2013 Year in Pictures: Part III

December 20, 2013

Our collection of the best photojournalism of 2013 concludes with a look at the months of September, October, November, and December. News as always dominated the period with Typhoon Haiyan battering the Philippines, the attack on the mall in Kenya, the funeral for Nelson Mandela, unrest in Ukraine and the conflict in Syria continuing. Here is just a glimpse of what stood out to me in the final months of the year. For the rest of the year, see part I and part II. -- Lloyd Young [Editor's note: The Big Picture will not publish during the week beginning December 23. We will return posting December 30.] ( 35 photos total )

Typhoon survivors play a game called "Sungka" inside the bathroom of a house, toppled by Super Typhoon Haiyan that battered Tacloban city nearly two weeks ago, in central Philippines on Nov. 21. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)

2013 Year in Pictures: Part II

December 19, 2013

Documenting the power of humans and nature resulted in images that depict great achievements and horrible destruction. Here is a selection of images from May - August 2013 from around the world (and here's Jan.-April and Sept.-Dec.). --Leanne Burden Seidel (32 photos total)

Rescuers pull out a female survivor, Reshma, alive on the 17th day after the Rana Plaza building collapsed, in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 10. (EPA)

2013 Year in Pictures: Part I

The first quarter of 2013 was a tough one for many people. It certainly was difficult for us here in Boston. Putting together the best photos of the year can be depressing. For the most part, the wire services move their most dramatic photos of the most significant events and many of those are violent. In this post, you will see photos from the horrific collapse of the garment factory in Bangladesh, the Boston Marathon bombings and you will see a few light moments sprinkled within. It’s critical for us to document these tragic moments. Because of the images of the building collapse seen around the world, Bangladesh now has a new labor law that boosts worker rights. But after this edit, I'm going to start gathering some positive images for a future post. --Thea Breite

Tammy Holmes, second from left, and her grandchildren, two-year-old Charlotte Walker, left, four-year-old Esther Walker, third from left, nine-year-old Liam Walker, eleven-year-old Matilda, second from right, and six-year-old Caleb Walker, right, take refuge under a jetty as a wildfire rages near-by in the Tasmanian town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, Australia on Jan. 4, 2013 The family credits God with their survival from the fire that destroyed around 90 homes in Dunalley. (Holmes Family, Tim Holmes/AP)