In a year when the still image maintained its unparalleled power to inform, to shock and, at times, to delight, TIME’s portraits once again put a human face on many of 2013’s most relevant and gripping stories. As photographers traveled around the globe to illuminate the personalities of the year’s signature newsmakers, the regional, racial and ideological diversity of those depicted comprise a kind of meta-portrait of a world both deeply fractured and profoundly interconnected. Mark Seliger’s picture of Malala Yousafzai evinces an air of quiet, undeniable dignity; composer Philip Glass’ gaze in a marvelous, painterly portrait by Lucia Herrero is unsentimental and almost unnervingly direct; while the solitude suggested in Nadav Kander’s image of Charles, Prince of Wales, conveys intimacy and a kind of decorous warmth, rather than — as the viewer might first infer — the chill of isolation. Paola Kudacki was commissioned to photograph our Hollywood Best Performances package in early 2013, and Marco Grob and Peter Hapak, both TIME contract photographers, continued to prove their mastery of subject and light in numerous assignments throughout the year. These and the other portraits that make up this LightBox gallery remind us that, as powerful as the grand gesture might be, it is often the quiet, unfiltered gaze of a fellow human being that makes for the most intense, and the most revelatory, of all pictures.
Kathryn Bigelow. From "Art of Darkness," Feb. 4, 2013 issue. Paola Kudacki for TIMEPhilip Glass. From "Mortal Mouse," Feb. 4, 2013 issue.Lucia Herrero for TIMESally Field. From "Great Performances," Feb. 18, 2013 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIMEChristoph Waltz. From "Great Performances," Feb. 18, 2013 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIMEJohn Goodman. From "Great Performances," Feb. 18, 2013 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIMEAmy Adams. From "Great Performances," Feb. 18, 2013 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIMEPhilip Seymour Hoffman. From "Great Performances," Feb. 18, 2013 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIMETina Fey. From "Tina Fey Rocks On," March 8, 2013 issue.Paola Kudacki for TIMEAleksandar Hemon. From "Speak, Memory," March 25, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEElaine Harley, left, and Mignon R. Moore. From "How Gay Marriage Won," April 8, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEJay Z. From "The 100 Most Influential People in the World," April 29, 2013 issue. Mark Seliger for TIMEJennifer Lawrence. From "The 100 Most Influential People in the World," April 29, 2013 issue. Mark Seliger for TIMEJimmy Kimmel. From "The 100 Most Influential People in the World," April 29, 2013 issue. Marco Grob for TIMEMalala Yousafzai. From "The 100 Most Influential People in the World," April 29, 2013 issue. Mark Seliger for TIMEMario Draghi. From "The 100 Most Influential People in the World," April 29, 2013 issue. Olaf Becker for TIMEGreta Gerwig. From "Leap Year," May 13, 2013 issue.Therese + Joel for TIMENatalie Maines. From "10 Questions," May 20, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEDaft Punk. From "Robots, Rebooted," May 27, 2013 issue.Sebastian Kim for TIMEEthan Hawke, left, and Julie Delpy. From "They'll Be Your Mirror," May 27, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEDavid Cameron. From "Cameron's Gamble," June 3, 2013 issue. Peter Hapak for TIMEAhmir 'Questlove' Thompson. From "10 Questions," June 24, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEJames Turrell. From "Prince of Light," July 1, 2013 issue.Sebastian Kim for TIMECate Blanchett. From "The Queen Stands Alone," July 29, 2013 issue.Bill Henson for TIMEJohn Lewis. From "One March," Aug. 26 / Sept. 2, 2013 issue. Marco Grob for TIMERachel Robinson. From "One March," Aug. 26 / Sept. 2, 2013 issue. Marco Grob for TIMEHarry Belafonte. From "One March," Aug. 26 / Sept. 2, 2013 issue. Marco Grob for TIMEJerome Smith. From "One March," Aug. 26 / Sept. 2, 2013 issue. Marco Grob for TIMEYoko Ono. From "10 Questions," Sept. 16, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEJohn Baldessari. From "Legends at Work," Sept. 23, 2013 issue.Eugene Richards for TIMEMichael Bloomberg. From "Bloomberg Unbound," Oct. 21, 2013 issue.Charles Ommanney – Reportage by Getty Images for TIMECharles, Prince of Wales. From "Heart of a King," Nov. 4, 2013 issue.Nadav Kander for TIMEAlan Greenspan. From "10 Questions," Nov. 4, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEDonna Tartt. From "Rare Bird," Nov. 4, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEHailee Steinfeld. From "Of a Certain Age," Nov. 11, 2013 issue.Carlos Serrao for TIMEDavid Hockney. From "Force of Nature," Dec. 2, 2013 issue.Ian Allen for TIMECarl Icahn. From "The Original Wolf of Wall Street," Dec. 16, 2013 issue.Platon for TIMETaylor Schilling and Uzo Aduba. From "The Best of Culture 2013," Dec. 30, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEM.I.A. From "The Best of Culture 2013," Dec. 30, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIMEJared Leto. From "The Best of Culture 2013," Dec. 30, 2013 issue.Peter Hapak for TIME