Letters

Some readers found our pictures, reflecting a year marked by natural and man-made disasters, too gloomy. But for others, the images underscored photography's power to capture reality

How often do those who have the good fortune to be comfortable, safe and secure take their situation for granted? Your collection, "The Best Photos of 2005," serves as a humbling reminder of the fragility of the human condition [Dec. 19]. In juxtaposing our vulnerability to Mother Nature's wrath with our suffering and violence at the hands of our fellow human beings, those images of death and destruction do...