Best photographs of 2014 – in pictures

From the Ferguson riots to the school attack in Peshawar, a Missouri ‘firenado’ and hailstones in Siberia: the Guardian’s features picture editor Sarah Gilbert selects the most compelling images of 2014

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  • “I took this picture the day after the violent protest turned into riots in Ferguson, Missouri. The police were trying to disperse a crowd and warning they would arrest anyone gathering on the street. This woman held her hands up and moved into the middle of the street and was detained. I think it is a strong picture because of her emotion and the iconic gesture of the raised hands contrasted with the police lights.”
    Protester holds up hands

  • Residents of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk queue for UN food in Damascus on 31 January. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon was urging the Syrian government to authorise more humanitarian aid in the country.
    Residents of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk queue

  • Ukrainian protesters launch a fire attack on police in Grushevsky Street, Kiev, on 22 January.
    Ukrainian protesters launch a fire attack on police in Grushevsky Street, Kiev, on 22 January.

  • “I tried for two years to take this picture. I took the same photo the year before, again from a helicopter, of an almost identical boat. But we didn’t manage to get directly above: some of the people in the boat looked one way, others a different way. This year I tried again. I photograph the Italian navy calendar, so we collaborate. I waited 12 days on an ­Italian navy boat for the force seven sea to calm, for this moment. I took the shot ­outside the helicopter, my feet on the skids. The incredible thing is that every single person in the photo looks up.”
    asylum seekers on boat

  • “The morgue was filled with dead bodies. It was 20 July; Israeli forces had moved into the eastern area of Gaza City. The dead child is five-year-old Mohammed Ashraf Ayyad, whose home was destroyed by the Israeli bombing. The person crying over his body is his brother, Rafik Ashraf Ayyad. Their father was wounded as well. After I took this picture, family members carried the body to the father, who was in the same hospital, so he could bid farewell. Mohammed was buried in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, but his funeral ceremony didn’t take place due to the intensity of the bombing.”
    Brother weeping over dead boy in Gaza City hospital

  • This Nasa photograph was taken by the Expedition 38 crew aboard the International Space Station on 30 January of the night view of the Korean peninsula. North Korea is a sea of black between neighbouring South Korea (bottom right) and China (top left). The single point of light in the middle is the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
    Dark north korea, from the International Space Station

  • “There were between 7,000 and 10,000 ‘maidens’ at this Zulu reed dance – screaming, laughing, chatting, all under the watchful eyes of older women. This was a lucky shot, but I was looking for it. There are a lot of problems for albinos in Africa, so I thought if I could find an albino ‘maiden’ dancing, it would tell a positive story. These girls were lining up to get food in the early morning light, and I raced over. Normally as a photographer you get cross if your subjects pose, because it’s not natural. But this girl put up a face so proud and dignified that it was a gift to me.”
    Albino woman having fun at Zulu reed dance

  • “When I took this picture I was still in shock after surviving a helicopter crash. I had flown to Mount Sinjar, where thousands of Yazidi civilians had fled Islamic State forces. The Iraqi airforce crew loaded as many people on as they could. I don’t remember exactly how we went down. But minutes after our chaotic takeoff, I lay stunned in darkness. We all crawled out of the aircraft, some more injured than others, and hours later, another helicopter finally reached us and picked us up. This photograph is of that second precarious, life-saving trip.”
    “When I took this picture I was still in shock after surviving a helicopter crash. I had flown to Mount Sinjar, where thousands of Yazidi civilians had fled Islamic State forces. The Iraqi airforce crew loaded as many people on as they could. I don’t remember exactly how we went down. But minutes after our chaotic takeoff, I lay stunned in darkness. We all crawled out of the aircraft, some more injured than others, and hours later, another helicopter finally reached us and picked us up. This photograph is of that second precarious, life-saving trip.”

  • “I was about 120 metres from the cafe and had been there for about six hours when the run for freedom happened. My legs were aching from standing in one spot, but my lens was focused on the doorway when the girl made her dash, so I was able to start shooting in a split second. It happened so fast and without warning, so I didn’t have time to think and just worked off reflex. This picture stood out for me because of the way she latched on to the arm of the officer as he grabbed her, and the expression on her face.”
    a young woman's break for freedom at the siege in sydney

  • “This was taken at Dilwali, on the banks of the Yamuna river in Vrindavan, India. The women are widows who have been abandoned by their families and they live in an ashram. It was wonderful to see them looking proud and happy. Afterwards they went back to their ashram and danced. So often I take photographs of war and destruction so when you see a positive change like this it’s comforting and you feel life doesn’t always have to be dark.”
    widows with sparklers at diwali looking proud and happy

  • “On 12 July it was a very hot day on the beach [at the Ob river, in Novosibirsk in western Siberia]. My girlfriend and I decided to go to a city beach. When we got there the weather suddenly changed and a very strong wind blew. I think my sixth sense switched on and I used my phone to take pictures of the trees swaying. Suddenly hail started literally bombarding us until we rushed back to our car. Several people really got a beating from the hail.”
    hailstorm on the beach at the Ob river, in Novosibirsk in western Siberiain siberia

  • “I took this picture on 20 February, during the violent clashes between pro-Europe protesters and Ukrainian police. As I took it, snipers were shooting toward us. I photographed at least five protesters being shot dead. The priest appeared among the chaos, blessing the protesters, like he knew we were all going to die. I knew at that moment that this photo was strong; it says something about the human condition, faith and death. The faith of the priest gave me courage – he looked at me, straight in the eyes, and he blessed me. I felt he was telling me: ‘Don’t be afraid, God is watching you’.”
    Priest in kiev during violent clashes

  • “The migrants were on this fence next to a golf course in Melilla, on the border between Morocco and the Spanish territory, for 14 hours without food or water. The security services were trying to remove them illegally. This picture shows with great clarity the reason for immigration and the indifference of northern countries to migrants. I took a video and about 30 pictures. Then I had to hide in a shelter so the civil guard did not see me. When night fell the security forces turned off the lights – when they came back on the migrants had gone; they had sent the Moroccan army to get them.”
    migrants on fence at Spanish golf course

  • “I was photographing the partially frozen Niagara Falls on 8 January. The bone-cracking cold pierced through all my layers of clothes. The picture was widely published – I think this was a testament to how strongly people felt about the miserable winter we had to endure.”
    niagara frozen

  • “I was in Ferguson, Missouri, on 24 November waiting for the verdict in the shooting of Michael Brown. It was a chaotic scene as the police had been shooting tear gas into the crowd and there were reports of gunfire. I could see the riot police had blocked off the street. They were lit only by the street and holiday lights and it made it an eerie scene.”
    Threatening police gathered under Seasons Greetings sign at ferguson

  • “It was early September. All the Ebola treatment centres in Monrovia were full. A group of people were waiting to be admitted to this facility. James was sitting up and his dad, Edward, was trying to get him to drink. James started convulsing. His hands tightened and went limp. Everyone thought he had passed away. Then Edward noticed he was still breathing. The guys in yellow suits stood over James, contemplating how to carry him because one of them had his neck exposed. The way they carried him is more indicative of the nature of the virus than our humanity. James died shortly after.”
    young ebola victim carried away by medical workers in Monrovia

  • “My son and I spotted smoke, and given California’s extreme drought I knew it was not good. We jumped in the car but had only gone a mile when burning ash rained down like falling snow. The rangers and police were ordering a mandatory evacuation and we had to go home to prepare. Then we returned to the Falls area of Bass Lake and I resumed shooting. The picture combines a beautiful forest reflected in the calm waters, and then slams home the fact that it is being consumed by the fire. It conveys the sense of awe, horror and feeling of loss I felt while standing there watching the forest burn.”
    bass lake fire witnessed by father and son

  • The mother of Abdollah Hosseinzadeh, who was murdered in 2007, slaps her son’s killer, Balal, during the execution ceremony in the northern city of Nowshahr, Iran on 15 April. She then removed the noose from around his neck with the help of her husband, and spared his life.
    Mother saves her son's killer from execution in iran

  • A member of Islamic State waves an Isis flag in Raqqa, Syria on 29 June.
    A member of Islamic State waves an Isis flag in Raqqa, Syria on 29 June.

  • “I took this in the trauma room at Lady Reading hospital in Peshawar. I have covered many bomb blasts in Peshawar before, but I have never seen so many wounded and dead bodies in my life. Many children were wounded, but the ambulances were still bringing more – everyone was crying for help. I suddenly saw a schoolboy along with volunteers who was crying. In this picture there is pain and an urgent request for help. I am professionally trained and knew I must raise awareness about what has happened.”
    Wounded schoolboy being carried into hospital after the attack in Peshawar

  • “When the Israeli air raids in Gaza began in July journalists and locals began gathering on a hill at the southern end of Sderot to view the bombings. At some point locals began bringing chairs, old couches and food – there was an element of socialising and relaxing. I think it speaks to the Israeli faith in the Iron Dome defence system. There is a confidence that the rockets coming out of Gaza will be intercepted, which makes people feel safe going to watch the air raids, despite the proximity to Gaza.”
    People watching Israeli air raids on Gaza

  • A “firenado” tears through a field in Chillicothe, Missouri on 3 May. Part fire, part tornado, this blazing twister was spotted by Missouri native Janae Copelin while she was out driving.
    A “firenado” tears through a field in Chillicothe, Missouri on 3 May. Part fire, part tornado, this blazing twister was spotted by Missouri native Janae Copelin while she was out driving.

  • “I was interested in capturing the Tour, this big French event, as it came through Fichingfield [in Essex], a quintessentially English village. I was surprised at how many people there were. I had to fight off people who wanted to put up banners and placards in front of my shot – I had a big argument about three minutes before the cyclists came through.” The village put on a good show - the pub was open and there was a barbecue on the green. It was a bloody good day.”
    tour de france comes through Fichingfield in Essex

  • “This was taken just after 6am. Ed Miliband was touring Covent Garden market before the local elections and ordered a bacon sandwich. I noticed he was struggling. The bacon sandwich was extremely hot and he didn’t know what to do. It was probably worse than it looks, he just couldn’t cope with it. I didn’t set out to make him look bad. It just happened in front of my face.”
    miliband eats bacon sandwich
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