Seattle Times Pictures of the Year 2009

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Dec. 1: Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Capt. A. Dulas salutes during a procession that escorted the bodies of four slain Lakewood police officers from where they were killed Nov. 29 at Forza Coffee to the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office in Tacoma.

"A couple years into working on my undergraduate degree at Northern Arizona University, I was pretty sure I wanted to be a reporter or writer. I worked for the student paper and enjoyed the challenge of writing about new subjects and interesting people. Our publication's photography staff was very talented. Curious to learn more about their craft, I enrolled in a photojournalism class taught by Peter Schwepker, a photojournalist at The Arizona Republic. In his class it hit me: I wanted to tell stories through photographs. I was touched by how photographs could put the viewer in someone else's shoes. Photojournalism is important in today's media landscape because at its core it's supposed to be real. We do not use tools to make people skinnier, prettier or change the information in the image. There's room to be creative, take risks and grow. But our goal is to capture images that the public trusts." — Erika Schultz

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Nov. 7: The remains of slain Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton are carried by his brother, Matthew Brenton, at the conclusion of the officer's memorial service in KeyArena. Officer Brenton, 39, was shot and killed as he sat in his patrol car with a student officer Halloween night. Thousands attended the public memorial with police officers from throughout the country and Canada attending.

"Photography is my ticket to the world. I make pictures to explore and to report visually — and be the eyes for others. The camera provides a deeper and more intense experience for me. It is a magnifier not a barrier.Luckily, I attended the University of Missouri, where a storied photography program was in place. A chance encounter with a professor from the School of Journalism led to a change of direction — and I was never going to get a Ph.D in philosophy." — Alan Berner

CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Nov. 14: Firefighters battle a blaze from the ground and above a vacant warehouse on Aurora Avenue North in Shoreline. I was fortunate enough to arrive at the scene just moments before the building began to flame up. After spending a few minutes in front, I went out back to see what I could find. It's rare when I'm able to get this close to a fire and allowed the time to make such a dramatic picture. Of interest, the silhouetted man and his dog on the far right live in the shack on the far left. Kevin Todd Swalwell was arrested just blocks from the scene as a suspect in the Shoreline fire as well as several recent arsons in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood.

"I've used a camera since I was very young. But it wasn't until I was a student at the University of Washington that I decided not to pursue a career in piano performance and instead get involved with the student newspaper, The Daily. I spent more time working there than I ever did in my classes. And after a year of interning at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, I knew I wanted to be a multimedia journalist. Covering stories that have an impact on my fellow Northwesterners is always fun and rewarding, no matter how many hours I spend standing in the rain waiting for that one shot. —" Cliff DesPeaux

ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jan. 10: This story would have been tough for any of us to cover. Seattle Post-Intelligencer managing editor David McCumber stood in front of the P-I building to announce that the paper was for sale, and with no buyers, it would in 60 days either shut down or go to a digital-only operation with a greatly reduced staff. Although we always competed with the P-I, I believe both news staffs had respect for each other and, very often, we were friends. That said, I think it was tougher for me than for others because I worked at the P-I eight years before coming to The Times. It seemed like McCumber's heart was breaking that day. I know mine was.

"I changed my major in college to photojournalism in my junior year. In the beginning, I don't think any of my professors gave me much of a chance to make it into the field, but there was nothing else I wanted to do, so I stuck with it. Except for a little more than a year after college, photography's the only job I've had. When my kids were little and I went on school field trips with them, I realized that is why my job still thrills me after all these years. It's a new field trip every day, sharing people's stories — their adventures, joys and sorrows — their lives. Best job in the world." — Ellen M. Banner

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Aug. 16: Before a town-hall meeting on health-care reform, supporter Mike Dumovich of Arlington gets into it with Nora Thorp of Camano Island. U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen hosted the meeting at Everett Memorial Stadium in August. I got to the event four hours beforehand because we didn't exactly know what to expect; other meetings had turned violent. As people started showing up there became almost a battle line between sides in the parking lot. But both sides did join to oppose a small group that displayed posters of President Obama with a Hitler mustache.

"I got the photo-story-telling bug in college. I started as an engineering student because I have a creative and technical itch. The engineering demands were pretty steep, and a friend who was majoring in photography was having a whole lot more fun than me. I decided to switch. My adviser at the school newspaper was Nelson Wadsworth, who in one of his former lives was caption writer for National Geographic and traveled with some of the great photographers of that time. From the time I saw my first image come up in a developer tray, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I often thought, if I had all the money I needed, I would still be a photographer." — Jim Bates

MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jan. 8: When a large tree punched a hole in the bank of the Tolt River, neighbors came together to patch it with several hundred sandbags. Because most of the roads in Carnation were flooded and closed, I parked and walked two miles along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and down a steep bank to get to this section of the river where I could see a homeowner keeping watch on the water and talking on his cellphone. He paced back and forth as the rushing river lapped at the top of the sandbags. Some neighbors said this was the highest they'd seen the river in 30 years.

"I got started in photojournalism while in junior-high school photographing, writing and printing a weekly newsletter. Besides producing content, I enjoyed transferring the images and copy onto printing plates and seeing the photos rolling off the printing press we operated during class. Once in high school, I discovered that photographing the football and basketball games gave me the best seat in the house. I keep doing it because I love the action of doing something different every day, capturing moments in time and meeting the different people I get to photograph, whether it's a presidential candidate or a kid selling Kool-Aid on a hot summer day." — Mike Siegel

KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Oct. 22: Naveed Haq, who went on a shooting spree at the Jewish Federation in the summer of 2006, stares into the camera on the first day of his second trial. I had covered Haq on the day a mistrial in his case was declared in 2008. I remember feeling a bit surprised that Haq hadn't really aged between the two trials, still showed no emotion and kept delivering the same visual mystery to the public — the vacant stare that begs the same question: Is he insane?

"I consider March 26, 1982, my first day as a news photographer. I was 19, working for my high-school newspaper covering the groundbreaking of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in my hometown of Washington, D.C. I found myself shoulder to shoulder with some of the best photographers in the business. I was granted access to the press area simply because I acted like I was supposed to be there. The most amazing part of the experience was the access. We were in front. I couldn't believe the camera alone gave me the ability to be so close to history. Almost 28 years later I keep working because I still have access. At least that's the way the First Amendment is supposed to work." — Ken Lambert

ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Sept. 7: A cougar had been seen in Discovery Park for a while, but seemed uncatchable. I got a call at the beginning of my shift, hearing that it had been caught and I needed to get to Discovery Park immediately. An entourage from Fish and Wildlife as well as media were on their way to Snohomish County to let the little guy go. I rushed there, saw the procession of cars leaving and followed in the pouring rain, hurrying up Interstate 5 and hoping not to lose the way. Finally, high in the hills of Snohomish County, I stood in the back of a truck with other media, watching as he was let go. The dogs barked and chased so the cougar wouldn't ever want to be back around humans. Sure hope he makes it out there.

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Oct. 5: Seattle Mariners teammates carry Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki off the field after the Mariners defeated the Texas Rangers 4-3 in October to end their season.

"My father was the publisher and my mother was the managing editor of the weekly newspaper my family owned in Minnesota in the 1970s. The nearest daily was the Worthington Daily Globe, where Bill Kuykendall was the picture editor and Jim Brandenburg was a photographer. Before I could drive, my father took me to a semester of community-college classes taught by Brandenburg, and after that I never really wanted to do anything else. In college I learned from photojournalism evangelists Cliff Edom and Angus McDougall, and I won a contest that led to a job in Everett, which led to a job at The Seattle Times 24 years ago. The job has changed several times. When I started we were an unbridled afternoon paper and lenses focused manually. But we're still sharing stories with words and pictures, and I'm proud to be part of this family newspaper." — Mark Harrison

ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

May 17: After years of covering the Sound Transit light rail construction from downtown Seattle to the Seattle Tacoma International Airport, I thought I'd shot every angle that could be shot along the 13.9-plus-mile route — but still didn't know what would be the one picture to tell the overall story. Then, near the end of the project, Sound Transit communications specialist Bruce Gray told me about lights over the Duwamish River. They were on only when the train crossed the river. I went out there one night, and in a few seconds I had one of the prettiest shots I'd ever seen of the train so many of us had been waiting for so long.

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jan. 21: I was sent to the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle's Chinatown-International District to document local reaction to the inauguration of Barack Obama as president. A group gathered to watch the historic event projected on a big screen. Scanning the room for a good moment, I saw Charles Hill. I was drawn to him not only because he was one of only a few black attendees there, but also because he was quite expressive leading up to the moment Obama was sworn in. I was wrestling with a desire to look for myself at the history unfolding on the screen. But when the time came for Obama to take the oath, Hill reacted, and I made my picture.

"While working as an administrator at a youth employment agency in 1998, I became fascinated with photojournalism. I was 29 and felt in need of a change in my career. Soon after, I purchased my first camera, a Nikon F2AS with a few lenses, and, with crossed fingers and a strong desire to learn the craft, I began my journey by moonlighting as a photographer for the International Examiner, a small, community-based newspaper. I was so excited to shoot the festivals, groundbreakings and concerts that were assigned to me. I pursued formal training at Western Kentucky University in 1999. Nearly a decade later, my passion for photojournalism is at its highest ever, and my decision to become a photographer is validated in the images I make every single day." — John Lok

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Aug. 23: Jousting in Enumclaw, of all places, across the road from a dairy farm, Rena Stone, left, and Carlin Kennedy galloped full-speed toward each other, raising dust and lances. Each relied on their 70-plus pounds of armor and skills to protect them. Members of the Seattle Knights, they were participating in a medieval fair. Stone won this bout with a stout hit to her opponent's chest.

STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

April 10: Photographing a story about alder trees with reporter Lynda V. Mapes, both of us were blown away by the gobs of pollen released from the alder catkins in the Tiger Mountain State Forest near Issaquah. A few shakes with the motordrive blazing produced instant visual hay fever. We ran it huge on the front page of the newspaper.

"Surfing was my love as a teenager, but I lived in Oregon where the water temperature was bitter. My father told me about a school he wanted to attend when he was getting out of high school called Brooks Institute of Photography, in Santa Barbara. The seed was planted: All I could think about was wearing flip-flops, riding a cruiser bike down to the waves, my surfboard under my arm. Short story: Ended up attending Brooks, fell in love with photography, stopped surfing and now, 35 years later, want to start surfing again." — Steve Ringman

GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

April 18: I first photographed Norrie Suder in 1968 for a Seattle Times Sunday magazine story on the Seafair clowns. Now, more than 40 years later, I met up with Norrie again. He's still a Seafair clown and considered to be the dean of them. I photographed Norrie at home transforming his flexible face into a clown. The white powder he's applying sets the makeup so it won't smear. He leaned over his balcony railing outside so the powder wouldn't get on his furniture.

"I grew up in Olympia and got interested in photography in junior-high school. I delivered the Daily Olympian and saved money to buy my first camera, a twin-lens Mamiyaflex. With my parents' help, I built a darkroom in the basement and read everything I could find on developing and printing photographs. While delivering the paper, I would stop at the houses that had The Seattle Times on their doorstep. I would sit on the porch and slowly turn the pages of the paper, studying the photography. I wanted to be a Times photographer and take photos of fires and presidents. Six years later, when I was 21, my dream came true. I have been here ever since. It's the greatest job in the world." — Greg Gilbert

KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

May 19: I was assigned to cover Seattle Storm Media Day back in May. Deploying an ancient newspaper trick called OCD (opening closed doors), I found team members making videotaped announcements in front of a green screen in an upstairs room, far from the media. Someone from the Storm camera crew gave star player Sue Bird these glasses and told her to say the line, "I am McLovin" from the movie "Superbad." I think she nailed it in one take. A media day exclusive!

KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

April 27: It was the last day of the legislative session in Olympia in April, and exhausted Sens. Ken Jacobsen, left, a Seattle Democrat, and Mark Schoesler, a Republican from Ritzville, wake up from a bipartisan snooze after a chime rings the Senate back into session. Most good political photos can cut both ways, and this one is no exception. It shows how incredibly hard politicians can work during a legislative session . . . on the last day.

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Oct. 10: A pass to Arizona's Delashaun Dean bounces off his shoe and lands in the hands of the University of Washington's Mason Foster for an interception. It was the fourth quarter on Oct. 10 at Husky Stadium. Foster would take the ball all the way into the end zone for a score to seal the 36-33 come-from-behind victory for the Huskies.

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Sept. 6: Working on a Pacific Northwest magazine story about the jobless, I learned that Marcy Maki, who'd lost her job as an education specialist, had an upcoming interview. I wanted to photograph her moments before she left her home for the appointment. With a son and their home to protect, a lot was riding on the meeting. I predicted she wouldn't agree to the timing, and at first, that's exactly what happened. But I proposed how the image would be more powerful if it contained some of the tension involved in preparing for an interview. "OK then, John, that's what we'll do," she said. I was shocked (and grateful) at how fast she reconsidered. Maki explained she thought her anxious energy would be better spent on the photo shoot than on worrying about the interview.

STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Sept. 28: Taking off from Luther Burbank Park, 72 stand-up paddle boarders start their race around Mercer Island this past September. The first annual "Round the Rock" paddle-board race drew participants from as far away as New York to compete in the 13-mile race in 65-degree weather. The Interstate 90 bridge is in the background.

STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jan. 11: I work with some great reporters, like Hal Bernton, who always demands to look around the next bend or follow a hunch. During the rains last January, the press stayed around Chehalis expecting flooding, but Hal wanted to go east — why, he couldn't say. This was the right call; hillsides had turned to mud and swamped homes and businesses. At the Roadside Inn in Glenoma, owner Linda Mitchell had just come back to her business after evacuating in the night. She was grief-stricken standing in more than 3 feet of mud.

CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Firefighters rush down their ladder to avoid approaching flames during Friday's early-morning fire that destroyed a vacant warehouse near Aurora Avenue and North 170th Street in Shoreline. For more photos from the scene, see seattletimes.com

ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jan. 23: They seemed like companions, of sorts, solid and stoical in their booth at the Puyallup Fairgrounds this past January. Don Belsby of Cheney caught up on the news under the watch of 800 pounds of taxidermy, a feral boar he shot south of Spokane. Belsby was promoting the Canyon Hunting Ranch at the Washington Sportsmen's Show and said the boar provided plenty of good bacon.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

July 5: This photograph was taken at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle while I was working on a story for Pacific Northwest magazine about the Northwest's picnicking culture. With vistas of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound, the beach's fire pits are a popular hangout throughout the summer well into the colder months. On clear evenings, the beautiful colors of the sunset often make dramatic combinations with the fires. We ended up choosing another image to publish from the same location. However, this image was a close second.