As with every turning of the calendar year, we start with a clean slate: 12 months ahead full of unknowns.

In 2021, we started the year with hope: A COVID-19 vaccine was being rolled out, and with that shot came a glimmer of optimism about a return to normalcy. Millions of people got their shots, and while the pandemic is nowhere near over, we’ve settled into what our “new normal” will look like in 2022.

But 2021 also launched with chaos. The Capitol riot on Jan. 6 shook us, and the turmoil of that day continues to be felt in a divided nation. That day was the first of many this year in which people used their voices to push for change.

This year wasn’t all dire, though. There were victories celebrated and careers heralded. There were quiet moments, where a grazing elk can stop you in your tracks.

All of these moments, big and small, made 2021 unforgettable, and The News & Observer’s photojournalists were there to document them. Here’s a closer look at some of the photos they made that tell the story of 2021.

Andrew Brown’s funeral

On April 21, Pasquotank County deputies shot and killed Andrew Brown Jr. in Elizabeth City while trying to serve search and arrest warrants. On May 3, I was one of several News & Observer journalists assigned to cover Brown’s funeral. As the family and mourners were leaving the funeral but before his casket was loaded into a hearse, the pallbearers paused.

The Rev. Al Sharpton stood by as Brown’s sons Khalil Ferebee, left, and Jha’rod Ferebee released doves in their father’s honor. I crouched down and made a short burst of a dozen or so photographs as the doves soared into the sky. — Travis Long

COVID-19 takes its toll

In August, at the height of the delta variant surge, I was given access to the COVID-19 intensive care unit at Johnston UNC Health Care in Clayton. I was there to document the stress on the staff and the 10-bed ICU unit filled to capacity, with patients on ventilators.

After I was properly protected, I was allowed to photograph the staff making rounds and caring for COVID patients. This patient was being moved into the ICU to be placed on a ventilator. — Robert Willett

A caring connection

In early October, a year-and-a-half into the COVID pandemic, Erica South, a nurse in the UNC REX Hospital emergency department, was gracious enough to let reporter Martha Quillin and I follow her around for her 12-hour shift to help us tell the story of how frontline workers were faring.

What struck me during that time is how much South loves her work and truly cares for her patients. But that was so hard to capture visually, especially in the time of COVID, when everyone is masked and has to keep their distance. But then, during a routine test, this moment of connection happened, and it made me feel that care South has for her patients. — Ethan Hyman

UNC coach Roy Williams says farewell

I got a text midmorning on April 1 while I was photographing a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Johnston County: “Roy is retiring.”

“April Fools’, right?” I responded.

“Roy,” of course, was Roy Williams, the legendary men’s basketball coach, who was stepping down after 18 seasons at UNC.

“No, he’s going to do it. Start heading to Chapel Hill.”

As I drove, I tried to think through how I thought Williams’ press conference would be presented in the midst of a pandemic.

When I arrived at the Smith Center, I asked how the events would play out, where things would take place.

Learning that Williams would enter the Smith Center on the carpet that generations of players have walked upon led me to mount a camera overhead with a remote trigger. That way I could shoot images from the court area, on the floor that bears Williams’ name but also from above to set the scene and be in position for his announcement.

You can see me in the photo, pretty much dead center at the end of the carpet. — Robert Willett

NC State football upset win

When N.C. State football upset Clemson 27-21 in double overtime on Sept. 25, I immediately rushed onto the field at Carter-Finley Stadium to capture the celebration. In that moment, I wasn’t thinking about what I was photographing. I was just running and shooting frames without even looking through the viewfinder, looking for the best celebration.

I was so caught up in trying to find that great moment, I didn’t realize fans had rushed the field until they surrounded me. It was only when I got back to my laptop and started editing that I found this frame. It had all the elements: jubilation, fans, fireworks. I didn’t remember shooting it. It always helps to have a little bit of luck. — Ethan Hyman

A young Olympian on the global stage

I met 17-year-old Claire Curzan in her hometown of Cary. It was one of her last home swim practices at the Triangle Aquatic Center before she competed in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. I knew I’d need to capture her in her element; she was one of the youngest to compete in the Games. So I brought along a seldom-used tool — a waterproof camera bag.

Lucky for me, swim practice is very repetitive. Leaning over the side of the pool, I positioned myself near the wall in her lane and made as many images as I could as she barreled toward me underwater. It took several nervous tries, but then it happened.

The final image shows Curzan, midstroke, gracefully gliding just below the surface of the water. Curzan, a student at Cardinal Gibbons High School, came home from the Olympics with a silver medal for her role on the women’s 4x100 medley relay. — Julia Wall

An unexpected moment with an elk

During a road trip with my daughter in the peak of leaf season, we pulled off between Bryson City and Cherokee to make some photographs at the Kituwah Farm owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. As we got out of our pickup truck, my daughter tapped me on the shoulder, alerting me to a bull elk grazing nearby.

The National Park Service reintroduced 52 elk to the region in the early 2000s. An estimated 200 elk roam the area today. The farm is a favorite place for us to visit. It has a cultural significance to the Cherokee, as it is considered the historical mother town of our tribe.

We made 100 or more photographs as the sun started to set. In total, we saw four to five elk. This was one of the last frames I made before the light completely dissipated. —Travis Long

More than just a business

This image is of Tim Honeycutt on May 5 as he prepared some of the last customer items for cleaning at Honeycutt Cleaners in Raleigh. Honeycutt was 20 when he started working for the family business, which got its start around 1946. But on May 14, Honeycutt Cleaners closed for good due to challenges from the pandemic, increases in costs and a drop in business.

When I approached this assignment, I drove to the business instead of calling, and Honeycutt was at the counter. He was immediately kind and humble and agreed to have me back to take photos the next day. I was touched by how many people in the community visited to wish him well.

No matter how busy he was, he would stop what he was doing to take time for them. One man even pulled me aside to share that Honeycutt gave him a suit before a job interview because he didn’t have one. Honeycutt Cleaners was more than just a business and much more than a dry cleaner. — Juli Leonard

So. Much. Pollen.

This spring, I went to Pullen Park in Raleigh for a story about the heavy pollen in the Triangle. My goal is always to make what can be a mundane or cliche image more interesting. I spotted some ducks and waited on a bridge for an overhead shot to show just how much pollen had accumulated on the surface of the water. — Juli Leonard

Honoring veterans

Every year on Veterans Day, veterans and their families gather at Veterans Freedom Park in Cary for a ceremony. Many attendees gather under a tent in front of the memorial to listen to a band and speeches, while others get closer to the towering memorial.

This year, I spotted a man with a walking stick, quietly leaning on one of the memorial’s walls away from the crowd. I’m sure he had not planned on speaking to a journalist that day, but I approached him to ask for his name. He kindly told me his name is Gaylord Gable, he’s a resident of Cary and he’s a veteran of the Marine Corps who fought in the Korean War. — Julia Wall

This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 6:00 AM.

Jessica Banov

The News & Observer

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Jessica Banov is a news editor and audience growth specialist at The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. She was part of the team from The N&O and The Charlotte Observer that was named a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Breaking News for coverage of Hurricane Helene. She also serves as The N&O’s intern program coordinator.