A Year in Focus | 2015
Lightning and a rainbow form over Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada. Lake Mead is at a historic low due to the ongoing drought.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)As an eventful year comes to a close, we invite you to look back with us at a collection of photographs by the award-winning photojournalists of the Los Angeles Times that captures the moments of 2015.
A smartphone screen shows a detail of “Trayvon Memorial,” by artist Gerri Lawrence, a collaboration with Raul Ocampo. The artwork was part of “Manifest Justice,” a 10-day pop-up exhibition in Los Angeles, which focused on social justice issues.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)On the third day of national mourning following the terrorist attacks in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in the colors of the French flag after going dark.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)Fabio Ahumada, a San Bernardino EMT, attends a vigil at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino after a mass shooting killed 14 people.
(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)Ryan Reyes, 32, center, breaks down after finding out his partner of nearly three years, Daniel Kaufman, 42, was one of those killed during a mass shooting that killed 14 people at the Inland Regional Center.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)Jasmine Richards holds a picture of Ezell Ford outside LAPD headquarters. A civilian board that oversees the Los Angeles Police Department will decide on whether two officers violated department policy when they shot and killed Ezell Ford last summer in South L.A.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)Kelly Kunta, who lives on skid row, lies on the ground in front of LAPD headquarters during a protest against the LAPD in response to the fatal shooting of a homeless man on skid row.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)San Bernardino sheriff deputies draw guns behind a minivan on Richardson Street during an active search for the suspects involved in the mass shooting of 14 people at the Inland Regional Center.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)Narges Heydari, 15, from Afghanistan, catches her crying brother, Matin, as he is lifted over the fence at the Austrian border. She and her parents, along with three other siblings, were among the thousands of people trying to cross the border into Austria from Slovenia.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)A Syrian man helps his young daughter across the rocks as they land on the island of Lesbos, Greece, from Turkey.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)Tibetans gather to make traditional food in McLeod Ganj, India. Some Tibetans living in Dharamsala, India, can get an education and practice their religion, but many are frustrated that they can’t find jobs or get visas to leave India.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)A woman and her 4-month-old child faced eviction from a San Bernardino motel for not paying their bill.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)Tony Hemming uses a shovel to dig his father’s car out of a mudslide on Elizabeth Lake Road in the Leona Valley.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)U2 performs at the Forum in Los Angeles.
(Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)Jennifer Lopez backstage at the Academy Awards.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)Dance workout instructor Ilse Baker leads a class called dancinerate in Los Angeles.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)A young girl walks through the Plaza de San Francisco following her quinceanera in Havana.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)Viola Davis celebrates her award for best performance in a drama series by a female at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)Actress, writer, producer and director Angelina Jolie Pitt and her husband, actor Brad Pitt, pose on the red carpet for the opening night premiere of their new film, “By the Sea,” at the AFI Festival.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Eddie Redmayne eyes an Oscar statuette at the Academy Awards’ Governors Ball.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)Julia Louise-Dreyfus and the comedy series “Veep” are winners at the Emmy Awards.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Eric Stonestreet takes a selfie for a fan at the Emmy Awards.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)Elizabeth Rodriguez, left, and Anna Chlumsky attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)Taylor Swift performs at Staples Center.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)Anthony Mackie, Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in the movie “The Night Before.”
(Christina House / For The Times)Before the gorillas are let out into the fenced-in outside area of Senkwekwe Center, two of the orphaned gorillas reach out to Andre Bauma. Bauma’s “human family” lives outside of Virunga, so he spends three weeks living with and caring for the gorillas at the center in Virunga, and one week at home with his family.
(Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)Thousands of migrants and refugees camped out near the Slovenian Austrian border, where many were stranded for up to three days without food or water. They broke off tree branches to build fires to keep warm.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)LAPD is noticing an uptick in property and drug-related crimes. Many officers say that it is the result of Proposition 47, which changed many prior felonies into misdemeanors. Officers from the Northeast Division, including Scott Langford, left, approach a Highland Park home where they are conducting a parolee check.
(Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)Moran Galbreath and Timeca Person-Galbreath, at left, mourn during a vigil for their son, 16-year-old Elijah Galbreath, who was gunned down in broad daylight in Watts.
(Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)At the Le Bataclan Theater, a crowd gathers to pay tribute to those who died. France declared a national state of emergency after at least 120 people were killed during the terrorist attacks.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)Firefighters work to put out a backfire on Highway 39 above Glendora.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)Firefighters monitor the Rocky fire along Highway 20 in Clear Lake.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)A news crew runs from the Valley fire along Butts Canyon Road southeast of Middletown.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)David Oyelowo, whose career reached a milestone with his acclaimed performance as Martin Luther King Jr. in “Selma,” plays a troubled war veteran in the HBO movie “Nightingale.” Oyelowo has starred in “The Butler,” “The Paperboy,” “The Last King of Scotland,” “Who Do You Love?” and “A Most Violent Year.”
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)Sue Wong wears a headdress during a runway show at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood during L.A. Fashion Week.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)Jason Schwartzman from the movie “The Overnight” at the Los Angeles Times photo and video studio at the Sundance Film Festival.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)A surfer runs across the beach covered with a blanket of hail in Huntington Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Fishermen are dwarfed by the rising banks of Lake McClure. Located 40 miles east of Modesto and fed by the waters of the Merced River, the lake’s water levels stand at less than 10 percent of capacity.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)Oregon wide receiver Charles Nelson dives for the end zone but comes up short as Florida St. defensive back Nate Andrews upends him in the first quarter during the Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
(Wally Skaij / Los Angeles Times)Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and Glen Davis have a little fun at Staples Center.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)USC’s Claude Pelon, right, forces UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen to fumble, and Rasheem Green picks up the loose ball for a touchdown in the third quarter at the Coliseum.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)Kole Calhoun of the Angels is tagged out by Tampa Bay Rays’ Asdrubal Cabrera.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)Floyd Mayweather lands a punch to Manny Pacquaio in the fourth round during the World Welterweight Championship at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez breaks up a double play, and San Diego Padres shortstop Alexi Amarista can’t hang onto the ball to make the throw to first base at Dodger Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)Hiroto Ohhara won the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing 2015 in Huntington Beach.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)An athlete from the Bahamas warms up before competing in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)A swimmer with a GoPro photographs the surf at the Wedge in Newport Beach Harbor.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Young boys play with a homemade baseball on the streets of Havana.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)Climber Marlon Campos practices bouldering at the Stronghold Climbing Gym in Los Angeles.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)Random International’s Tom Stacey, left, Hannes Koch and Dev Joshi drink their coffee while standing inside the “Rain Room” at LACMA in Los Angeles.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)Abel Medrano checks the temperature of compost that is ready to be sold at the Inland Empire Utilities Agency in Rancho Cucamonga.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)Marjorie Mabini takes a selfie with her niece Jaydah Mabini and son Jaren, 1, in front of the “Urban Light” lampost installation at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)With tears and a hug, Stephanie says goodbye to her best friend at Camp Joseph Scott. Stephanie, a former drug addict and onetime F-student, leaves with a high school diploma, academic awards, leadership skills and a new sense of confidence.
(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)Stephanie looks out her bedroom window to see if the people she robbed in the past were coming to seek retaliation. Stephanie, a former drug addict and onetime F-student, has turned her life around and has a high school diploma.
(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)Iona Ridley, wearing donated clothes, walks past smoldering remains in Middletown, Calif. She was looking for her car that she abandoned as the Valley fire approached. Her home in Cobb Mountain was destroyed.
(Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)David Lazo, 5, holds a dollar bill and sits with his father, Francisco, as they watch the Los Angeles City Council vote to boost the income of low-wage workers to at least $15 an hour by 2020.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)Wayne Dotson, left, and Daniel Villeda move vehicles covered with mud on California 58 east of Tehachapi after a landslide covered the roadway.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)Max Buchini looks at a heart-shaped rock with feathers that was left as a memorial for the late Dean Potter and Graham Hunt after their death from a BASE jump of Taft Point in Yosemite National Park.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)Oil spill cleanup and containment effort on the shore near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)Visitors gather on the wooden walkways at the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)Sexy Star, left, takes flight during a match with Marty “The Moth” Martinez during Lucha Underground in Boyle Heights.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)USC’s men’s and women’s teams celebrate winning the USC-UCLA track meet.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)Shanghai resident Li Tao, 30, is lifted up by his new husband, Duan Rongfeng, 38, one of seven Chinese same-sex couples married in a group wedding ceremony, officiated by West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath, at the library in West Hollywood. The couples won a contest in China, where gay marriage is not recognized.
(Christina House / For The Times)Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stops to give an autograph after speaking to supporters on the deck of the USS Iowa in San Pedro.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, left, and Chris Paul celebrate after defeating the Rockets in Game 1 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs in Houston.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)Los Angeles police try to catch a dog that had been with a man wanted on suspicion of assault with a firearm who led police on a pursuit.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)A paddle boarder at Doheny State Beach.
(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)Mana bassist Juan Calleros, left, lead singer Fher Olvero and drummer Alex Gonzalez perform in the middle of Lucerne Lake dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert while making a video for their new song “La Prisión.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Fans cheer a performance by the Weeknd during Hard Summer at the Fairplex in Pomona.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)Music fans revel in the loud beats of the Do Lab at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)Singer Joss Stone.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)Museum workers align James McNeill Whistler’s painting “Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1,” more famously known as “Whistler’s Mother,” onto a wall at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)Actress Lily James is photographed at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills promoting her new film “Cinderella.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)Poetic Kinetics’ giant caterpillar moves between venues at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)Actor and musician Jack Black lets his inner rock ‘n’ roll persona break loose in a multiple-exposure shot with a Holga camera in Beverly Hills. Black stars in the indie comedy “The D Train.” He will also star in the HBO series “The Brink.”
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)The Los Angeles River reflects late afternoon light as it flows beneath the Soto Street Bridge in Boyle Heights.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)