From the Front Lines, Regional Photographers Make All The Difference

Photographs by non-Western photographers are featured prominently among the best documentary images of 2013. Taslima Ahkter’s haunting “Final Embrace,” taken in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as well as a powerful Mosa’ab Elshamy photo from the violent Rabaa Square protests in Cairo both made TIME’s Top 10 Photos of the Year. Meanwhile, EPA photojournalist Ali Ali’s consistently strong images of daily life from the Gaza Strip earned him the distinction of being the most represented photographer in TIME’s 365 gallery.

Although it has become more prevalent in recent years, the practice of regional photographers working for Western news organizations dates back decades. Here, TIME showcases work made over the past year by the aforementioned three, examining the wider context, evolution and issues that relate to regional photography.