Did you know that 10% of all of the photographs made in the entire history of photography were taken last year? More than ever before, thanks in part to cell phone technology, the world is engaged with photography and communicating through pictures.

These ten images – picked by TIME Magazine as their 10 best of the year – are therefore nothing short of incredible. The photo above was taken by Francois Mori in France. It features Chinese photographer Li Wei, dressed as a monk, suspending himself in the air by wires and shooting red smoke out of his shoes to create the effect of flying.

The rest of the chosen images can be seen in the gallery below. Some deliver a strong emotional impact — whether they show a child mourning his father who was killed by a sniper in Syria, a heartbreaking scene in a Gaza City morgue, a haunting landscape of New Jersey coastline after Hurricane Sandy with a rollercoaster submerged under the tide, or a rare glimpse of US President Obama moments before he goes out on stage during a campaign rally.

Also look out for TIME’s second-annual “365: Year in Pictures” to be released on 31 December.

[Source: TIME]