Detained Filipino activist Reina Mae Nasino holds a flower during the burial of her three-month-old baby River, who died while she was in jail, in Manila North Cemetery, Philippines, October 16, 2020. Reuters photographer Eloisa Lopez: “The moment I saw Filipino activist Reina Mae Nasino step out at the burial site of her three-month-old baby River, my eyes locked onto her hands. She was handcuffed, in a full personal protective suit, and surrounded by armed prison guards. Her relatives and lawyers repeatedly pleaded for her to be uncuffed—even for just a minute—to give her a chance to hold her baby for the last time, but the authorities refused. It was heartbreaking to witness Nasino sob silently in front of a tiny white coffin, caressing the top of it with her cuffed hands, as her sister played lullabies on a cellphone. This photograph of Nasino holding a white flower was taken during her last moments with her baby, as loved ones threw flowers into the grave before the tomb was covered in cement. It’s a simple image and doesn’t show any of the chaos I witnessed that day, but I think it demonstrates who Nasino was in that moment. Putting all the politics aside, she was just a mother mourning her child, in a universal feeling that anyone could sympathise with.” REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
November 23, 2020
(Reuters) – From the coronavirus pandemic to the anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd, Reuters photographers were on the ground covering the most important stories of the year.
Photographers reacted quickly to capture images from a car driver ramming into and then shooting at protesters in Seattle to a woman mourning the death of her husband during gang wars and police operations in Rio de Janeiro.
Beyond the striking pictures, these are the stories of the women and men behind the lens and their experiences in the line of duty.
“I never push my luck to the limit,” said Danish Siddiqui, who photographed a mob as they beat up a Muslim man during communal riots in New Delhi. “I always keep a buffer which helps me walk out with the pictures which tell the story.”
From dramatic images from rural Australia where the air was thick with smoke during the worst bushfires in recorded history, to intensive care units in Italy and Texas where doctors in full protective suits worked valiantly to save lives, the photographers overcame logistical and technical obstacles.
Below is a selection of some exceptional Reuters pictures taken in 2020 along with the stories behind the shots, directly from the photographers who took them.
Part 1: https://reut.rs/35Kjt0C
Part 2: https://reut.rs/3pKuDKL
(Written by Karishma Singh; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
