The components of the word "photography" are Greek in origin. Photography quite literally means "to write with light."  While light serves as noun, adjective, and verb for photographers, shadows complete their sentences in bold type. The qualities of light in a picture influence our perceptions of subjects by setting mood, revealing texture, and shading detail.  These qualities appear in countless varieties of light: the shaft of sunlight in a dark scene, the gentle bath of sidelight from a big window, the cold fade of dusk, the warm glow of a tungsten bulb or a late afternoon, the eerie pulse of an electronic screen, the candy splash of a neon sign, and the contrast of a backlit silhouette.  Shadows simplify, hide, and dramatize in an endless dance with illumination.  The pictures collected here are united not by theme, but by photographers writing with light. -- Lane Turner (42 photos total)

Violent protests grew in India over the death of a young woman student who was raped in New Delhi in December by several men in a moving bus. She died from the injuries she received in the brutal attack resulting in severe internal injuries. She was cremated away from the public glare, but her case spoke loudly to the general population. Demonstrators are seeking action from a government that has long been at a loss as to how to deal with rape cases in Indian society. The men have been charged with murder and could face the death penalty. -- Paula Nelson ( 25 photos total)

Around the globe people celebrated with fireworks, kisses, toasts, cheers, and plunges into icy bodies of water to welcome the new year. Here's a look at how some of them marked the transition. -- Lloyd Young ( 39 photos total)

Through his Vanishing Cultures Project photographer Taylor Weidman documents threatened ways of life. Regular readers of The Big Picture will recognize his distinctive work from his previous entry here on the Mustang region of Nepal. Weidman writes of the threatened nomadic culture in Mongolia: "Mongolian pastoral herders make up one of the world's largest remaining nomadic cultures. For millennia they have lived on the steppes, grazing their livestock on the lush grasslands. But today, their traditional way of life is at risk on multiple fronts. Alongside a rapidly changing economic landscape, climate change and desertification are also threatening nomadic life, killing both herds and grazing land. Due to severe winters and poor pasture, many thousands of herders have traded in their centuries-old way of life for employment in mining towns and urban areas. The ger (yurt) camps that ring the capital city Ulaanbaatar house a permanent population of displaced nomads. There, they live without running water or a tangible use for the skills and crafts that were practiced on the steppes. The younger generation is no longer learning these essential aspects of their nomadic heritage." -- Lane Turner (29 photos total)

Our collection of the best photojournalism of 2012 concludes with a look at the months of September, October, November, and December. While hurricane Sandy devastated the American northeast coast, numerous powerful typhoons wreaked havoc on several Asian nations. The battle for Syria further devolved into a bloody abyss as the conflict dragged on well into its second year. Protests against austerity measures roiled Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and other European countries, China picked a new leader during their once-a-decade power transition, and a new burst of violence scarred relations between Israelis and Palestinians. Through it all, the ordinary lives of people in our multifaceted cultures shined bright. [Editor's note: The Big Picture will not publish during the week beginning December 23. We will return on December 31.]-- Lane Turner (43 photos total)

This is a compilation of images in which photographers have captured the beauty of our world, along with great moments among the living things we share this planet with. Most are from the reoccurring photo gallery The Natural World, in which photos of animals and our environment are selected from the many wire service photos moved throughout the year from all over the world. Many great photos of animals are taken in zoos, but this entry mostly shows creatures in their own habitat. -Leanne Burden Seidel(53 photos total)

The second collection of images from 2012 once again brought us nature at its full force and beauty along with news and daily life coming from countries like Russia, Syria, Egypt, England, India and Italy. The following is a compilation - not meant to be comprehensive in any way - of images from the second 4 months of 2012. Please see part 1 from Monday and here's part 3. -- Lloyd Young ( 47 photos total)

Another year has come and gone and with it hundreds of thousands of images have recorded the world's evolving history; moments in individual lives; the weather and it's affects on the planet; acts of humanity and tragedies brought by man and by nature. The following is a compilation - not meant to be comprehensive in any way - of images from the first 4 months of 2012. Parts II and III to follow this week. -- Paula Nelson ( 64 photos total)

Five years ago, Reuters photographer Carolina Camps documented the stories found in the maternity wing of a women's prison in Los Hornos, Argentina. The prison not only housed female inmates, it was also home to 63 of their children, who were allowed to live with their mothers inside the jail until they were four years old. Now, half a decade on, Camps tracked down four of the women to see what had become of them and of their young families. -- Paula Nelson ( 30 photos total)

For those who desire a layer of snow with their holiday season it's been mainly green and brown so far this year in the Boston area. Since the start of December, here are some places that have already had the chance to experience the beauty and sometimes annoyance of a winter wonderland. -- Lloyd Young ( 32 photos total)