In the last year, the Banner’s photo staff and freelancers made thousands of images marking the countless hours that people spent opening their lives to us.

We were there for big state and citywide moments: the last days of longstanding spaces of worship, the elation of political victory, a solar eclipse and the collapse of the Key Bridge.

Our photojournalists showed the effects of the ongoing overdose epidemic on our neighbors, took us through another exciting Preakness, found the awe of the natural world and followed the Ravens and Orioles through wins and defeats.

But we also witnessed personal moments of heartbreak and hope, the joy of love and the many ways we collectively grieve.

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As we look back on 2024, there are many moments we’re grateful to have shared with our communities in Baltimore and beyond — below are just a few we kept coming back to.

Scenes from the closing of the graduation and commissioning ceremony at the Naval Academy on May 24, 2024.
Midshipmen celebrate their May graduation from the Naval Academy in Annapolis by throwing their hats. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Donna Bruce waves her praise flags through the newly renamed street, Devon Wellington’s Way after the ceremonial street signing, in Baltimore, June 5, 2024.
In June, Donna Bruce waved praise flags through newly renamed Devon Wellington’s Way, after her son who died of an overdose. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
Harbor jumpers leap into the waters of Fells Point during the Harbor Splash 2024 event on 6/23/24 in Baltimore, MD.
More than 150 people swam in the Inner Harbor in June. (Eric Thompson for The Baltimore Banner)
Lincoln University point guard Reggie Hudson celebrates after the team’s win against Claflin University in the CIAA basketball semifinals at CFG Bank Arena on Friday, March 1, 2024.
Lincoln University point guard Reggie Hudson celebrates after the team’s win against Claflin University in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball semifinals in March. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
Rocksann Smith (No. 2) of the Baltimore City College Knights Varsity Baseball Team laughs along with her teammates during their game against Dunbar on 4/26/2024 in Baltimore, MD.
Rocksann Smith was a captain for the Baltimore City College Knights varsity baseball team. It took Smith, an 18-year-old senior, years to feel comfortable in the sport. (Eric Thompson for The Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore artist Joyce J. Scott sits atop a throne inside a yurt installation in her retrospective exhibition, “Walk a Mile in my Dreams,” hosted at the Baltimore Museum of Art on March 19, 2024.
Baltimore artist Joyce J. Scott at her retrospective exhibition, “Walk a Mile in My Dreams,” at the Baltimore Museum of Art in March. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Natty Boh glows over over Baltimore after more than two years since the Brewers Hill sign stopped functioning. The new LED version still blinks and can now change colors to mark events like Pride Month or the Ravens in the playoffs.
Natty Boh glows again over Baltimore more than two years after the Brewers Hill sign stopped functioning. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner)
The wreckage of the Key Bridge collapse, with the Domino Sugar factory in the foreground, is seen from the Baltimore World Trade Center on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
The wreckage of the Key Bridge collapse, seen behind the Domino Sugar factory in April. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
Longtime school custodian Louis Watkins wipes back a tear as his 51-years of service is honored with the renaming of the cafeteria and gym at Lothian Elementary School to Watkins Cafe and Watkins Court.
Dozens of current and former colleagues, friends and family, as well as the students, joined a celebration to honor Lothian Elementary School custodian Louis Watkins for his 51 years of service. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore's annual Día de los Muertos parade and festival began at Patterson Park and ended at The Creative Alliance on November 2, 2024. Día de los Muertos is a holiday that celebrates loved ones and ancestors who have passed.
Baltimore’s annual Día de los Muertos parade and festival at Patterson Park. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Dancers perform at the Frederick Hispanic Heritage Festival in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, October 5, 2024.
Dancers perform at the Frederick Hispanic Heritage Festival in October. (Jill Fannon Prevas for The Baltimore Banner)
Celeste Amato and Steve Strickland, who work in Mayor Brandon Scott's administration, outside of Baltimore’s City Hall after getting married on Nov. 9, 2024.
Celeste Amato and Steve Stricklin, who met and fell in love while working for city government, outside of Baltimore’s City Hall after getting married there in November. (KT Kanazawich for The Baltimore Banner)
Minnie Styles celebrated her 102nd birthday alongside four other centenarians at FutureCare Lochearn. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Reverend Martin Demek prepares for the second to last Sunday mass at the Corpus Cristi church in Baltimore, MD on Nov. 17, 2024. The church is set to close by Dec. 1, 2024.
Father Martin Demek prepares for the second-to-last Sunday Mass at the Corpus Christi Church in Baltimore in November. (KT Kanazawich for The Baltimore Banner)
Several dozen people lined the Prettyboy Reservoir Dam as the aurora borealis lit up the sky Thursday night.
In October, several dozen people lined the Prettyboy Reservoir Dam as the aurora borealis lit up the sky. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner)
Orioles infielder Tyler Nevin signs a baseball for a young fan after the O’s won a Grapefruit League game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in February. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Robert Hardy, star of Marty and the Hands That Could, sits backstage at Arena Players Incorporated, where the play is being shown, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 in Baltimore, MD. Arena Players Incorporated is the theater where Hardy took his first steps into acting before moving to Los Angeles.
Robert Hardy, star of the play “Marty and the Hands That Could,” at Arena Players Incorporated, the theater where he took his first steps into acting before moving to Los Angeles. (Wesley Lapointe for the Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) walks off the field after he and the team lost their home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers walks off the field after the team lost its home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders in September. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
A portion of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after it was struck by a large container ship early Tuesday morning, March 26, 2024, sending several vehicles and people into the frigid water below.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River after a cargo ship leaving the Port of Baltimore struck a key support holding up the bridge in March, killing six people. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
Larry Desantis poses for a portrait inside of his workplace, Herman's Bakery, in Dundalk on March 26, 2024.
Baker Larry Desantis was one of the last drivers to make it across the Francis Scott Key Bridge before it collapsed behind him. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
Joe and Judy Hearn chat with water tester Ohannes Sivaslian at one of their rental properties across from the Perdue Agribusiness plant in Salisbury, MD on Oct. 24, 2024.
The Perdue Agribusiness plant is a highly visible part of the landscape in Salisbury. Community members are grappling with the discovery of PFAS “forever chemicals” in the groundwater surrounding Perdue’s soybean processing plant. (KT Kanazawich for The Baltimore Banner)
Before his final Sunday service on August 25, 2024, John Heizer sits at the organ he has played for 50 years at Zion Lutheran Church
John Heizer played the Sunday service at the historic Zion Church of the City of Baltimore for the last time, taking his seat at the pipe organ on the upper level of the sanctuary, a perch he occupied for 50 years. (Katie Simbala for The Baltimore Banner)
A fire at Camp Small Baltimore's Woodberry neighborhood, near I-83.
In December, tall stacks of lumber acted as fuel for a wind-driven fire unlike any the Baltimore fire chief had ever seen in the city’s Woodberry neighborhood. The large fire was centered at Camp Small, where the city recycles felled trees into lumber products, near where southbound Interstate 83 exits onto West Cold Spring Lane. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner)
Johns Hopkins students and protestors held a "die-in" on the steps of Gilman Hall on May 11, 2024.
Johns Hopkins University students and protestors held a “die-in” on the steps of Gilman Hall in May. Pro-Palestinian protesters camped out for nearly two weeks, demanding the school cut ties with the Department of Defense, which awards billions to a Hopkins research lab. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Matt Levin, a pro-Israel demonstrator, shouts at pro-Palestine demonstrators outside the George Howard government building in Ellicott City in February. The Howard County Council voted no to a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, 3-1, with one member absent. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Ramona Setherley brings flowers to the rowhome where her son, Bruce Setherley, was discovered deceased from an overdose in Baltimore on February 15, 2024.
Ramona Setherley brings flowers to the rowhome where her son, Bruce, was discovered dead from an overdose in Baltimore. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
Mariela Hernandez, wife of Alejandro Hernandez and aunt of Daniel Hernandez, stands on the waterfront in Essex, MD on September 20, 2024
Mariela Hernandez’s husband, Alejandro, was the foreman of the construction crew filling potholes on the Key Bridge on March 26. She remembers the last kiss from her him as he left for his job that day. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
BCPS 2024 Teacher of the Year, Stephanie Gerhold, embraces a student while hanging posters with students' multiple languages spoken at Woodlawn Middle School on 4/26/2024 in Gwynn Oak, MD.
Stephanie Gerhold, right, who teaches multilingual learners at Woodlawn Middle School, was chosen as Baltimore County’s Teacher of the Year out of 171 nominees. (Eric Thompson for The Baltimore Banner)
Canton resident Marie Aponte set up a hammock in Patterson Park to view the eclipse on April 8, 2024, in Baltimore, Md.
Canton resident Marie Aponte set up a hammock in Patterson Park to view the eclipse in April. (Eric Thompson for The Baltimore Banner)
Distance swimmer Katie Pumphrey completed a historical swim in which she swam 24 miles from Sandy Point State Park at the foot of the Bay Bridge to Baltimore's Inner Harbor on June 25, 2024. The swim took her about thirteen hours, non-stop, minus a few hydration and nourishment breaks. Pumphrey had two support boats, a support swimmer and a support kayak with her on her journey.
In June, distance swimmer Katie Pumphrey completed a historic swim of more than 24 miles from Sandy Point State Park near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Harborplace Amphitheater at the Inner Harbor. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
A family plays with sparklers atop Federal Hill Park before fireworks begin over the Inner Harbor on Thursday, July 4, 2024 in Baltimore, MD.
A family plays with sparklers atop Federal Hill Park before fireworks begin over the Inner Harbor in July. (Wesley Lapointe for The Baltimore Banner)
JoAnn Dowery thanks a longtime mail customer for the “thank you” during the final mail route of her 32-year career with the US Postal Service, in the Ten Hills neighborhood on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Baltimore, MD.
JoAnn Dowery thanks a longtime mail customer in the Ten Hills neighborhood during the final mail route of her over 30-year career with the U.S. Postal Service. (Wesley Lapointe for The Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott celebrates with his family after winning the Democratic primary for mayor in Baltimore, Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott celebrates with his family after winning the Democratic primary for mayor in May. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
Angela Alsobrooks speaks following her senate seat win at her election night event held in College Park, MD on November 5th, 2024. .
Angela Alsobrooks, joined onstage by her daughter, Alex, makes history as Maryland’s first Black senator in November. (Eric Thompson for The Baltimore Banner)
Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy gets a kiss from his 2-year-old daughter, Giamanna, before the Ravens host the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner)
A Ruby-crowned kinglet chases an insect during a birding trip to Hart-Miller Island with the Maryland Environmental Service. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (43) celebrates with tight end Mark Andrews (89) after catching a touchdown pass in a game against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday, September 29, 2024.
Ravens running back Justice Hill celebrates with tight end Mark Andrews after catching a touchdown pass in a game against the Bills. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta walks a rescue dog down the runway at Pawject Runway, an annual adoption event, fundraiser and pet fashion show hosted by Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), at CFG Bank Arena on Thursday, April 4, 2024 in Baltimore, MD.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta walks a rescue dog down the runway during the 10th annual Pawject Runway, an adoption event, fundraiser and pet fashion show hosted by Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter. (Wesley Lapointe for The Baltimore Banner)
Aave Blue performs in the VIP car during B&O Railroad Museum’s Ridin’ the Rails: Pride Train and Party on June 15, 2024.
Aave Blue performs in the VIP car during B&O Railroad Museum’s Ridin’ the Rails: Pride Train and Party in June. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) races the ball to second base while sliding in the third game of a series against the San Francisco Giants at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Thursday, September 19, 2024.
Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson races the ball to second base in a game against the San Francisco Giants at Camden Yards. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Former Gov. Larry Hogan walks off stage after giving his concession speech after losing U.S. senate seat at during his Election Night Victory Party held at The Graduate in Annapolis, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Former Gov. Larry Hogan walks offstage after losing a race for Senate against Angela Alsobrooks. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Yvandy Rigby (57) slides through a water drill during the team’s training camp practice at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.
Ravens linebacker Yvandy Rigby slides through a water drill during the team’s training camp in Owings Mills. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
A Baltimore Ravens cheerleader soars through the air during a sideline routine in a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on August 17, 2024.
A Ravens cheerleader soars through the air during a sideline routine in a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons at M&T Bank Stadium. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cade Povich bounces a ball against the wall during the team’s spring training session at Ed Smith Stadium on February 23, 2024.
Orioles pitcher Cade Povich bounces a ball against the wall during spring training in February. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Attendees at the All Things Go music festival pack up their muddy blankets and depart Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.
The dark, rainy weather didn’t deter the crowds who flocked to the All Things Go Music Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion in September. (Heather Diehl for The Baltimore Banner)
John Brown III, a College Park legend who also chaired the Maryland Stadium Authority, died at the age of 77. Brown could often be found sitting in the corner of the bar, especially during happy hour, drinking a glass of wine. His favorite seat was right below a street sign hung on the wall: John Brown Road.
John Brown III, a College Park legend who also chaired the Maryland Stadium Authority, died at 77. Brown could often be found sitting in the corner of the bar, especially during happy hour, drinking a glass of wine. His favorite seat was right below a street sign hung on the wall: John Brown Road. (Justin T. Gellerson for The Baltimore Banner)
Eric Lovelace, 6, blows up a balloon to leave at the vigil site for Breaunna Cormley, 12.
Eric Lovelace, 6, blows up a balloon to honor Breaunna Cormley, 12, who was shot and killed in July. More than 50 community members held a vigil to honor Cormley’s life — and prevent anything like this tragedy from happening again. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 5, 2024: Kindergarten students pay attention to their teacher during an English Language Arts class in KIPP Baltimore on December 5, 2024.
KIPP Harmony Academy teacher Avonshae Rounds uses a practice called culturally responsive teaching to engage her kindergarteners. Maryland officials say that teaching method isn't being used enough across the state. (Rosem Morton for The Baltimore Banner)
Roxanne Pattillo stands outside St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church on Sunday, June 16, 2024 in Baltimore, MD.
Roxanne Pattillo outside St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Baltimore. St. Gregory is among nearly a dozen predominantly Black churches set to close under an Archdiocese of Baltimore reorganization plan. (Wesley Lapointe for The Baltimore Banner)
Guest sing with the choir during mass at St. Ann’s Church, in Baltimore, Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Guests sing with the choir during the final regular Mass at St. Ann’s Church in November. St. Ann’s is one of several predominantly Black Catholic parishes in Baltimore that is closing and being folded into others. (Jessica Gallagher/The Baltimore Banner)
Seize The Grey, ridden by jockey Jaime Torres, wins the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 18, 2024.
Seize the Grey, ridden by jockey Jaime Torres, wins the 149th Preakness Stakes in May. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)
Tiffany G., 36, known as "Dolly", was a sixth grader attending Greater Grace Christian Academy in the late 1990s when she was first abused. She got a tattoo of Greater Grace Church in flames, a visual symbol of the metaphor “Burn it all down," on June 27, 2024. Artist Crystal, known as "McStapleface, tattooed the piece in about three hours. Tiffany said, through gritted teeth while Crystal worked on her side, a tender spot for tattoos, "This is is my choice. I chose to do this. I didn't choose the other shit."
Tiffany G. was a sixth grader attending Greater Grace Christian Academy in the late 1990s when she was first abused. She got a tattoo of Greater Grace Church in flames, a visual symbol of the metaphor “burn it all down.” (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Jaina Yau smiles up at her dad, Donny Yau, as her grandfather, Benny, helps her keep time with the cymbals to Eric Lam’s beat at US Jow Ga Martial Arts in Columbia, Md. on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
From left, Donny Yau, his daughters Mara Jade and Jaina, Benny Yau and Eric Lam practice music at USJGMA in Columbia. The art of lion dancing bonded three generations of Chinese American families. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
A Union member with the International Longshoremen’s Association and Local 333 leads chants outside the Dundalk Marine Terminal during a strike on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 in Baltimore, MD. Chants included, “What are we gonna do? Shut it down!” And “We want our money!”
Union members with the International Longshoremen’s Association and Local 333 went on strike outside the Dundalk Marine Terminal in October to fight the automation of port work and low wages. (Wesley Lapointe for The Baltimore Banner)
Angie Shaneyfelt stands on her porch in Curtis Bay on July 31, 2024.
Polluting industries have punctuated the Curtis Bay area for over a century. Coal dust is just one of the many pollutants in the air. Angie Shaneyfelt and her two daughters have developed asthma over the years living in Curtis Bay. (Ronica Edwards/The Baltimore Banner)
11/4/2024, Baltimore, Maryland — Royal Jackson, 4, watches people gathered outside Hope Village during the opening ceremony in East Baltimore, Md. on Nov. 4, 2024.
Royal Jackson, 4, watches people gathered outside Hope Village, a community of tiny houses in East Baltimore for unhoused families, during the opening ceremony. (Gabriella Demczuk for The Baltimore Banner)