From Iraq

Gazette photographer David Bitton begins his second week in Iraq covering Fort Carson troops with reporter Tom Roeder.
See David's photography at www.gazette.com/war and Roeder's blog at www.gazette.com/blogs/iraqnotebook.

Today's best work

Editing the Associated Press wire today I came across some striking images from around the world. I would like to share some of my favorites with you. Above, a girl poses with a sticker bearing the words "Freedom of speech" during a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the Bulgarian capital Sofia.(AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)


A woman rides a horse through a bonfire in the small village of San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, in honor of Saint Antony, the patron saint of animals. The people of the small central Spanish village of San Bartolome de los Pinares honor Saint Antony the night before the official day of honoring animals in Spain.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)


Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James creates a cloud of dust after he clapped his powder-coated hands together before the team's NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)


Dancer Antony Hamilton from Melbourne's Chunky Move performs during a dress rehearsal of Mortal Engine at the Drama Theater of the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. Mortal Engine is a dance-video-laser performance where the music, lighting and animation is controlled by the dancer's movements.(AP Photo/John Pryke)


A mother and her two daughters react after police fired tear gas in between houses in Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya. Machete-wielding young slum dwellers in Nairobi skirmished with riot police on a second day of opposition protests, but demonstrations across the edgy East African nation appeared to be losing steam amid a harsh police crackdown.(AP Photo/Riccardo Gangale)

Reporting from Iraq

Gazette photographer David Bitton and reporter Tom Roeder have arrived in Camp Taji in Iraq after a long journey that began Sunday from Colorado Springs. The two Gazette journalists will be covering our Fort Carson troops for the next six weeks. Look for stories, photos and videos in The Gazette and at www.gazette.com . Also check out Roeder's blog at www.gazette.com/blogs/iraqnotebook.
Above, Spc. Amanda Gallant, left and Pfc. James Jensen, right, both with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, work out at Camp Taji on Friday, Jan. 11, 2007. Photos by David Bitton/The Gazette


Pfc. Eric McIntosh, of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, plays a video game in his barricks.

The Art of photojournalism

Every day photojournalists give readers images of death, war and natural disasters. But sometimes it's nice to give readers images that show the beauty of the world around us. Here are some those pictures from last week. Above, a Montenegrin fisherman steers his boat on Skadar Lake, some 20 kms. south of Montenegro's capital Podgorica. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)


Hoarfrost blankets a vintage vehicle and surrounding trees in a wooded area near Harwood, N.D. (The Forum, David Samson)


An albino alligator is seen at an aquarium in Sao Paulo. Brazil. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)


Georgians walk to attend the Orthodox Christmas service at Trinity Cathedral complex in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Eastern Orthodox Churches mark the occasion according to the old calendar, two weeks after Western denominations. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

On the campaign trail

I've seen some really nice images from the campaign trail the last couple days on the wire. I know many of the moments are staged by the candidates, but I think the photographers covering the events are capturing now nice moments and are being creative in their storytelling. Here are three from today I like. Above, Associated Press photographer Elise Amendola shot Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., far right, and her daughter, Chelsea, as they are introduced by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, left, at a rally in Nashua, N.H., Friday, Jan. 4, 2008.


A video camera shows Republican Presidential hopeful, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during a media availability in Portsmouth, N.H. (AP Photo/LM Otero)


Republican presidential hopeful former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee plays with the Moma Kicks bands lead singer Lisa Guyer during a campaign stop in Henniker, N.H., Friday. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

The World celebrates 2008

Fireworks light the sky near the Grrossmuenster church in Zurich, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Keystone, Steffen Schmidt)


More than a thousand people jump into the waters of English Bay in Vancouver, B. C., as part of the 88th annual polar bear dip to ring in the New Year. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)


Fireworks illuminate the ancient Parthenon atop the Acropolis Hill in Athens. (AP Photo /Petros Giannakouris)


A female impersonator Gary Marion, transformed into "Sushi," hangs above Duval Street and thousands of New Year's Eve revelers at the Bourbon Street Pub Complex in Key West, Fla. The Big Red Shoe Drop, with "Sushi" in a huge facsimile of a woman's high heel shoe, is a takeoff on New York City's Times Square ball drop. (AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Andy Newman)


Seattle rings in the New Year with fireworks at the Space Needle. (AP Photo/Jim Bryant)


An Iraqi youth wears a Santa Claus suit while holding sparklers to celebrate the New Year in the Karradah neighborhood of central Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)


Italian Marco Fois dives into the Tiber River from the 59-foot high Cavour Bridge in Rome. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)


Jack Ciesemier, center, and his wife Karen, right, of Chicago make their way through Times Square during the New Year's Eve celebration in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Best of 2007 photos

Check out our favorite photos from 2007. Each Gazettte photographer has his or her own audio slideshow at http://www.gazette.com/interactives.