As we envision what the coming year might bring, Lightbox pauses to celebrate sightings of rainbows — those fleeting emblems of hope — photographed over the past year in unexpected, incongruous places.
TIME spoke with Shannon Hicks, the photographer behind the now iconic photograph from the Sandy Hook tragedy.
From the elementary school shooting in Connecticut and continued protests in Egypt to Syrian refugees in Turkey and the Pope’s first tweet, TIME presents the best images of the week.
From America’s worst drought in 50 years and fierce fighting in Syria to the shootings in Colorado and the start of Ramadan, TIME’s photo department presents the best images of the week.
From the Presidential election in Russia to Super Tuesday in the U.S. to fires in Congo and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, TIME’s photo department presents the best images of the week.
