2011 in pictures

Pictures of 2011

Photographers from around the world focus on strange, funny and moving moments in a tumultuous year

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 December 2011 20.59 GMT


A couple kiss during a riot in Vancouver, Canada. Photograph: Rich Lam/Getty Images

In the Vancouver riots the police were surging, charging the crowd, the crowd scattering. It was one of those moments when the police stopped, I stopped, and I saw two people lying in pretty much an empty street. My first thought was that the woman was hurt. I zoomed in on the back of my camera and the centre of the picture was her legs. They were about 30m away. I shot two frames and moved on. It was only back at the hockey rink where we were based that my editors took over. That's where someone mentioned "that kissing couple picture". I didn't know what they were talking about. I've since met the couple a few times. I signed a picture for them, and they signed one for me. In fact, I just heard from Alex's mother and they are still together, doing fine in Melbourne. Rich Lam/Getty


Disturbing … Amy Winehouse in her final concert, in Belgrade. Photograph: Brian Rasic / Rex Features

I had been photographing Amy Winehouse since she started, and her PR and manager organised for me to cover this gig. I was born in Belgrade, so it was pure coincidence that the tour was starting there. What I didn't know was that I was the only photographer there. The gig was fairly disastrous, but we'd seen that before with her. It wasn't new and it wasn't anything you would think about afterwards. But because she was my client, I was protective of her. So the initial photographs that went out were as nice as possible. When she passed away, I went back to my pictures and decided to release a few more as I believed the world should see what happened there. They are disturbing photos: you could see she was troubled. When some of my colleagues saw them, they cried. I have mixed feelings and can't really be proud. I've been documenting music for decades now, but I think those pictures of Amy will follow me for ever. Brian Rasic/Rex


Ghostly vision … trees cocooned in spiders' webs. Photograph: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development

I was in Pakistan a year ago for DFID, looking at the impact of British aid in helping people affected by the floods. We were looking at shelter and water needs. In northern Sindh a vast area had been flooded, but the waters had finally receded enough for local communities to start to return; they were coming back to discover they had lost everything. While we were there the local NGOs told us about this odd phenomenon; miles and miles of flooded land, where every piece of vegetation was shrouded in these spider webs, like candy floss. It was stunning – a surreal sight. The trees were the only things above the water, so it was a very strange landscape, definitely ghostly. A few people have told me since that you can get a population explosion in a species triggered by a mega environmental event like this, but I don't know if this is true. I have been trying to find out if it has occurred again this year when southern Sindh was hit by floods, but I haven't heard. People said that although they were used to flooding they had never seen this happen before. Russell Watkins/Dfid


Howzat? A young bowler draws a crowd in Chittagong. Photograph: Philip Brown/REUTERS

I was in Chittagong to cover a cricket world cup match. Early one morning, I started photographing this boy throwing a ball in the air and catching it. After a particularly high toss, the ball landed on a roof and couldn't be retrieved. I bought a replacement and the boy began bowling with his new and more colourful ball. I positioned myself in the firing line. Later, I left a large print of this photograph in a local shop to be given to the lad. Philip Brown/Reuters

Nikon Sports Photographer of the Year winner: Mike Egerton – AC Milan's Gennaro Gattuso (right) grabs the throat of Tottenham Hotspur's first team coach Joe Jordan (left). Photograph: Mike Egerton/EMPICS Sport

British Airways Royal Photographer of the Year winner: Matt Dunham – as bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem (left) covers her ears from the noise of the crowd, Britain's Prince William kisses his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP

News photographer of the year winner: Carl Court – A police officer coaxes Larry, the Downing Street cat, indoors. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP

Celebrity photographer of the year winner: Dave Benett – Poppy Delevigne, Donna Air, Aaron Paul, Alexa Chung, Douglas Booth, Sarah Jessica Parker and Serena Williams attend the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show during London fashion week. Photograph: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images Europe

Bloomberg Business photographer of the year winner: Christopher Ratcliffe – Nicolas Petrovic, chief executive officer of Eurostar Group (second right) shakes hands with Philip Hammond, UK secretary of state for transport (second left) in front of a Eurostar 320 train. Photograph: Christopher Ratcliffe /Bloomberg

Newscast Young Photographer of the Year winner: – English Defence League supporters chant during a demonstration in Bradford city centre. Photograph: Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images Europe

Regional Photographer of the Year winner: Anthony Chappel-Ross – the annual Illuminating York event in Deans Park. Photograph: Anthony Chappel-Ross/The Press, York

Fotolia Photo Essay winner: Dan Kitwood – a warmblood horse is checked after mouth surgery at Newmarket Equine Hospital. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe

BT Citizen Photographer of the Year winner: Ben Jacobson – still from a video of the moment that hero gran Ann Timson foiled a gang of armed robbers in Northampton. Photograph: Ben Jacobson /SWNS

SABMiller Photographer of the Year winner: Matt Dunham – Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall react as their car is attacked by protesters in Regent Street, London