For photojournalists charged with gathering images for a daily newspaper, time to pause and reflect is a rarity. When not rushing from one assignment to another, they are in the darkroom (a quaint term in this age of digital cameras and computers) preparing images for the day's paper. Even those shooting in-depth assignments often have to squeeze them in among a daily ration of house fires, board meetings and high school games.

With the year's end, though, The Sun's 18 staff photographers took a few moments to reflect. Many of the images they chose report the year's big news stories, but often in understated ways. Some were happy accidents, others salvaged fruitless assignments.

If there is a theme that emerges in these pictures, it is one of optimism: Almost every one portrays a hopeful, if not always happy, moment. Or perhaps it's that news photographers, despite the demands on their time, are constantly, intuitively reflecting on the world around them. See more Pictures of the Year on Page 6E-8E.