Dec 19, 2014

The year in review

Kalani Gordon 0 Comment The Baltimore Sun

31 Photos

The Darkroom has published more than 900 pieces of photojournalism in its third year, 2014. From photo essays, to breaking news, to Q&A’s with area photographers, The Darkroom strives to continue to explore visual journalism and highlight some of the best multimedia work from The Sun, the wires, the community and beyond.

Here’s a look back at some of the stories that defined the year, and a few of our favorites, just for fun.

: Our most viewed gallery of the year: “Athens’ Olympic venues in ruins ten years after the games.” Here, a general view of the Olympic Aquatic Center in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. (Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)

: We launched a new series, Exploring Baltimore’s Neighborhoods, a collection of photos from through the years in each of Baltimore’s neighborhoods. This is Parkwyrth Ave. in Waverly, which has both rowhomes and Victorian homes. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: And with that, one of the most viewed: Park heights. “You might have heard today that there were three shootings that happened over there on Cold Spring. Part of that stuff is what we’re trying to weed out. That element, as long as drugs continue to rule …”

: For a half century, Ernie Imhoff has felt at home in the free and open spaces of Druid Hill Park – also known to many older residents as “Droodle” or “Droodle Pork” in Baltimorese. It is a treasure island of solitude and socializing smack in Baltimore’s midsection, he says.

: Duckpin bowling was once a sport synonymous with the city of Baltimore. In its heyday during the 1960s, more than 1,200 lanes could be found throughout the region. Now the Patterson Bowling Center in East Baltimore is one of just a few facilities in the area keeping the sport alive. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Howard County, Maryland, Police Chief William J. McMahon talks to reporters outside Columbia Town Center Mall following a shooting situation January 25, 2014 in Columbia, Maryland. Three people are dead, including the shooter, after a man opened fire inside the mall. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

: In the midst of a long hard winter, it’s nice to take a moment to reflect on one of the annual rites that give us hope the spring will soon be upon us. Baltimore Sun photojournalist Karl Merton Ferron traveled south to capture images of the Orioles spring training in Sarasota, Fla.

: The Sochi Olympics happened and with that, people fell, tripped, slid and tumbled on ice. We compiled a few of the best. Here, Japan’s Akiko Suzuki falls during a figure skating training session. (Alexander Demianchuk/REUTERS)

: We target=”_blank”>dug back through the archives to find photos of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, which started at 10:50 a.m. on Feb. 7 and raged on until 5 p.m. the next day.

: A police officer forcibly escorted Baltimore Sun photo editor Chris Assaf away from the scene of a police-involved shooting on Feb. 21. He had been taking pictures from outside the police lines, but an officer told him he had to move back further. Assaf protested, stating he was within his First Amendment rights to be where he was standing. Another officer then forced him to move. The Sun posted all of Assaf’s images from the shooting scene as well as photos taken by Sun photographer Lloyd Fox, who witnessed and documented the incident.

: Ben Marcin has documented the struggle of Baltimore’s homeless through the shanties in backwoods homeless camps and captured lonely last-standing rowhomes in two series documenting transition in Baltimore.

: Republican Larry Hogan’s campaign to “Change Maryland” scored a stunning upset as he defeated Democrat Anthony G. Brown in the race for governor. We took a look at each candidate’s path from their respective candidacy announcements to the November 4 election. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

: Sam Holden, a Baltimore-based photographer, died April 26, 2014 after collapsing suddenly while doing yard work on his father’s farm in Bel Air. He was 44. Todd Holden, Sam’s father, has graciously allowed The Darkroom to share some of his son’s work.

: The moon is seen in the time around a total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014 in Montevideo, Uruguay. People in most of North and South America were able to witness this year’s first total lunar eclipse, which caused a ‘blood moon’ and was the first of four in a rare Tetrad of eclipses over the next two years. (Mariana Suarez/AFP/Getty Images)

: Texas-based photographer Mike Mezeul spent 7 hours in a field outside of Dallas, Texas to take this unconventional shot of the lunar eclipse Tuesday night. Here’s a look at how he did it.

: These photos were taken Thursday by Baltimore photography duo Belinda and Terry Kilby of Elevated Element after a part of 26th Street in Charles Village collapsed onto a CSX railroad track Wednesday following heavy rains.

: As another Preakness celebration comes to an end with California Chrome capturing the second jewel in the Triple Crown, The Darkroom took a look back at some of the best pictures taken by The Baltimore Sun staff. Here, Keith Winkeler, left, and his daughter, Lucia, came to Preakness from Austin, Texas. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)

: Kathryne and Essam Shomali adopted Little Joe from a shelter in Dallas, Pa., in 2012, thinking they would enjoy several years with him. But earlier this year, LJ was diagnosed with a form of cancer called adenocarcinoma, and the Shomalis were told he may only have six to 12 months to live. The couple then decided to make a bucket list for LJ to create some fond memories with him before he passes.

: Our partners with Baltimore Sun Media Group took a look behind-the-scenes at several area sports teams in a video series this year. Here, Howard High School’s softball program, give insight into this year’s team as they practice for and face rival Mt. Hebron.

: More than 1,000 Naval Academy freshmen slopped through mud, clambered over obstacles and beat each other with padded sticks Tuesday in a rite of passage known as Sea Trials, marking the end of their plebe year. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The World Cup took place in Brazil. USA lost. Here, Croatia’s midfielder Ivan Perisic (L) celebrates a goal against Brazil as Brazilian defender Marcelo (R) looks on during their Group A football match at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 12, 2014. (Odd Andersen/Getty Images)

: Photo intern Rachel Woolf’s photo essay made for a Documentary Photography class at Ithaca College, encompasses a couples’ lifestyle going through Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

: Hundreds of protesters protested throughout the later part of the year in a St. Louis suburb where Michael Brown, 18, was shot to death by a police officer on Aug. 9. Here, demonstrators hold up their hands as police fire tear gas at them as they protest the shooting death of Michael Brown on August 17, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Police sprayed pepper spray, shot smoke, gas and flash grenades as violent outbreaks have taken place in Ferguson since the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer on August 9th. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

: Military pallbearers carry the casket of U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, who held leadership positions at Aberdeen Proving Ground. He was killed in Afghanistan in August, the highest ranking U.S. military officer killed in combat since the Vietnam War. (Larry Downing/Reuters photo)

: We brought back, once again, our “Rough Cut” – a loose edit from The Baltimore Sun’s photographic coverage of the National Football League. Fanatic fans, marching bands, cheerleaders and lots of game action are just part of the spectacle that is the NFL.

: Photo intern Rachel Woolf documented the family of Mick Smith, a 12-year-old triplet living with an undiagnosed neuromuscular disease. His family is hoping to put a name to the progressive neuromuscular disease that is affecting this 12 year old triplet. Whole exome sequencing is the test that might give a name to his disease and possibly help doctors treat him. The knowledge gained from the test might not lead to a treatment or therapy but at least could help doctors manage his care.

: As the death toll from the worst ever outbreak of the highly contagious disease has climbed into the thousands since it was discovered in remote southeastern Guinea in March, medical workers around the world are prepping and researching equipment and techniques used to contain infectious diseases. (David W Cerny/Reuters)

: Baltimore’s controversial curfew law, one of the strictest in the nation, took effect in early August with the aim of protecting children. For months, the proposal to change the curfew law was met with heated discussions at community meetings, letters to the editor in favor of the changes and dissenting letters against them. Here, police patrol a residential neighborhood in east Baltimore minutes after a curfew law took effect in Baltimore August 8, 2014. (James Lawler Duggan/Reuters)

: Tall ships arrived in Baltimore as part of the Star-Spangled bicentennial. The ships’ arrival kick off events celebrating the bicentennial of the Battle of Baltimore — and of Francis Scott Key’s writing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” as he watched the British fail in their attack on Fort McHenry this week in 1814. Officials are expecting at least a million people to attend the events. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)

: Sorry, Orioles fans. The San Francisco Giants reigned over baseball yet again, after ace Madison Bumgarner emerged from the bullpen to throw five shutout innings and third baseman Pablo Sandoval collected three hits in a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. The Giants became the first road team to win Game 7 since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. Here, San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Crawford chases his daughter, Braylyn, off of mound following the celebration in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Jose Luis Villegas/Sacramento Bee/MCT)

: Eduardo A. Encina leads an interesting life. One of two Baltimore Sun Orioles beat reporters, Encina spends February through October documenting everything about the team. On and off the field, Encina shares his experiences through his Instagram account. He also takes time during the summer to take much-needed side trips. Take a look through some of his best photos of the Orioles’ unforgettable 2014 season.

: The Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft exploded after launch at Wallops Island, VA at 6:22 p.m. ET on Oct. 29. It was set to carry some 5,000 pounds of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station. (Eduardo Encina, Baltimore Sun)

: Ryan Diviney was a West Virginia student in 2009 when he suffered severe brain trauma after nearly being beaten to death outside a convenience store near campus. Photographer Kaitlin Newman documented his family and his struggles as he has been pulling through — slowly but surely. (Kaitlin Newman/for The Baltimore Sun)

: Astronaut Reid Wiseman, born and raised in the Baltimore area, was stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). He literally has a window on the world as the space station circles in low orbit around Earth. Wiseman has been taking hundreds of pictures of Earth and posting amazing images on his Twitter account @astro_reid. On July 7th Wiseman soared directly over Baltimore in the space station and took this picture of downtown.

: Several interviews were conducted, footage was shot, the school’s archivist was consulted, photos were repurposed and editing commenced for one of our staffer’s foray into documentary filmmaking about Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville. The process, setup and lessons learned were detailed in a blog post published in November 2014.

: More than 500 protesters marched from Empowerment Temple Church for “Black Lives Matter Sunday” to show solidarity with Michael Brown. Brown, a 18-year old black man, was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, sparking protests and demonstrations all over the world. The officer was not indicted, sparking nationwide protests, including this one. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

The year in review

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