Goran Tomasevic / Reuters
A gold miner prepares to climb down into a mine shaft in Manica Province near the Zimbabwe border on Sept. 18. Hundreds of miners work in individual claims rented from local landowners.
I love the texture and three-dimensional quality of this image considered for our Year in Pictures slideshow.
See which photos made the final edit here: The Year in Pictures - News.
Both of these photos have an "epic" quality that really struck me. They have an almost lithographic feel - the Pakistan image is reminiscent of an artistic drawing from biblical text, and the wildebeests seem to tap imagery from the wild west you might have seen a century ago.
Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images
Flood victims scramble for food rations as they battle the downwash from a Pakistan Army helicopter during relief operations on Sept. 13, 2010 in the village of Goza in Dadu district in Sindh province, Pakistan. Over six weeks after flooding began, new devastation continues across the Sindh province of Pakistan, as flood waters, still on the rise, continue to overcome new villages. The country's agricultural heartland has been devastated, with rice, corn and wheat crops destroyed by floods. Officials say as many as 22 million people have been effected during Pakistan's worst flooding in 80 years. The army and aid organisations are struggling to cope with the scope of the wide spread scale of the disaster that has killed over 1,700 people and displaced millions. The UN has described the disaster as unprecedented, with over a third of the country under water.
Thomas Mukoya / Reuters
Wildebeests (connochaetes taurinus) run after crossing the Mara river during a migration in the Masaai Mara game reserve, 165 miles southwest of the capital Nairobi, on Aug. 25. The migration is the world's greatest wildlife spectacle taking place between the open plains of the Serengeti and the Masaai Mara as the animals migrate to greener pastures as the seasons change and the circle of life and death continues.
While both were featured in editions of The Week in Pictures earlier this year, they didn't make the final vote for The Year in Pictures - check out the images that are featured in the final slideshow here: Year in Pictures - News.
Reuters
A keeper brushes a hippo's teeth at the Shanghai Zoo on Nov. 3. The hippo has its teeth cleaned three times a week to reduce the chance of mouth diseases.
I voted for this hippo image to be included in the Year in Pictures. Yes it's a zoo picture, yes, it's an animal -- so some would say it's not "serious" photojournalism and doesn't stand up against all of the important news of the year. Yes, all that is true, but also, it's nice to take a moment to appreciate the lighter moments that were captured. This picture makes me smile, in part because the hippo seems a little happy about the attention and the carrot is a fun, whimsical detail. See the images that did make the cut here.
Evan Vucci / AP
A daughter of Lt. Col. Robert Baldwin, of Eliza, Ill., looks on as a flag is presented during a burial service at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010. Lt. Col. Baldwin was killed in Afghanistan.
I've seen a lot of pictures of funerals at Arlington cemetery, but this one is simple and heartbreaking. You don't need to see more than the soldiers hands with the folded flag to know exactly where they are and what is happening. It didn't make the final cut, but you can see what did here.
Rob Gillies / AP
Canadian Inuit dogs pull a sled using traditional harnesses Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 in Iqaluit, Canada.
I thought this was an interesting angle for a dog sledding photo. It's a unusual sport anyway, but I haven't seen it shot this way before. It has nice light too. This one didn't make the final Year in Sports photos, but you can see what did here.
Alexei Yefimov / Reuters
A man prepares to dip in the icy waters of the Ob River in Russia's Siberian city of Novosibirsk, with the air temperature at about minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit), during an Orthodox Epiphany celebration, January 19. Orthodox believers mark Epiphany on January 19 by immersing themselves in icy waters regardless of the weather.
There are polar bear plunges, and then there's this - swimming when it's minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit outside. This was one of my favorite images of 2010, but it didn't make the final edit for our Year in Pictures - News slideshow. See the slideshow here.
Erik S. Lesser / AP
Seattle Storm coach Brian Agler, center, celebrates with Camille Little, right, and Tanisha Wright after the Storm defeated the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA basketball finals, Thursday, Sept. 16, in Atlanta. The Seattle Storm won 87-84, and swept the series.
I wish this image had made it into the slideshow. I love the facial expressions, and the tension you feel seeing that the coach is not even a second away from feeling cold, fizzy champagne hit his head and drip down his collar. I almost hunch my shoulders in anticipation when I see it. To me, photographer Erik Lesser captured a great moment by shooting a frame that is just a split-second removed from the usual locker room celebration shot we see.
Check out the slideshow to see if we made the right choice in excluding it.
Matt Slocum / AP
A person walks down pit road as rain delays the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 auto race, Sunday, June 6, in Long Pond, Pa.
This is a pretty quiet image considering it was made at a NASCAR race. It didn't make the final edit for our Year in Pictures - Sports slideshow. See the slideshow here.
Matt Slocum / AP
A law enforcement officer chases down a fan that ran onto the field before the eighth inning of a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, May 3, 2010, in Philadelphia. St. Louis won 6-3.
Shocking fan alert! I remember the surprise of seeing this image for the first time (ESPN story here). This photo was considered for our Year in Sports Pictures slideshow but excluded from the final edit.
See which photos made the cut here: The Year in Pictures - Sports.
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