Best of The Washington Post Photography 2014

Participants sing hymns as the sun attempts to break through clouds as the Capitol Church leads the 36th annual sunrise Easter service at the Lincoln Memorial on April, 20, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

Crowds of soccer fans endure the heat at a Freedom Plaza watch party to see the USA soccer team play Belgium in the World Cup, in Washington DC Tuesday, July 1, 2014. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

Marine One comes in for a landing at the White House as seen from the bottom of the Ellipse near Constitution avenue, on September, 25, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

Alex Plunkett, left, and Sean Hart, both of Arlington, Va., join hundreds participating in the annual International Pillow Fight Day on April 5. Massive pillow fights broke out on the Mall in Washington and in cities around the world. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

A bird takes flight as the sun rises over Arlington National Cemetery in section 60 on Thursday, May 22, 2014 in Arlington, VA. Hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan war dead are buried in the section. (Photo by Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Daniel Chavez, 7, smiles while swinging at the home of Nora Sandigo-Otero, who was holding a luncheon for children that she holds guardianship over on June 7, 2014 in Miami, Fl. Santigo founded American Fraternity which mainly serves the Latino community with living expenses, food and legal services. Sandigo is the legal guardian of over eight-hundred children from illegal immigrant parents. Could not verify through the parent whether Nora was the legal guardian of this child. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Newly elected Senate Majority Leader for the 114th Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) walks into his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Thursday, November 13, 2014. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

Johnetta Thurston lost her job in 2011 and has been struggling to find a new position. She now does consulting out of her home. Johnetta said that she dresses every morning as if going out for work. She said “I wake up every morning thinking the next day will be better”. She is working on an MBA at UMUC. Still, her situation is upsetting: She said: “I allow myself one day a week to be depressed”. She also said “We’re in survival mode”. Thurston, photographed in her home in Odenton, MD on January 10, 2014. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

Raheem Rasta, 67, a drummer and flute player with the Universal Messengers of Music, has been a fixture among drummers at Meridian Hill (Malcom X) Park since receiving his own drum 14 years ago from the woman who would eventually become his wife, on Sunday, June 1, 2014, in Washington, DC. Rasta first encountered the circle in 1982, when he came to the DC area from Harlem, New York, to complete his graduate degree in mathematics at Virginia State University. In that year, it was “my Black nationalist affiliation” that drew Rasta to the park, where he played his flute and spoke to the gathered crowd on Black Liberation Day. “Drums are one of the original instruments of man. When we play the drums, the drums vibrate just as the cosmos vibrate, just as our star, the sun, vibrates. They say music soothes the savage beast. Drums absolutely soothe the human spirit. Regardless how you come there, you leave out better than you came. I look forward to Sundays to get out in the fresh air to play drums and feel that spirit and to be able to harmonize a frequency with nature. When we hit that harmonious frequency, those people listening change. They get happy. That’s why I do it…because the sound is so profound, it makes people move”. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Evening light cast long shadows of players on a basketball court at Jones Point Park beneath Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Alexandria, Virginia, on Saturday, June 26, 2014. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

Reenactor, Gary Schwartz of Silver Spring, MD stands near an encampment as the Blue Angels fly overhead during the Star-Spangled Spectacular Air Show which was part of the festivities celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the penning of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Battle of Baltimore at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on Saturday September 13, 2014 in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

(L-R) Geoffe Calhoun, Robert Waldron, and Rich Hardy, part of a community of kayakers, trains on the rapids of Great Falls on the Potomac River in preparation for the July 5th Great Falls Race 2015 in Potomac, Maryland Friday, June 27, 2014. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

One lane of the East 26th Street between North Charles and North St. Paul streets collapsed about 4 p.m. and slid down an embankment leading to the tracks below washing away cars and flooding CSX railroad as a massive storm system drops heavy rains on the DC region with on April 30, 2014 in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Seat Pleasant mayor, Eugene Grant welcomes supporters into a tent he has set up as his mobile office on the front lawn of Seat Pleasant City Hall on Friday, August 22, 2014 in Seat Pleasant, MD. Grant was ordered vacate his office due to how he allegedly treated some employees. (Photo by Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) dislocates his ankle during first quarter action against the Jacksonville Jaguars at FedEx field on September 14, 2014 in Landover, MD. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Washington Nationals short stop Ian Desmond high fives his son Grayson, 3, while playing in the batting cages at Nationals Park after a game against the San Diego Padres on Saturday, April 26, 2014. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin (11) dives for a touchdown through Redskins defenders in the second quarter during a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on October 6, 2014 in Landover, Md. The touchdown was called back for a penalty. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (34) reacts after scoring in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants during game three of the NLDS on October 6 2014 in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

The Washington Nationals head back into the clubhouse after losing the first game of the National League Divisional Series between the Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park on Tuesday, October 3, 2014. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Washington Wizards forward Nene Hilario (42) receives a double technical foul and game ejection for his confrontation with Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) during second half action as the Washington Wizards play the Chicago Bulls in game three of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the Verizon Center on April 25, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Maryland Terrapins defensive back Sean Davis (21) upends West Virginia Mountaineers running back Cameron Nash (38) in the first quarter during the game against West Virginia at Byrd Stadium on Saturday, September 13, 2014. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Organized by a group called TribeX, demonstrators perform a “Die In” where a police shooting of civilians is acted out on Sunday, November 16, 2014, in St. Louis, MO. The St. Louis suburbs are bracing for the outcome of the grand jury decision about whether or not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed, African-American teenager Michael Brown. Many are hoping to avoid a repeat of the violence that broke out in the weeks following the shooting. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Maryland Terrapins forward Jake Layman (10) celebrates as the official rules the ball out of bounds for a Maryland possession during the final minutes of action against Florida State on February 7, 2014 in College Park, MD. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Ahmesha Ross, 23, of St. Louis, sports her new “Love” necklace outside Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church before the funeral of Michael Brown on Monday, August 25, 2014, in St. Louis, MO. Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American male, was fatally gunned down by a White police officer, Darren Wilson, on August 9 in Ferguson, MO. Ross said the necklace “represents me. I’m a loving woman. Life starts with love, but you have to love yourself before you love anyone else. Love is the key to everything. I think this [the killing of Michael Brown] happened because of racism. Society has brainwashed a lot of us to hate because of skin color. I think it was the lack of love that caused this to happen. The person who committed this brutal act had the door of love closed on him, which caused him to close the door of love on someone else”. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Demonstrators gather outside the White House to protest the decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO on Monday November 24, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

A man stands by a burning St. Louis police car as police in riot gear prepare to clear the streets of people after an announcement that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson will not be indicted in the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown day, November 24, 2014, in Ferguson, MO. The shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, has captivated the nation as a grand jury deliberated to decide whether to charge the officer with a crime. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Field of Marines. Washington Nationals Kevin Frandsen (19) slips though a line of Marines prior to the playing of the national anthem prior to game action against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 20, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Erika Totten, L, of Alexandria, VA, holds a sign listing some of the names of people killed by police in the United States as hundreds of people gather at Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park for a peaceful vigil and moment of silence in honor of innocent lives lost and those who have been affected by police brutality on Thursday, August 14, 2014, in Washington, DC. This National Moment of Silence was sparked by, among other instances, the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, MO. Hundreds of groups around the nation held similar, simultaneous rallies at 7pm Eastern time to show solidarity. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Icicles form on the statue of Rev. Martin Luther King as snow once again blankets the city on March, 17, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

Former U.S. Army Sgt. Brendan Marrocco, does pull-ups during therapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on May 2, 2014 in Bethesda, Maryland. An Irag war veteran, Morrocco, lost both arms and legs by an IED in 2009; received double arm transplants at Johns Hopkins Hospital two years ago, is still recovering and going through physical therapy at Walter Reed. (Photo by Michel du Cille/The Washington Post)

Bill Banks, left on drums, and Kyle Jones on the tuba, of The Brass Connection band out of Charlotte, N.C., perform outside the Verizon Center on April 10, 2014 in Washington, D.C. The band makes several trips a month to the D.C. area to make money and to become a more recognized band. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Eugene Hughes sits in his electric scooter as he teaches young D.C. boxer, Fayid Ishaq, 18, who was training at Midtown Youth Academy on December 19, 2013 in Washington, DC. Whether he will creek to the front gate using a cane or scoot on over in his motorized wheelchair, Eugene Hughes still relishes unlocking the gates to the Midtown Youth Academy along the 14th Street corridor. Hughes is 76 years old. He grew up in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, learning to fight on the streets in the District. So swift was his punch that he boxed in the Golden Gloves as a teenager. The way he tells it, Hughes moved to California, got into some trouble, and ended up spending 27 months in jail. By the early 1970s, he was back home in DC and eager to help young people lead productive lives. So he started the Midtown Youth Academy and dedicated the rest of his life to helping troubled youth discover the keys for their own success. He gave boxing lessons; he found tutors; he installed computers so they could learn. The remnants of more vibrant days at the youth academy are still there. Framed photos of his old students, proud and strong, crowd the walls. Square-shaped computer monitors sit next to the processors that used to power them, alongside tangles of wires. The lights are dim; the ceilings is missing some tiles. But sometime, past his spare wheel chairs and behind a curtain, there are young people still from the neighborhood, ready to learn how to box. They will soak in any lesson they could from the white-haired man in the wheelchair, his commands strong although his voice is weathered with age. Outside these walls, there’s a different Washington. Popping up on a street once ravaged by riots are condos and CrossFit gyms and spinning studios. The academy’ is now sandwiched between a gay bar that hosts a bocce league and a pizza place that tops its pies with argula and shaved grana padano. But the idea of a developer buying the youth academy makes Hughes want to clench his fists. This is still his place, and he still believes in his mission. Over the past few months, Hughes has been in and out of hospitals and nursing homes. He says he’s eager to come back to his building on 14th street and continue working for the community. He is still a boxer; and boxers never go down without a fight. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Moses Tarkulah stands by as colleagues enter the suspected Eloba case ward Bong County Ebola Treatment Unit, on Tuesday September 16, 2014.The newly opened 50 bed unit is managed by International Medical Corp, and was built by Save the Children. On its second day of operation to it has 3 new patients; one patient died Monday night. (Photo by Michel du Cille/The Washington Post)

Caretaker Phillip Gant carefully removes shampoo from the face of Stephen Lee while giving him a shower which is part of their morning routine. Phillip, who was homeless for several months and just recently moved into a small basement apartment, is Stephen’s primary caretaker. Stephen suffers from Huntington Disease. (Photo by Astrid Riecken/The Washington Post)

Berlinda, stands at the screen door while others talk outside on Sunday September 21, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. Berlina mother died of Ebola in an ambulance on the way to Redemption Hospital. The child is Berlinda is under observation for signs of Ebola and was isolated for 21 days. She was rescued by Katie Meyler and is being cared for by the NGO called More than Me (run by Meyler). (Photo by Michel du Cille/The Washington Post)

Esther Tokpah, 11 an orphan, weeps as Dr. Jerry Brown tries to console her before she was released from care on Wednesday September 24, 2014 in Monrovia Liberia. Esther, who lost both parents to Ebola was one of two children, among 15, Liberian patients who recovered from Ebola and were released from the ELWA 2 Ebola Treatment Center. (Photo by Michel du Cille/The Washington Post)

A boy lays on a mattress on the floor inside the Redemption Hospital which has become a transfer and holding center to intake Ebola patients located in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Monrovia that locals call “New Kru Town” on Saturday September 20, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. Health workers are overwhelm with a constant stream of new patients since the Ebola outbreak. On Friday there were 102 ebola related patients; nine died overnight and Today the hospital has 107 patients. Nine Ebola related deaths occurred overnight Friday but with Saturday admissions they are now holding 107. Liberians have been living under most extreme conditions as the Ebola virus worsens. (Photo by Michel du Cille/The Washington Post)

Alexander Morris lays flat on his back after he fainted due to the extreme heat inside a protective suit, while the Lofa County Health Department team buries his sister, on Friday November 7, 2014 in Voinjama, Liberia. Morris had insisted on accompanying the burial team during the removal and burial of his sister, Jacqueline Morris, 38. He traveled with the team from the home to the burial site. Family was upset and wanted to be a part of the process, the burial team allowed the woman’s brother to suit up with the team in a protective suit, gloves, and goggles. Days after the burial the health department said their Ebola test were negative. The government have been treating all burials with precautions. (Photo by Michel du Cille/The Washington Post)

Mama Nia Kuumba is among the demonstrators gathered in front of DC’s Nigeria Embassy on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, in Washington, DC. The demonstrators are pushing the Nigerian government to find and free 276 girls who were kidnapped on April 14 from their dormitories at the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Nigeria. All reports allege that the kidnappings are the handiwork of Boko Haram, who oppose the education of girls. There have been protests at embassies around the world, fueled by social media outrage. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Former Governor Robert F. McDonnell wades through several members of the media after being found guilty of corruption at the Federal Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia on September 04, 2014. Former Governor Robert F. McDonnell was convicted of 11 corruption-related counts, while his wife Maureen McDonnell was convicted of eight, along with obstruction of justice. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Family members mourn the death of 12-year-old Isata Kallon in Freetown, Sierra Leone, as Ebola cases continue to rise on Sunday, November 23, 2014. Swabs are taken from the deceased to test for Ebola and all burials in Sierra Leone adhere to strict rules to prevent the spread of the disease. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

African migrant men wait in line to have medical evaluations after disembarking from the Italian Navy ship Foscari on August 23, 2014 in Portopalo di Capo Passero, Italy. The migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea after leaving Libya for Italy on a raft. Thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East are coming ashore to Italy trying to escape conflict in their homelands. The Italian government is facing a humanitarian crisis trying to provide shelter, clothing and food for the ones who survive the journey. Most migrants leave Tripoli, Libya on small crowded rafts headed for Sicily. In some cases the rafts don’t hold up and sink leaving the Italian Navy to navigate the Mediterranean on a constant basis, plucking them from the waters and rescuing those who survive. Once the migrants are processed at the landing sights, they are sent to holding facilities where they stay until they can continue with where they will migrate next. Most migrants eventually head for Germany and Sweden and prefer not to stay in Italy. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Melissa Young, maternal grandmother of missing 8 year old, Relisha Rudd joins in prayer/walk for Relisha on Monday, March 31, 2014 on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave in SE Washington, DC. Relisha’s grandfather, George Turner, middle, and his niece, Jackie, left, join in the event, put on by Manpower DC and Trayon White. Relisha was last seen on March 1. (Photo by Amanda Voisard/The Washington Post)

Hannah Moran, 12, gets kissed by Toby at Tri-State Zoological Park in Cumberland, MD on October 4, 2014. Moran, along with her mother Kathy, volunteers at the park. The facility operates on a modest budget and draws volunteers from area colleges and the local community. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

Cheyenne, a Siberian tiger, romps in an old swimming pool at Tri-State Zoological Park in Cumberland, MD on October 1, 2014. Cheyenne is one of 5 big cats living in the enclosure. Bob Candy, owner of the zoo, said that the space is not aesthetically attractive – and that he wished he could find a way to make it more appealing – but that the cats are well cared for. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

Walter Elliott keeps cool with the help of these sprinklers located in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. on June 18, 2014. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

A doll head on a window sill in the studio of late artist Andrew Wyeth on April 7 in Chadds Ford, PA. Wyeth was known as a prankster – he loved Halloween Ц and according to a curator at The Brandywine River Museum, he decided he enjoyed the head off more than on. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

Greyhounds compete at Wheeling Island Racetrack on August 8 in Wheeling, WVA. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

Sher snuggles with her pets, Spirit and Joie at House with a Heart Senior Pet Sanctuary in Gaithersburg, MD on November 12, 2014. Spirit and Joie are among 21 dogs living full time at the sanctuary. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

Awesome Con and The Museum of Science Fiction are trying to break a Guinness World Records® (cq) for largest gathering of people dressed as comic book characters at the reflecting pool in Washington, DC on April 17, 2014. The event is part of the kick off the 2nd annual Awesome Con convention . They need more than 1,530 people to show up in costume to break a record set in China. (Photo by Michel du Cille/The Washington Post)

Revellers pose for cell phone snapshots during the annual Independence Day fireworks display at the Washington Monument on July 4, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

The American flag is surrounded by cowboys taking part in a BLM Bull and Rodeo Company event at Oakland Heights Farm on Saturday June 14, 2014 in Gordonsville, VA. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

A colorful ferris wheel and two girls are reflected in a puddle on Tuesday, June 3, 2014 in Langley Park Maryland at a carnival sponsored by The Langley Park Boys and Girls Club. It is located near New Hampshire Ave. and Riggs Road and is running until June 15th. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Rock Creek flows through Rock Creek Park on May 30, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)