Lens published reports from all corners of the earth this year, often by photographers working within their own communities. We covered the effects of conflict and violence both internationally and in our own backyard, and have also shown intimate photo essays of personal love, loss and triumph.

Because photography touches most everything, our topics have been far-ranging — from the environment, cyberbullying and immigration to race, gender and class. We have written about famed photographers like Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks and Diane Arbus as well as emerging image makers like Citlali Fabián, Fethi Sahraoui, Daniel Edwards and Mengwen Cao. And we have written about the need for more diverse storytellers to help us better understand the world we live in.

As 2018 comes to an end, we share 13 of our favorite Lens stories of the year.