2014 was a year that manoeuvred through increased terrorism, deadly disease, perceived racism, insanity on home soil and natural disaster.
With the technologic power of the 21st century, anyone and everyone can capture a moment of disgust, a glimpse of fear or the result of destruction. Here are the photographs that shaped 2014.
The threat of ISIS became more than just a group of terrorists, as soldiers beheaded journalists and spread chaos throughout Western civilisation. It is in the picture above, taken in Syria at a time when the Islamic organisation established themselves as a dominant force, that outlines the movement; a gun, a representative flag, a face unseen and a direction undefined.
Ebola, the deadly disease of Western Africa, scared the entire world when a fresh outbreak ravaged a nation and started to appear away from the region. In this picture a boy named James is seen being carried by men protected by yellow jumpsuits. He had convulsed, his father believing he had died. But then he could be heard breathing; slightly, yet enough to be alive. He died soon after this picture. The way he is being held demonstrates the fear of the virus.
Ferguson, Missouri was home to violent protests and riots in the wake of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. This sparked something of a race war between African-Americans and white police, as scenes of anarchy were shown to the world. But it is in this image, with hands held high to the sight of oncoming authority, that innocence reigns supreme.
A fateful Monday morning in Sydney produced an attack so close to home, that the public still mourn for the departed. A gunman waving the ISIS flag took hostages in the Lindt Café on Martin Place, a situation that last almost a day and ended in a brutal shootout. The gunman died, along with two hostages; both claimed as heroes. This photo shows a young women escaping the clutches of evil, still afraid as she is embraces the police.
Chris Sutton
