Pictures of the Year 2020: More images than ever for a year that was more of everything

APRIL 2 | At a Shoreline drive-through nasal-swab coronavirus testing site, advanced registered nurse practitioner Erin Olanrewaju is helped with her personal protective equipment, looking like an astronaut before a dangerous mission, or a brave warrior preparing for battle. In this case, Olanrewaju soon would step toward a car’s passenger side, where a woman’s constant and terrible cough is heard as the window rolls down. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

Introduction by Fred Nelson, Seattle Times photo editor
Photographs by Seattle Times staff photographers
Published: December 27, 2020

JANUARY SEEMS LIKE such a long time ago. Many photos made in January and February have a charming innocence now.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. The safety of our photojournalists, and the people they photograph, was paramount.

Everything we needed was suddenly in short supply. One photographer sewed masks for the entire staff. Others dredged masks out of their garages and closets. Yet another photographer found a supply of hand sanitizer made by a local distiller. Not wanting to worsen the shortage of PPE in this country, we eventually found a supply of more masks overseas. We’ve gone through a lot of them.

Most of a photojournalist’s work involves interacting with new people, often in their workplace, or school, or home. That doesn’t fit the standard COVID-19 recommendations. But over time, mostly by talking in advance and setting parameters with the subjects, we found ways to photograph their stories safely.

THE EYES HAVE IT: Seattle Times photographers Bettina Hansen, foreground; Erika Schultz, left; and Alan Berner, and freelancer Lindsey Wasson, convene for a quick group selfie while covering protests on election night. (Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times)

PICTURES OF THE YEAR VIRTUAL EVENT

Same great photos, different show this year

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s Pictures of the Year presentation, featuring Seattle Times photographers’ most memorable photos — and the stories behind them — will be held online, in partnership with Seattle Public Library. There is no charge, but registration will be required.

Virtual event at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27.
st.news/POY2020


When George Floyd was killed, it all went to a different level. Photographers worked long days in crowded, and sometimes challenging, conditions to document what happened. We strove every day to make honest, storytelling photos about race and reform, policing, protesters and politics.

Underlying this remarkable pair of catastrophes was a stunningly unconventional and divisive election year. This was made even more difficult by candidates making most of their appearances on Zoom. If we stumbled on a candidate inadvertently, like at a wildfire, it was a big score. Even on election night, this unpredictable year produced another unknown. Who knew who’d won?

The photo staff made it through the year safely. No one got sick. No one was hurt. Knock on wood.

This has been the most extraordinary news year in many decades, particularly in Seattle. Fittingly, this is the largest Pictures of the Year edition of the magazine ever.

Be careful out there.

Seattle Times photo editor Fred Nelson again selected the photos for our Pictures of the Year issue. (Courtesy Fred Nelson)

February 14

For Valentine's Day, couples were able to renew their vows or get married aboard a Washington State Ferry. It was crowded in the front of the ferry, with several couples and media people taking part in the quick ceremony. I sandwiched myself next to the officiant and waited to capture the closing loving moment between each couple.

Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times

November 7

You cannot play Prince too loudly. I knew Capitol Hill would be alive, and by midday, people were dancing in the middle of Pine Street after the Biden-Harris ticket was declared the winner. Passing cars honked, and people leaned out, yelling, “No More Years.”

Alan Berner / The Seattle Times

MARCH 13 | As restrictions and closures mounted to try to curb the spread of coronavirus, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that all schools, libraries and community centers would close for at least six weeks, which later became months. Panic had started to set in, and the first goods to go were disinfectants and toilet paper. I wandered around a Fred Meyer, with checkout lines almost reaching the back of the store, to see how depleted the shelves were. A woman had left her cart to search through what was left, and I thought the photo said so much about the desperation everyone felt to stay safe. (Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times)

March 12

There are only a few moments in my three-decades-plus career that have shaken me visually, with a realization that I was witnessing something I had never seen, and never would again. Watching a new shift of a freshly suited-up SERVPRO cleaning team preparing to re-enter the Life Care Center of Kirkland after the coronavirus outbreak was definitely one of those rare moments. Even covering the anthrax attacks in Washington, D.C., didn’t prepare me to see something like this. The photo ran on the front page with the headline “Pandemic now an emergency.”

Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times

March 18

Fiona Fitzpatrick washes her hands while roller skating through an empty Pike Place Market in Seattle. Talking to Fitzpatrick at the start of the pandemic, she shared how her dog-walking business (@skateyourdog) was down to one client, and how roller skating was a positive outlet that she could “totally do alone.”

Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times

March 30

At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, I was asked to do a picture of teacher Laura Strand creating lesson plans on her iPhone. To that point, we’d avoided entering people’s homes, choosing instead to photograph through windows. The problem was, Strand lived on the third floor. Trying to stay safe while still helping me come up with a reasonable picture, Strand agreed to open all the doors to her apartment building and apartment so I could walk through her apartment to the balcony, where I could make this picture.

Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times

APRIL 29 | I followed nurse Kayla Durler during her shift as she checked on COVID-19 patients at Harborview Medical Center. I wanted to capture what it was like inside a COVID-19 intensive-care unit, to understand how stressful and intense their work was. I had plenty of time to capture Durler putting on her safety gear, as it takes several minutes for her and another person to put on and disinfect the gear. As she pulls on her last glove, Durler turns to look at a patient. (Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times)

March 27

Vince Viet Nguyen visits the grave of his father, Hoang Dinh Nguyen, with his husband, Michael Burleson, left. Hoang Dinh Nguyen died after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and was buried about 30 feet from his son Peter Nguyen. Thank you to the Nguyen family for sharing the story of the life and death of Hoang Dinh Nguyen, who was a quiet and kind man who did what he had to for his family, including getting his family out of Vietnam by boat. Family members said they hoped sharing their stories would motivate people to maintain social distancing and to stay at home to save lives.

Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times

May 1

A worker plows under 240 acres of young potatoes farmed by Mike Pink near Pasco. The potato crop had fallen victim to the pandemic, upending the frozen French fries global market. This was a natural drone shoot for me to show the pattern and texture from a bird’s-eye view. The drone is a flying camera, one of many essential tools photographers use to get a storytelling photo. On the ground, I also photographed the emotional farmer, with my digital camera.

Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times

May 9

Though social distancing was the order of the day, students came out to enjoy an unusually warm May day, ignoring requests by health officials and city government. I bushwhacked down the bank to photograph people gathered on the north side of the Montlake Cut. Many said they were University of Washington students, and expressed few concerns.

Alan Berner / The Seattle Times

May 19

Seen through a window during the pandemic, haircuts at Stag Barbershop in Snohomish continued, with patrons in American flag capes. Stag, along with other small businesses refusing to obey the governor’s shutdown orders in May, had a steady stream of customers. This was before the “mask-up” order, but that’s not why I photographed through the window. After not being allowed inside the shop, I recorded this moment not only because it was news, but because I saw it as important to show, for the historical record, our state’s political and economic divide over the pandemic, as hardworking and vulnerable small businesses had to make desperate choices.

Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times

May 5

Healthcare workers applaud and cheer as COVID-19 survivor Michael Flor is pushed by Dr. Anne Lipke, Flor’s critical care doctor, during release from Swedish Issaquah. On a ventilator for four weeks, Flor beat the odds and survived, giving a much-needed boost not only to those on the medical front lines, but to the rest of us, too.

Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times

May 28

A quiet Sea-Tac Airport reflects the dire loss of travelers caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which crushed some industries but helped others. On a whim, I went to the airport to photograph how empty it was … never expecting it to be this bad.

Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times

May 29

Separated by COVID-19, every day, twice a day, Sheila Belcher was visited by her husband of more than 60 years, Don, while she was living at CRISTA Rehab. They also communicated by phone. Because of the reflections, I used a notepad to scrim, or cover, the left third of the frame. Their relationship shines through.

Alan Berner / The Seattle Times

June 10

The Skyline Drive-in Theater in Shelton, one of four drive-in movie theaters in Western Washington, was able to reopen with restrictions in June during the pandemic. The drive-in opened at 7 p.m., and the first movie started at 9:30 p.m. Cassie Miller wasn’t planning to stay for the second movie with her young boys but thought it would be fun to watch the first. She said it was just nice for the family to get out of the house — and you couldn’t beat the price: $5 per vehicle.

Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times

September 18

I was invited to join Abraham Ritter at the Enumclaw Health and Rehabilitation Center while he visited his mother, Patty, for the first time (while not on FaceTime or through a window) since March, due to COVID-19. Ritter’s mother has been at the facility since 2004.

Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times

September 4

First-grader Mkinnley, left, and her sister Saniyah, who is in sixth grade, start their first day of school with online learning in their West Seattle home. Their mother, Chanie Stamford, sitting at right, and their aunt set up an area in the family home where the girls could do their online classes. They were excited to start their first day of school but knew they would miss their friends.

Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times

October 19

The First AME Church of Seattle streamed an online service for victims of COVID-19. Given the congregation had to limit its size and socially distance, I wanted to find a way to give a little extra weight to the candlelight aspect of the vigil. The dark sweater in the background seemed the best way to focus attention on the hand and candle, while also making it clear there were others joined together in prayer.

Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times

October 9

I think the headline for this photo said it all: “Honk if you like working outdoors,” which cracked me up. I was just driving around looking for feature photos and scored at Stan Sayres Memorial Park.

Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times

MAY 30 | While covering the peaceful protest in Westlake Park, fire erupted from a Seattle Police SUV set ablaze on Pine Street. I circled the block but was unable to get to the vehicle, so I returned to Pine Street and made this photograph, using the base of a streetlight for additional height. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

May 30

A peaceful protest was planned in Seattle to mourn the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but it later turned into chaos as Seattle police deployed tear gas and flash-bangs when things became tense with protesters at an intersection near Westlake Park. While running for safety and feeling my throat burn from tear gas, I decided to take a moment and turn around. I saw a protester being doused with milk to get rid of the burning sensation, just as police were coming into view behind all the tear gas.

Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times

May 31

Very early on in the demonstrations that followed George Floyd’s killing, I got to know some of the people organizing the biggest demonstrations Seattle had seen in decades. Rashyla Levitt was one of those who let me have a closer look at the movement (along with David Lewis, to the right of Levitt) and had the patience to help me understand their demands and expectations.

Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times

May 31

Police clash with angry protesters in downtown Seattle on a second day of violence. Moments before, peaceful marches sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis had begun, but tensions quickly escalated, leading to this moment of arrest and pepper spray, followed by flash-bangs. Working from a vulnerable spot, wedged between police and a building, I left as soon as I took the photo. As a mentor taught me long ago, “Kid, you can’t get pictures while handcuffed or from an ambulance.”

Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times

June 5

Larry Brown watches a peaceful march in solidarity with George Floyd protesters on Rainier Avenue South. It’s hard to point a camera at someone in a private moment like this, yet I was close, and Brown looked straight at me and said, “It’s OK.” He later told me, “I get real emotional when I see such support from everyone — even white people — because I was there, protesting in the ’60s.”

Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times

June 12

This was the largest Black Lives Matter demonstration of the year in Seattle, where thousands of demonstrators walked from Judkins Park to Jefferson Park during the March of Silence organized by Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County. I got to high ground to show the depth and the steady stream of people who had come out to show support and protest in the pouring rain. The silence throughout the whole protest was unlike anything I’d experienced at a demonstration before.

Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times

June 6

Seattle police are seen at the barricade on Pine Street and 11th Avenue near the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct. This photograph was taken as city, county and state elected officials joined protesters near the front line facing police, advocating for law enforcement to stop the use of flash-bang grenades and pepper spray.

Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times

JUNE 6 | After the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a sea of peaceful protesters is kept back from the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct on Capitol Hill by a two-block buffer of officers and gates, seen in the foreground. I often try to use the city’s hills to my advantage during protest coverage, and this view looking west along East Pine Street worked out well, and eventually made the front page during a year of endless news. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

June 13

Hundreds of people, including Julia Ismael, center, listen to the Black is Beautiful Femme discussion at the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), or the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest CHOP), in Seattle. “It’s y’all time to listen and for us to finish our story, because we need to write new things,” said Ismael. Hundreds gathered for the storytelling event that featured speakers Karen Toering, Kirsten Harris-Talley and many others.

Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times

June 14

This view of the original Black Lives Matter street mural, now gone, is seen a few days after its completion on Capitol Hill, sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. This photo was taken with a drone hovering above a restaurant and trees lining the south side of East Pine Street. The painting would help define the area known as the CHOP, and would act as a kind of runway leading up to the East Police Precinct, a flashpoint between protesters and law enforcement. The landmark has since been redone after it deteriorated because of weather and is now protected from traffic by the city with small yellow barriers. This historical record of the original creative peaceful protest remains in the newspaper’s archives for future generations to see.

Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times

June 16

I had heard about a Black Power art installation going up at the CHOP near Cal Anderson Park, so I hung around all evening waiting for the final moments of its installation. What this photo doesn’t capture is how dangerous and heavy it was to lift up and turn over. Luckily, none of the volunteers was hurt. The next day, it apparently was hoisted into its final position with heavy machinery — but the significance of the volunteers coming together to make it happen created a symbolic moment.

Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times

June 20

Heading back to the CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest) after a shooting death the night before, I found residents evicting a street preacher who used a high-decibel amplifier to compete with speakers at Cal Anderson Park. People were on edge. He’s yelling about their actions. Some of the residents are yelling at me, “No photos, no photos.” I circled back, made some more images and left immediately to transmit. The photo published that afternoon online. The street preacher was deposited near Broadway and Pine.

Alan Berner / The Seattle Times

June 6

Floodlights illuminate protesters and Seattle police at the barricade near the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct. City, county and state elected officials had joined protesters near the front line facing police, advocating for law enforcement to stop the use of flash-bang grenades and pepper spray. The Stranger’s Rich Smith and Chase Burns generously opened their third-story offices to local journalists over the summer, sharing a safe and important viewpoint as protests unfolded below. (This photo was taken from The Stranger’s east-facing window, showing Pine Street and 11th Avenue at dusk.) “It was the least we could do for outlets we’ve been dunking on for over 20 years now,” said Smith. “For all our bluster, solidarity with other print, digital and radio journalists came easily and automatically for us.”

Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times

August 9

A protester supporting President Donald Trump spars with counterprotesters at the police line as the Seattle Police Officers Guild holds a rally at Seattle City Hall to speak out against the defunding of its department. This was the second rally I had photographed in a week at City Hall that proclaimed support for the Seattle Police Department. It was August, and protests against police brutality had been going on for months, as well as discussions about defunding the police. The first rally was a small affair, but this one was much bigger. Seattle police officers barricaded the block to keep Black Lives Matter counterprotesters separate from the rally, and participants, like this one, shouted at them. I won’t forget what Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild, said as he pointed across the street to the counterprotesters: “We will not be bullied by unreasonable activism,” a sentiment that left me scratching my head.

Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times

August 28

Jeremy Dashiell visited a mural honoring Manuel Ellis in Tacoma. In high school, Dashiell and Ellis shared a love of track, basketball and music. “He was a genuine, humble person,” said Dashiell. Seattle Times Senior Investigative Reporter Patrick Malone reported on Ellis’ family’s fight for justice after he was killed by Tacoma police on March 3. “Among the more than 20 deaths at the hands of police in Washington during the first half of 2020, Manuel Ellis’ stood out not only because law enforcement’s accounts have been roundly contradicted by witnesses, but because it could be a path to strengthened police accountability reforms,” says Malone. “His death and the conflicts of interest that tarnished its investigation shined a bright light on the need for still more independence when police investigate police. Voters and the legislature thought they’d made progress by adopting police accountability laws, but to date those reforms have largely failed Mr. Ellis and his family.” View a short video documentary, “Walking While Black: The life and death of Manuel Ellis,” at: seattletimes.com/video.

Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times

NOVEMBER 11 | I got to the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Evergreen Washelli early on Veterans Day for the yearly placement of flags to honor veterans for their service. As I was leaving a few hours later, I found Army veteran Bill MacCully, who served in Vietnam, walking by himself along the grave markers and pausing at several of the tombstones. MacCully is a member of The Evergreen Washelli Veterans Memorial Board who welcomes the participation of younger generations to help continue to recognize the significance of Veterans Day in the United States. (Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)

September 8

Smoke from Central and Eastern Washington wildfires blew into Western Washington in early September, worsening air quality across the area. I found this view of the lingering smoke hanging over downtown Seattle from the Newcastle Golf Course in Bellevue.

Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times

September 10

Maria Carranza Perez, right, and her nephew Javier Pascacio Pacheco stand in front of their burned home in Orchard View mobile home park in Bridgeport, Douglas County. On my way home from a different assignment, I decided to redirect and drive through the wildfire-damaged areas. I pulled over when I saw a group of people cleaning up damaged homes. There I met Javier, who translated Spanish for me, and told me about their family losing almost all its possessions and escaping the Pearl Hill fires days before. It was emotional for them to stand in front of their former home. A few tears were shed by all of us.

Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times

September 11

An American flag on top of the Space Needle was lowered to half-staff by the Seattle Fire Department to remember those who lost their lives on 9/11. Thick smoke from wildfires burning across Washington, Oregon and California made seeing the Space Needle and downtown Seattle nearly impossible in this view from Queen Anne Hill.

Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times

SEPTEMBER 15 | Through thick haze from wildfires in Washington and Oregon, traffic heads over the Interstate 90 floating bridge, which seems to disappear in the distance. I had seen fog obscuring the Mercer Island side of the bridge before, so thought I would check out the same scene when our air quality was so poor. Luckily, a week later, we had clear skies once again. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)

August 14

We got word late on a Friday afternoon that residents were being evicted from the Everspring Inn on Aurora Avenue North. When I arrived, I met Lisa Etter-Carlson, with Aurora Commons, who was counseling residents who were left homeless. Armed with a telephoto lens, I kept back, watching Etter-Carlson consoling resident Rebecca Brice. After making several cellphone calls, Etter-Carlson found a place for Brice to stay.

Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times

July 14

Patience really can be rewarded, with some luck on your side. I sat in a lawn chair in my shorts for an hour, photographing with a 400 mm lens the hummingbirds feeding on hyssop blossoms in my garden. I got hundreds of mostly out-of-focus photographs. I sensed this photo had happened — the flower stuck on the bird’s beak as it backed out — but didn’t see it until the edit, and wow, was I happy. By far my favorite image of the year.

Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times

SEPTEMBER 30 | FAA chief Steve Dickson, sitting inside the flight deck of a Boeing 737 MAX, conducts a preflight check ahead of takeoff from Boeing Field in Seattle. The AOA sensor, the bottom of three instruments to the left of the 737 lettering, had been one of the major issues with the airplane, grounded since March 2019 after the second of two deadly crashes, which killed 346 people. The MAX airplane that Dickson is flying includes flight control design changes to prevent the scenario that played out on the deadly Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights. (Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)

January 28

It’s a “game of keep-away,” says Jacob Davis during an early-morning sweep of an encampment on land next to an offramp at South Dearborn Street. The site was deep in muck, with no running water and no bathrooms. Many people temporarily relocated across Dearborn, to be moved along later to other growing sites in the city.

Alan Berner / The Seattle Times

July 8

When I have time, I try to get to an assignment early and look at what the light is doing. The best vantage spot here, on the day the KeyArena sign was removed to make room for a new Climate Pledge Arena one, was on the south side of KeyArena. First, I got permission to shoot from the top of a parking garage, but trees were in the way. I finally decided on shooting from the sidewalk. The signs on the roof were removed in sections by a heavy-duty helicopter. The whole process went off without a hitch, all very well-choreographed. I used a 400 mm Canon lens.

Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times

October 30

Indigenous activist Roxanne White is a force; you can feel it in her presence. She has led countless marches in person and rallied support for families online for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) in Washington state and beyond. White, an enrolled citizen of the Nez Perce Tribe who was born and raised on the Yakama Nation Reservation, was selected as one of the faces for a campaign around land stewardship for Indigenous Peoples’ Day by nonprofits Amplifier, Nia Tero and IllumiNatives. For the mural, she was painted by Vermont artist LMNOPI, based on a photograph by Brandee Paisano of Seattle. White texted me the afternoon she was going down to the mural, and I ran down to meet her. I’m proud we ran it on Page One on Election Day.

Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times

SEPTEMBER 13 | Hours after water rescues were completed at the collapse of Pier 58, I got a deadline call from photo editor Cara Brannan about returning to the scene and launching a drone. A huge circular planter had dropped right through the pier and into the water, pulling some workers, who had been razing the damaged pier, into frigid waters. As an FAA-licensed remote pilot, I first checked to see whether visibility requirements were met, as record amounts of unhealthy wildfire smoke continued to blow in from the south. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

July 31

Aw, summer in Seattle — due to COVID-19 concerns and social distancing, the diving boards all had been removed at Green Lake, but people were still jumping into the lake from the dock on this beautiful day. Crowds were small and parking was plentiful, which is something one doesn’t usually find this time of year.

Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times

February 7

A normally boisterous Tim Eyman quietly bumps heads and whispers with Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier during a court hearing on his car-tab measure Initiative 976, which eventually was overturned by the state Supreme Court.

Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times

September 14

Mariners center fielder Kyle Lewis, who was named rookie of the year after the season, makes what would become known as “The Catch” to rob Oakland’s Ramón Laureano of a grand slam in the first inning of the second game of a doubleheader. Following Lewis during the pandemic was a shot in the arm for me after covering a lot of tension, sadness and upset in our community. Every great baseball moment I got during the shortened season was somehow linked to Lewis. And if you look at his numbers, it’s no surprise.

Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times

SEPTEMBER 1 | I like to anticipate luck while shooting in lots of photo situations. Lucky things happen, but usually they’re gone by the time you realize it, so it’s anticipating the lucky moments that gets you geared up to catch a perfect shot. It happened here with reflected light off the water, the barge in the perfect spot under a wounded West Seattle bridge and cyclists coming by on a normally empty swing bridge. After taking this motordrive burst, I walked away feeling pretty good. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)

July 15

I love the challenge of photographing celestial events. I heard Comet Neowise was visible from Alki Beach. Armed with a tripod and a 400 mm lens, I drove to Alki. I spotted a guy with a telescope aimed up into the darkness. Looking up, I couldn’t see anything but the stars. I looked through the guy’s telescope and then tried to copy its angle. After a few minutes of scanning, there it was: about 20 degrees above the horizon and right below the Big Dipper. This image was made with a 400 mm telephoto lens mounted on a tripod, using a 1.3-second exposure at f8 and ISO 10,000.

Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times

November 1

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll watches wide receiver DK Metcalf warm up before the Seahawks took on the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. Metcalf’s physique has been a story since he went shirtless in his predraft meeting with the Seahawks, which inspired Carroll to take his shirt off in return. And there was that photo of Metcalf that became a meme. The DK show continues in pregame warm-ups before the players suit up.

Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times

October 13

Looking for something to illustrate the windstorm that blew through Puget Sound in mid-October, I found myself at Marina Beach Park in Edmonds — fighting to stand on my feet, and marveling at the windsurfer on the water. With the ferry approaching, I was hoping to just get the two in the same frame. To my sudden delight, the windsurfer hopped a wave right in line with the ferry, which I never could have predicted, and never could have scripted any better.

Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times

September 20

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is stopped at the goal line on a last-second drive, securing the Seahawks’ 35-30 win in their home opener at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks love taking it down to the final play of the game, and their home opener this year was no exception. I’ve witnessed enough of Newton to know he loves to dive over the pile with his massive frame, so I halfway expected this play at the goal line with 3 seconds on the clock and the Seahawks up. Due to the pandemic, photographers are shooting in the first-row seats in the empty stands, so I shot this from the opposite end of the field with a 1.4 teleconverter on a 500 mm, making it a 700 mm lens. I was shaking, but fortunately, shooting at 1/1000th of a second, you can’t tell.

Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times

July 24

While covering Boeing for the past few decades, I’m always in search of a new angle or photo opportunity. Sometimes, I drive up to Everett just to see whether I can find one of the giant hangar doors open so I can peek inside the factory. I got lucky on this day as a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner emerged from the factory. Customers took just three Boeing 787s during May and June, and 36 of the aircraft in the first six months of the year. That’s down from 78 deliveries a year earlier.

Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times

March 28

Heading north on Aurora Avenue, I came across this smoky, stubborn fire on the west side of the street, and alerted The Seattle Times’ Metro Desk. The guerrilla art poster with Greta Thunberg’s words is from the previous summer, with an added mask. It’s a three-element photograph of poster, smoke and Seattle firefighter poking through. I waited until the smoke covered all but the top of the ladder. The fire was in an abandoned building on Lower Queen Anne.

Alan Berner / The Seattle Times

August 19

I had heard that Woodland Park Zoo’s western lowland gorilla, 12-year-old Uzumma, was successfully bonding with her first-born baby boy, 5-month-old Kitoko, and was now out of their den for everyone to see. Arriving at the zoo, I carried two cameras, one with a 70 mm-200 mm Canon zoom lens, and a 300 mm Canon lens. When you’re photographing wild animals and children, for that matter), you never know what you’ll get, if anything. But this time, behind trees, barely visible, there was Uzumma carrying her little newborn. Zookeepers had sprinkled rose petals on the ground from a roof near where I was standing, behind glass. Gorillas love to nibble on roses. The falling petals attracted Uzumma, who sat down close to the glass, just perfectly in front of me, eating a rose. I ended up using the short focal length of 70 mm (or close to that), because she was so close. Lucky me.

Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times

December 1

You’re not supposed to use your hands in soccer, but what’s lost watching the game on TV is how often players use their hands to pull, tug, trip and disrupt the other team. Also lost in the speed of the game is the incredible athleticism — and flexibility — players show, particularly in the corners, where a guy can get trapped against end lines. You can see Dallas’ John Nelson grab Seattle’s Joevin Jones by the jersey and the shoulder. But Nelson goes all in by climbing on Jones’ back and swinging his leg around to put his boot on the ball. It’s extreme, but not uncommon, and an increasingly big part of how “The Beautiful Game” is played.

Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times

February 14

It’s easy to forget that on Seattle’s darkest days, there’s still sun above those clouds — and that you actually could get to it, if you were so inclined. Flying out of Seattle, headed for Mariners spring training in Arizona, I was really taken by the volcanoes as they lined up — all the way to the Sisters in Oregon. With all my cameras packed away, I had to resort to my iPhone, which takes far better pictures than I would ever care to admit.

Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times

November 13

Assigned to photograph winter weather, I headed up to Stevens Pass, where they were expecting up to 2 feet of snow. The roadway was treacherous, and traffic was jammed as it crawled past Skykomish and up toward the pass. I found Jacob Morrelli working in the snow and sleet to get chains on his truck about 8 miles from the summit.

Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times

July 9

Sid Yarkin the sheep was a true grassroots candidate for mayor of Vashon Island. And why not, where bumper stickers say, “Keep Vashon Weird”? He had stiff competition from a 91-year-old lifetime resident, four 10- and 11-year-olds, and a rescued dog. His campaign manager said Sid’s strengths were “fertilizer distribution and weed reduction.” The effort came up short but raised money for Vashon Youth & Family Services. The slate of four children won in the unincorporated area of King County.

Alan Berner / The Seattle Times

OCTOBER 31 | In search of a surprise on Halloween, I headed to the Museum of Flight to look for costumed visitors. Astronaut Ted Huetter of the museum was walking to another area where families had gathered, but stopped to use hand sanitizer on his gloves, appropriate to protocol, as he became available for portraits. (He also wears a mask over his helmet.) This is a hipshot made without taking time to bring the camera to my eye, as he caught me by surprise. Hand sanitizer is more important on Earth than in space. (Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)

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