"When the end came for Muammar el-Qaddafi, it proved to be as lurid—one might even say obscene—as his life had been. As Newsweek pointed out, Qaddafi fled Tripoli promising to turn Libya into “a volcano of lava and fire.” When he was captured, hiding in a storm drain after the fall of Surt, he was pleading for his own life. Bloodied and balding, he was dragged before crowds and thrown onto a truck. When next seen, he was dead, lying in a stark room in Misrata, where the people he once ruled lined up with cameras to take pictures of his corpse—pictures that were both evidence of his death and trophies of the rebels’ final victory." Newsweek Photo by Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images

"The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey over the weekend was already at 350 and climbing when rescue workers found a 14-month-old infant, still alive, in the wreckage of a building in Ecris, in eastern Turkey. The look on the face of the rescuer holding the child speaks of utter tenderness, turning this photo into a symbol of hope." “Framework,” Los Angeles Times. Photo from Reuters

"Protests in Athens over government austerity measures continued this week. They were marked by fiery clashes between police and demonstrators armed with Molotav cocktails." Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images. “Lens,” New York Times.

"Smoke curled from barricades surrounding an Irish Travellers settlement 30 miles east of London after police moved in to evict residents from the site on October 19. The police clashed with dozens of the Travellers, who had been living illegally at the site for a decade. This soon-to-be former resident raised a cross for the benefit of the media who had come to witness the spectacle—her point, apparently, being that this was unholy smoke." Photo by Matt Dunham/AP. Denver Post

Another clash with police, this one between police and protesters taking part in an “Occupy Melbourne” demonstration. Photographer Mark Dadswell caught these two antagonists communicating with each other both verbally and through body language. Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images “Framework,” Los Angeles Times

"These are the faces of students at Milwaukee’s Alliance School, documented by photographer Ryan Pfluger for a recent article in Time magazine. About the half the school’s students identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trangender, but nearly all have been bullied or harassed at their previous schools. In the magazine’s “Lightbox” blog, Pfluger explained that having himself grown up as “the only gay kid in a macho Italian suburb” of New York, he was both excited and anxious about shooting the story. “I would have loved this at age 12 or 13 when I felt uncomfortable with who I was. I didn’t feel safe. I didn’t have people who understood me,” he says. “But looking back on it now as an adult—those experiences I had in high school shaped me to be who I am now. They made me the headstrong person I am now.”" Photos by Ryan Pfluger “Lightbox,” Time

This face, and body, belong to Cam Newton, the quarterback of the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers. Newton is the NFL’s highest-paid rookie, and a self-described “icon” who last year led his college team, the Auburn University Tigers, to a national championship. Photographer Gregory Harris captured the human behind the hype.", Photos by Gregory Harris Interview

"Another NFL quarterback trying to live up to high expectations made the cover of ESPN, The Magazine. Like Cam Newton, Tim Tebow came to the pros after an illustrious college career. But Tebow spent his first seasons with Denver sitting on the bench as a backup, watching his team slide farther and farther in the standings. Now he’s the starting QB, looking for victories and vindication. Photographer Jamie Schwaberow shot him as a larger-than-life character, the hero behind the hype." Photo by Jamie Schwaberow. ESPN, The Magazine

"In the highly anticipated new film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on Stieg Larsson’s best-selling novel, actress Rooney Mara plays the troubled, brilliant Lisbeth Salander, a victim and avenger wrapped in leather and facial piercings. For Vogue’s November issue, master beauty photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott transform the tattooed heroine into a divine creature wrapped in a Marchesa silk-tulle dress with crystal beading." Photo by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. Vogue

"For Esquire’s November issue, photographer Russell James photographed performer Rihanna wrapped in absolutely nothing, which was appropriate, given that the magazine had just named her the “Sexiest Woman Alive.” Photos by Russell James. Esquire