Thousands of photographs caught the attention of the internet this year, but here are the handful of the most shared and talked about images, photos that are now part of history. Check this amazing collection “The Most Powerful Photos of 2015”:
Remains of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17
Sports photographer Dean Mouhtaropoulos lives near the airfield in the Netherlands where he encountered the remains of the ill-fated plane. The plane had been recovered from Ukraine and reconstructed piece by piece at the hangar.
Refugees rescued from the sea
Zizola witnessed the rescue of 3,000 migrants while aboard a search and rescue ship. The migrants were wrapped in shiny emergency blankets that helped keep them warm during the time they spent on the deck.
Charlie Hebdo unity march
The photographer and his colleague had to book a hotel room to get this difficult shot. It shows the very beginning of the march on Rue Voltaire.
A shower of banknotes for Sepp Blatter
Wieman captured the exact moment when British comedian Simon Brodkin threw bank notes in the air from a spot near banned FIFA president Sepp Blatter was seated.
Chile’s Calbuco volcano erupts
This was taken at dusk, 45 minutes before the eruption. Brecas used only a small compact camera to take the shot. It was the first time the volcano had erupted in 43 years.
Merkel and Obama’s private moment
The two heads of state were having a private chat during the G7 summit. The photo ended up being used on front pages all over the world.
Macedonian border police clash with refugees
The Macedonian police were trying to help the scared kids avoid the crush of the refugees trying to push through. It was a very emotional photo for Licovski.
Palestinian boy asleep in a sandstorm
The boy seems enveloped in a different world after the huge sandstorm that swept war-torn Gaza.
Aerial view of explosion in Tianjin
A view from above the warehouse where toxic chemicals caused the massive explosion that killed 165 people and injured 100 others. The photographer climbed on top of a building and then used a drone to take this shot at 300 meters.
Model ‘wears’ a model
A model carries another model on her shoulders as she struts the runway.
Homeless boy uses light from McDonald’s to do his homework.
9-year old Daniel Cabrera was spotted studying late at night just outside the restaurant in Mandaue City, making use of the light that spilled from the interiors so he can read. He was using a makeshift bench as study table. During that time, medical student Joyce Torrefranca was walking along the street when she saw the boy. Moved by this touching scene, she took a photo and shared it on her Facebook page. It quickly became viral and the netizens became impressed with the boy’s perseverance.
Flowers and candles at Le Carillon, Paris
This was taken on the Sunday after the horrifying attacks. During that time, the people were silent although the place was very crowded and a radio was playing a Jacques Brel song, If You Only Have Love.
Highline walk
20 men were taking turns walking the highline strung between the two sides of Moleson Peak. None of them couldn’t walk the entire length of the line without falling off. Good thing they are actually attached to the line with a little rope, but the scene was terrifying nonetheless.
‘Blood moon’ eclipse
Taken in New Zealand using a 600mm lens on a tripod. It has been cloudy most of the day and they weren’t sure of seeing the eclipse at all.
Usain Bolt is felled by a Segway cameraman
The fastest man in the world was doing his victory lap after winning the 200m at the Beijing World Championships. Dela Pena clicked at the exact moment when the camera guy following Bolt hit the athlete from behind with his Segway, causing the champion to fall backwards.
The body of Alan Kurdi
The photographer told Turkey’s Dogan News Agency,“At that moment, when I saw the three-year-old Alan Kurdi, I was petrified. The only thing I could do was to make his outcry heard. At that moment, I believed I would be able to achieve this by clicking the shutter of my camera, and I took his picture.
“We were covering the illegal transition of migrants to the Greek island of Kos from Bodrum’s coast. Suddenly we noticed the lifeless bodies. We recognised they belonged to toddlers. We were shocked, we felt sorrow for them. I have photographed and witnessed many migrant incidents since 2003 in this region – their deaths, their drama. I hope from today, this will change.”
A man climbs the security fence in Calais
This was taken the night in Coquelles when migrants were running, hoping to evade the police.
African refugee rests after arriving in Gran Canaria
A refugee rests after an exhausting ordeal of spending days on a boat before making land at Gran Canaria.
Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open
Filip waited for three days to be able to take the shot. It was 45C outside and Sharapova was all hot and sweaty. He managed to take the picture the moment she sat on the bench and before she was covered with an umbrella to shade her. Filip wanted to showcase the athlete’s power through her sweat and muscles.
Caitlyn Jenner’s Vanity Fair cover
Leibovitz told Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, “That was one idea with the corset. I originally wanted to be more conservative with her and was looking at photographs of Katharine Hepburn. I realised that whatever look she had was going to be an acquired look. This was an acquired idea of ‘What is a woman?’ What should a woman look like? How does a woman dress up? Who is Caitlyn? I think our whole team really wanted it to be successful for her, and we wanted to take her over the hill. Now I think she has a long road still to go but I think what she’s done so far is pretty amazing.”
A victim lies dead outside the Bataclan theatre in Paris
Delay spotted this body on the pavement and instantly took three frames. It was a hectic moment at the 18th arrondisement and he had a hard time getting through the rescue teams.