Last year’s Images of the Year had an overriding violence to them—scenes of raging fire and engulfing water. That common feeling reflected the events of 2009, to be sure, but wasn’t 2010 just as tumultuous? Maybe that’s precisely why this year’s winning photographers seem to have turned inward. They explore photography’s more traditional virtues: the drama of light, the beauty of lines drawn by a meandering river or a nude’s creased flesh, and the hope embodied by children’s dreams and needs.

This image was made by Howard Schatz and was a runner-up in the Personal Project category. Schatz's photographed Mike Tyson for his book At the Fights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing.