The end of the year is a time of reflection, looking back at the highlights from the last year. The visual journalists of Postmedia Calgary took a look back at the most memorable photographs of 2021! From iconic Calgary locations to the most memorable moments of 2021, Postmedia has selected a handful of images that best reflect Calgary over this last year.
“The image of the Calgary Tower being reflected in raindrops was literally years in the making. Many times, I’d attempted to shoot similar photos from different angles, locations and weather conditions in Calgary, but on one day this October it all lined up. I circled the block a number of times, looking for a parking spot and hoping the drops wouldn’t roll off each time I rounded a corner or hit a pothole underneath the 1st Street S.W. underpass. I finally maneuvered my car into a vacant parking spot on 10th Avenue S.W. Then I found a great angle, framed the image, shooting up to the base of the tower with the seat of my car flat. I’m sure it was funny to watch as I wriggled behind the steering wheel. The final image required a fair bit of cropping and depth of field because I had misplaced my old macro lens (I found it about three weeks later). One photo was off the bucket list. Jim Wells/Postmedia Jim Wells/Postmedia”
“From Gavin Young: The upside down church sculpture officially called “Device to Root Out Evil” is a unique piece of art in Calgary’s East Village. Because of its location though, surrounded by buildings, I have found it tricky to photograph in the past. But a low angle winter sun worked for this photo on Thursday, January 21, 2021. Gavin Young/Postmedia”
“From Gavin Young: Driving through downtown on a quiet Saturday in January my eye caught a flash of colour under the iconic Hudson’s Bay Company store arches. First Nations dancer Kyle Young Pine was having his photograph taken by Devin Featherstone making for this beautiful scene. Gavin Young/Postmedia Gavin Young/Postmedia”
“From Jim Wells: While this image isn’t necessarily grand, it was memorable; it was taken after six months off from shooting regularly and working from home. For six months, during the height of COVID-19, I learned some new skills, edited video and assisted our photo team from my home office. My first assignment came when I was sent to document campers descending on K-Country for the snowy May long weekend festivities. While taking the seemingly simple images, my hands shook as I fumbled to find the buttons on my Canon cameras. After 30-plus years of documenting everything — war zones, massive weather events, tornado aftermath, earthquakes, political leaders, kings, queens, princes and princesses, life and death, sporting events and everyday images — I struggled to use the tools which should be second nature. My hands didn’t shake as I cut the umbilical cord at my son’s birth. But now, my confidence was shaky for a moment for various personal reasons. However, I took the time to chat with a couple of families, had a hot dog cooked over an open fire and enjoyed a root beer — life was good. Jim Wells/Postmedia Jim Wells”
“From Al Charest: When looking back at what might be my favourite photos for 2021, it could easily be anything I photographed during this year’s Calgary Stampede. Stampede was the first time since the start of the COVID pandemic that life started feeling normal, as this was the first major event allowed to occur since the start of COVID in Calgary, and also one of the first large events to proceed in Canada. In this photo, a horse called Distilled Whiskey lets Florida cowboy Parker Kempfer know who is the boss in the saddle bronc event at the Calgary Stampede rodeo on Monday, July 12, 2021. Al Charest / Postmedia”
“There are very few things in life better than loading up the skis and leaving the hectic world of the city to go play in the Rockies, for me, there is one thing, taking pictures of people enjoying the beautiful outdoors, in this photo a skier enjoys the sunset over the mountains from the Grizzly Express Gondola at Lake Louise ski resort on Thursday, January 14, 2021. Al Charest / Postmedia PHOTO BY AL CHAREST /Al Charest / Postmedia”
“From Brendan Miller: Shocking news from Kamloops sent waves of sadness and disbelief across the nation after the remains of 215 children were found buried at a former residential school. Dianna Bernal, who attended a residential school in B.C. as a child, is pictured here during an emotional moment at a vigil and of children’s shoes outside Calgary’s City Hall. I had the opportunity to speak with Bernal for several minutes about her experiences growing up. I will never forget the horrible treatment she described and the inhumane things that she and her classmates endured. Brendan Miller/Postmedia”
“From Brendan Miller: February was cold — cold even for Canadians. For more than a week, temperatures dipped down to around -30 C and that was without the windchill. It was so cold that a heavy fog was lifting from the Bow River, while my eyelids began to freeze shut while snapping a couple frames of the city skyline. Although I could only stand the cold for minutes at a time, I had a blast taking these winter photos on Feb. 7, 2021. Brendan Miller/Postmedia”
“From Azin Ghaffari: Close to 10 p.m. on Calgary’s civic election night (Oct. 18, 2021), the results were in and Jyoti Gondek was Calgary’s mayor-elect. Excited and proud, she took a peek inside the room to look at her family giving celebratory speeches while members of the media and her campaign staff wait for her entrance. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia”
“From Azin Ghaffari: It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, so I spent most of my day with Fish and Wildlife officers and first responders as they removed two moose from a Calgary southwest community. It was interesting to watch the two young moose walk among the houses and see the look on people’s faces when they saw the two majestic animals in their neighbourhood. The moose were later safely tranquilized and moved into the wild. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia”
“From Darren Makowichuk: Here, Mike Fred from Hoyt, Kansas, is bucked off while riding Mayhem in the bareback event on Day 7 of the 2021 Calgary Stampede Rodeo in Calgary on Thursday, July 15, 2021. The photo was memorable because it’s a reminder that a version of Stampede was able to occur in 2021 after being cancelled in 2020. Also noteworthy, cowboys had been getting better and better in the saddle each year, resulting in less dramatic “buck offs,” but after a year of no Stampede or other big rodeos occurring, the cowboys were a bit less practiced and that laid the groundwork for a significant “buck off” and standout photo. Thursday, July 15, 2021. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia”
“From Darren Makowichuk: Team Canada’s Blayre Turnbull shows her excitement, hugging goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens, after they beat Team USA in overtime during the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship Gold medal game at the WinSport arena in Calgary. The jump resulted in Turnbull hurting herself, breaking her leg, and she had to come back to the ice on a stretcher to receive her gold medal. I like this photo for the pure passion it displays as the Canadians beat their rivals once again to set up a classic Olympic rematch. Tuesday, August 31, 2021. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia”
To read the original post by the Calgary Herald, click here!
