: TIME’s Top 10 Photos of 2021 #WorldNEWS Each year in November, the TIME photo team comes together to narrow down the thousands of images made by photographers around the world since January. The

TIME’s Top 10 Photos of 2021 #WorldNEWS
Each year in November, the TIME photo team comes together to narrow down the thousands of images made by photographers around the world since January. The ones that make the final cut for our top 10 can be striking in composition, shocking to experience, news-making moments, or all of the above. We find ourselves pausing to honor these images and their creators because we know there is so much more to the photograph than just the click of a shutter.

Read More: TIMEs Top 100 Photos of 2021
The photographers in these situations care deeply for the people and environments in their images, building connections that go well beyond the single instant. Like Konstantinos Tsakalidis, who looked out for the wellbeing of the people in his photographs of the wildfires in his home country of Greece, while assessing his own safety. Or Meridith Kohut, who has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 surge, working 15-18 hour days alongside the staff—something she says is crucial to building the kind of trust with the people in her photos and being allowed in the room when scenes unfold. Or Scott McIntyre, who simply wanted to capture the joy of Spelling Bee winner Zaila Avant-garde.
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These 10 images tell a story of a year full of hardships and perseverance, a year where photographs gave us glimpses of a world that often felt out of reach. The images, and the people who made them, show us the power of great photography: to move us, to connect us, and to remind us of our shared humanity. —Kim Bubello and Ciara Nugent

Christopher Lee for TIMECapitol Police officer Eugene Goodman confronts supporters of President Donald Trump who invaded the building on Jan. 6 to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. Goodman directs an angry mob away from the Senate chamber toward police.
A Truly Horrible Day in U. S. history
Photographer Christopher Lee was on assignment for TIME in Washington on Jan. 6 to photograph President Donald Trumps Stop The Steal rally. Soon, things began to escalate, and Lee found himself weaving among groups of people fighting with Capitol police. A couple photographers and I noticed how the energy was turning towards the inside of the building, Lee recalls, and we followed along as angry Trump supporters broke down windows to get in.
Having never been inside the Capitol before and wary of the risk to his own safety, Lee says he felt hyper alert as he moved along with the crowds, not knowing where they were going. At one point, the mob turned a corner and began shouting at a lone officer—who Lee later learnt was named Eugene Goodman—who blocked their way and held them off.