Narendra Shrestha—EPA
TOPSHOTS-NETHERLANDS-WEATHER-STORM
Left: Jan. 5, 2012.A Dutch local resident, standing in his house, looks to high waters level through his window, in Dordrecht, the Netherlands.Right: Dec. 6, 2013A resident inspects his house in the center of Dordrecht. In some places in the low-lying historic center of the city, the water ran over the quay's edge.Jerry Lampen—AFP/Getty Images | Robin Utrecht —AFP/Getty Images
SPAIN-FESTIVAL-TOURISM-PAMPLONA
Left: July 7, 2013. People standing on balconies look at participants as they run in front of Alcurrucen's bulls during the first bull run of the San Fermin Festival, in Pamplona, Spain. Right: July 12, 2013. Runners make their way through the street with "El Pilar" fighting bulls watched by people from their balconies during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival, in Pamplona, Spain.Pedro Armstre—AFP/Getty Images | Alvaro Barrientos—AP
A man checks an apartment on a damaged building at the site of a blast in Reyhanli
Left: May 13, 2013. A man checks an apartment on a damaged building at the site of a blast in the town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, near the Turkish-Syrian border. Right: May 14, 2013. People stand in a damaged building at Reyhanli in Hatay, just a few kilometers from the main border crossing into Syria. Umit Bektas—Reuters | Bulent Kilic—AFP/Getty Images
A Free Syrian Army fighter rests along a street in the old city of Aleppo
Left: Sept. 29, 2013.A Free Syrian Army fighter rests in Old Aleppo.Right: Nov. 3, 2013.A Free Syrian Army fighter rests in Old Aleppo.Molhem Barakat—Reuters | Molhem Barakat—Reuters
Spacesuits are seen laid out for U.S. astronaut Marshburn, Canadian astronaut Hadfield and Russian cosmonaut Romanenko before an exam at Star City outside Moscow
Left: Nov. 28, 2012. Spacesuits are seen laid out for U.S. astronaut Thomas Marshburn, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko before an exam on a simulator of the International Space Station at the Russian cosmonaut training center at Star City outside Moscow. Right: Feb. 18, 2013. Spacesuits are left on chairs before cosmonauts' training session at the Russian cosmonaut training facility, Star City, outside Moscow.Sergei Remezov—Reuters | Sergei Remezov—Reuters
*** BESTPIX *** Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey Visits Gen. Fang Fenghui
Left: April 23, 2013. A Chinese soldier stands guard at the main entrance door of the Bayi building, where U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey met with Chinese military officials in Beijing. Right: Sept. 9, 2013. Chinese soldiers stand guard inside the gate of the Chinese Defense Ministry's Bayi Building in Beijing, during a meeting between U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Miller and Major General Wang Guanzhong, Deputy Chief of General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).Andy Wong—Getty Images | Alexander F. Yuan—Reuters
Rafah border tunnels rebuilt
Left: Dec. 2, 2012. A Palestinian man emerges from a smuggling tunnel which connects the Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. Right: Sept. 10, 2013. A Palestinian man emerges from a smuggling tunnel which connects the Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.Ali Ali—EPA | Ali Ali—EPA
APTOPIX India Republic Day
Left: Jan. 17, 2012. Indian soldiers from the Border Security Forces atop camels stand at attention in front of the Presidential Palace during a ceremony in preparation for the annual "Beating the Retreat" in New Delhi, India. Right: Jan. 19, 2013. India's Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers ride their camels in front of India's presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan during a rehearsal for the "Beating the Retreat" ceremony in New Delhi, India.Kevin Frayer—AP | Adnan Abidi—Reuters
EGYPT-POLITICS-UNREST
Left: July 4, 2013. Egyptian people wave the national flag as army helicopters fly above Egypt's landmark Tahrir square. Right: Oct. 6, 2013. Military helicopters are seen flying over while people gather at Tahrir Square to celebrate the anniversary of an attack on Israeli forces during the 1973 war, in Cairo, Egypt. Gianluigi Guercia—AFP/Getty Images | Mohamed And El Ghany—Reuters
Japan Earthquake
The following 10 triptychs are made of diptychs from last year's gallery with an additional image from this year.Left: March 28, 2011. A ship sits in a residential neighborhood destroyed in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan. Center: Feb. 23, 2012. A ship sits in a destroyed residential neighborhood in Kesennuma, Japan. Right: March 11, 2013. A local resident and a dog walk near a ship brought ashore by the March 11, 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.David Guttenfelder—AP | David Guttenfelder—AP | Kyodo/Reuters
Left: Jan. 23, 2012. Indonesian ethnic Chinese pray during Lunar New year celebration at Dharma Bakti temple in Chinatown in Jakarta, Indonesia. Center: Oct. 18, 2012. Two Syrian rebels take sniper positions at the heavily contested neighborhood of Karmal Jabl in central Aleppo, Syria. Right: Jan. 26, 2013. People look for things to salvage after a fire at the Smart Fashions garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh.Dita Alangkara—AP | Javier Manzano—AFP/Getty Images | Reuters
Obama
Left: March 7, 2012. Visitors react to the rotor wash of the Marine One helicopter as President Barack Obama takes off from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Center: March 30, 2012. Visitors brace themselves from the rotor wash of the Marine One helicopter as President Barack Obama lifts off from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, as he travels to Vermont and Maine for campaign fundraising events. Right: Jan. 29, 2013. Sixth grade students from the Park Maitland School in Maitland, Florida, watch as Marine One carrying U.S. President Barack Obama takes off from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington as he departs for Las Vegas.Charles Dharapak—AP | Charles Dharapak—AP | Larry Downing—Reuters
RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2011
Left: Feb. 8, 2011.College students watch a cheerleader at a rally in Tokyo. Center: Feb. 8, 2012. Japanese college students watch a cheerleader at a rally wishing for success in their job search in Tokyo. Right: Feb. 13, 2013. Japanese college students watch cheerleaders perform at a job-hunting rally in Tokyo.Kim Kyung-Hoon—Reuters | Kim Kyung Hoon—Reuters | Yuya Shino—Reuters
Italy's Member of the European Parliament Ronzulli takes part with her daughter in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg
Left: Feb. 15, 2012. Italy's Member of the European Parliament Licia Ronzulli (top C) takes part with her daughter in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Center: Oct. 23, 2012. Italy's Member of the European Parliament Licia Ronzulli (C) takes part with her daughter Victoria in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Right: Nov. 19, 2013. Member of the European Parliament Licia Ronzulli of Italy (C top) takes part with her daughter Vittoria in a voting session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.Vincent Kessler—Reuters | Vincent Kessler—Reuters | Vincent Kessler—Reuters
Buddhist devotees carry candles while encircling a large Buddha statue is seen in this long exposure photograph during Vesak Day
Left: May 17, 2011. Buddhists carry candles while encircling a large Buddha statue during Vesak Day, an annual celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, at a temple in Nakhon Pathom province on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. Center: June 4, 2012. Buddhist devotees carry candles while encircling a large Buddha statue during Vesak Day, an annual celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, at a temple in Nakhon Pathom province on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. Right: Feb. 25, 2013. People walk around the Buddha Statue holding candles for prayers during Makha Bucha Day at Buddhist Park in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Chaiwat Subprasom—Reuters | Dennis M. Sabangan—EPA | Athit Perawongmetha—Getty Images
SKOREA-US-MILITARY-DRILL
Left: June 8, 2011. A South Korean K1 tank fires smoke shells during a joint military drill between South Korea and the U.S. in Paju, near the inter-Korean border. Center: June 25, 2012. South Korean Marine Corps' amphibious vehicles take part in a landing operation in the sea off Taean, about 170 kms southwest of Seoul, South Korea. Right: April 26, 2013. South Korean Marine LVT-7 landing craft sail to shores in a smoke screen during the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises in Pohang, south of Seoul, South Korea.Jung Yeon-Je—AFP/Getty Images | Jung Yeon-Je—AFP/Getty Images | Kin Cheung—AP
Barack Obama
Left: Oct. 16, 2012. The shadow of Air Force One is seen as is approaches John F. Kennedy International Airport, with President Barack Obama aboard, in New York, en route to Hempstead, N.Y. and a presidential debate. Center: Oct. 16, 2012. The shadow of Air Force One is seen as it approaches John F. Kennedy International Airport, en route to Hempstead, N.Y. and a presidential debate. Right: July 24, 2013. Air Force One's shadow is seen while flying over Knob Noster to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.Carolyn Kaster—AP | Larry Downing—Reuters | Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Chad
Left: April 20, 2012. A dead donkey lies partially covered by the wind-swept sand in an area of desert where villagers take dead animals to avoid the smell and potential for disease affecting them, near the village of Dala in the Sahel belt of Chad. Center: May 29, 2012. The dead carcass of a donkey is buried in the sand in the village of Taboit in Mauritania. Right: May 13, 2013. The human remains are seen during the exhumation of a Stalinist-era mass grave on the military cemetary in the heart of the Polish capital Warsaw.Ben Curtis—AP | Susana Vera—Reuters | Wojtek Radwanski—AFP/Getty Images
Barack Obama
Left: Dec. 20, 2011. President Barack Obama sits aboard Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Center: June 3, 2012. President Barack Obama sits aboard Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Right: July 5, 2013. President Barack Obama sits inside Marine One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland as he departs for the presidential retreat at Camp David to spend the weekend.Haraz N. Ghanbari—AP | Joshua Roberts—Reuters | Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images

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