Photos of the Year from Reuters

The editors at Reuters have compiled the most stunning pictures taken by their photographers during the past year. You can view large versions of all fifty-five on one page at the link. To the left, you'll see one snapped by Denis Sinyakov on August 7th in the Ryazan region of Russia. Sinyakov writes:

I was really lucky to find this religious procession. It happened by accident when I drove to the village of Kriusha, which was partially burnt by wildfires. I spent a night in my car parked on a roadside in Kriusha. I began to drive away to look for a new location. There was smog. The huge area of the Ryazan region was covered with smog due to hundreds of forest fires in the surrounding areas. I'd already spent two days taking pictures of destroyed villages and firefighters so I was surprised to see an Orthodox priest followed by masked elderly women. I believed that it would be an additional angle to the story I was covering. There were about 30 or 40 women, residents of Kriusha. They prayed and walked in a procession around the village asking God to save their houses, lives and asking for rain. They held the same religious procession twice a week for several weeks.

Content warning: some of the photos show graphic violence and human suffering.

Link via The Agitator | Photo: Denis Sinyakov