NEWS PHOTO OF THE YEAR:Dramatic moments

This year’s news photos reflected beginnings and endings, ongoing struggles and public safety incidents that concern us all. When taking these pictures, photographers attempt to reflect the story while making a photo appealing.

For example, Mark Dustin’s picture of an Anglican ordination ceremony at St. James Church in Newport Beach, which shows two priests and a deacon prostrating themselves to prove their faith, is our news photo of the year. The ordination was the first such ceremony held at the local church since it had broken from American leadership over theological differences. The photo first ran on a Sunday, June 18, which was Father’s Day — but because of space constraints that day, it wasn’t printed at nearly the size it deserved to be. Here, in larger form, the photo gets the play it was worthy of then.

Capturing key, news-making moments that sum up a story in Newport-Mesa is what the photographers do for the Daily Pilot — throughout 2006 and every day.

For the rest of the best news photos of the year