In this edition of our annual feature, The Boston Globe’s staff photographers share the untold stories behind the most unforgettable images from 2023. And what a collection it is: The team takes you from daybreak atop Mount Washington to a special train of revelers headed to the Taylor Swift concert, from moments of joy and celebration to those of loss and crisis. In a series of photographs from the Lewiston area, Globe staff chronicle a community honoring loved ones killed in the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history — and coming together to take its first, difficult steps toward trying to heal.
Erin Clark/Globe Staff
1. OCTOBER 29 / Lewiston, Maine — In the days after the October 25 mass shooting that rocked the Lewiston community, I was in overdrive. I had not taken time to process, or even stop moving — to really comprehend the magnitude of what had taken place. That Sunday, a vigil was organized at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, with a projection screen set up outside for overflow. From the church steps, I watched as the crowd grew, and grew, and grew, spilling into the streets and the surrounding neighborhood. It was then that the absolute enormity of the tragedy hit me. -Erin Clark
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
2. FEBRUARY 9 / Mount Washington, New Hampshire — When I first arrived at the Mount Washington Observatory for a story about the people who work in this place of brutal winds and punishing cold, there was almost no visibility. But overnight, the skies cleared and, when I stepped outside at dawn the next morning, I could see my surroundings for the first time. It was the kind of beauty that provokes genuine awe. I felt like I was on another planet. -Jessica Rinaldi
3. FEBRUARY 28 / Uxbridge — I’d never seen such a contraption before — a shelter for the snow-blower operator? Makes total sense! As I’m out covering the snowstorm, I see this completely unexpected shape up ahead on the road. As a photographer, I have my own version of the rule of threes: an image holds the viewer’s eye when there are three essential elements in the composition. And here they were, offset by the pale, snowy background: the snow blower, the shelter, and the woman peering out, checking for traffic. -Suzanne Kreiter
4. FEBRUARY 20 / Boston — There’s just something about capturing historical figures within the present-day world that is incredibly entertaining for me. I normally like to keep other reporters as far out of my frame as possible to maintain the illusion of being a “fly on the wall,” but the juxtaposition between the journalist with her phone and the reenactor at the JFK library and museum’s Presidents’ Day Festival was just too good to pass up. -Erin Clark
Erin Clark/Globe Staff
5. MAY 19 / Somewhere on the commuter rail — I am by no means a Swiftie, but when I was offered the opportunity to ride the “Swiftie Train” to Gillette Stadium for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, I was all in. The train ride was oozing with excitement and glitter. I paced up and down the train aisles, constantly met with cheers and screams when passengers learned I was from The Boston Globe. I was blown away by the inclusiveness and warmth of the fans. They took me in as one of their own. -Erin Clark
6. SEPTEMBER 25 / Boston — Driving along Old Colony Avenue, I spotted a pedestrian with an umbrella who was passing by the brightly colored Prime Storage. This singular door, framed by the color blocks, was the perfect backdrop. But the umbrella person had already passed it, so I parked across from it and waited. And waited. The rain turned into a drizzle and there were no more umbrellas. I waited some more. This gentleman, looking like a fashion icon strutting on a runway, first entered from the right. Minutes later, he returned from the left. I was trying to show rain, so I photographed others. But this pastel guy was my favorite. -Pat Greenhouse
7. NOVEMBER 9 / Cambridge — I was supposed to be covering a protest at MIT, but I couldn’t find it. I saw the university’s Stata Center as I was searching, and thought I’d shoot a quick picture of it that we could use for some future story. Then I noticed a puddle across the street and knew the building would look cool with a doppelgänger reflection — I just had to wait for somebody to walk into the frame. –Lane Turner
8. AUGUST 15 / New York — Reporter Mike Damiano and I were in New York City to cover the influx of migrants arriving there when we came upon a young couple from Ecuador trying to navigate their way through Midtown to a shelter. It was a quick encounter, over in just a moment or two, but when I see this photo I am reminded of taking in all of Manhattan on that day, noticing the sights and sounds and chaos of the place and thinking about how overwhelming that might feel as a 19-year-old mother with a 7-month-old baby to care for. -Jessica Rinaldi
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
9. NOVEMBER 13 / Woburn — Stacey and her daughter had been living in hotels for 18 months when I met them. They’d applied for emergency shelter, but were denied because they were over the state’s income limit. They were evicted from one hotel and had moved into another they couldn’t pay for. The process to apply for emergency shelter in Massachusetts is overwhelming and Stacey, who asked that her last name be withheld for privacy, had been on the phone with a nonprofit caseworker guiding her through her second attempt. As she ended the call, she had a moment of despair looking at this seemingly insurmountable stack of forms. It was an image that got to the heart of columnist Yvonne Abraham’s story: how desperate a person’s situation had to get for them to qualify for emergency shelter. And how for some, the application was so daunting that it became its own hardship. -Jessica Rinaldi
10. OCTOBER 27 / Lisbon, Maine — As the sisters stood in the doorway of their home, SWAT teams were taking up sniper positions just across the street, where there had been a report of a gunshot fired. A mile away was the boat launch where Robert Card had abandoned his car after he shot and killed 18 people. Lisbon, Auburn, and Lewiston were put on lockdown as the manhunt continued. Stephanie Desrosier [left] told me that she and her sisters had been sleeping on the floor of their living room and did not go to school. I understood how they felt: Each time I chased the numerous reported sightings of the shooter, I felt vulnerable, exposed, and scared. -John Tlumacki
11. NOVEMBER 30 / Portland, Maine — As Globe photographers, we get to meet amazing people. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes through tragedy. Such is the case with the Robinson family. John and Jen are navigating autism with their son, Colin, who struggles with speech but finds focus and joy in bowling. Here, Colin practices with his dad at Bayside Bowl in Portland. On October 25, Jen took Colin to his practice at Just-in-Time Recreation in Lewiston. It became one of the sites of the state’s deadliest mass shooting, which claimed 18 lives at the bowling alley and at Schemengees. Jen and Colin managed to hide, but among those killed was Colin’s “Coach Bob.” His parents wonder if he understands. -Craig F. Walker
12. NOVEMBER 23 / Lewiston, Maine — I met Keith Tremblay and his 7-year-old daughter, Adaline, on Thanksgiving afternoon. He’d just finished making a pie to take to his family’s dinner. On the couch, Keith talked about being at Schemengees when a shooter opened fire, killing some of his friends and critically injuring others. When he brought up his mental health, Adaline entwined herself in his arms, looking up to reassure her dad that she’s there, that she loves him. I was so moved by their bond. And I was struck by the unfairness of how tragedy pushes children to grow up too fast. –Erin Clark
13. NOVEMBER 28 / Auburn, Maine — I am constantly humbled by the kindness and vulnerability people demonstrate when they allow me to see into their life, as Bethany Welch did. In the weeks following the killing of her stepfather, Joseph Walker, who was manager of Schemengees Bar & Grille, Bethany emphasized the importance of allowing his legacy to live on. When people look at this image of Bethany sitting in her parents’ bedroom, I hope they see the photo of Joe displayed on the wall and understand the impact he continues to have on his family’s lives. -Erin Clark
14. DECEMBER 14 / Storrs, Connecticut — Bethany Welch holds a framed photo of her stepfather, Joseph Walker, while waiting to receive her nursing degree at the University of Connecticut. The photo she holds was taken before a high school dance and shows Walker wearing a shirt that coordinated with her dress. Walker was killed in the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. Welch plans to become a trauma nurse. -Erin Clark
15. DECEMBER 9 / Foxborough — I honestly got lost as I was trying to navigate from the top of Gillette Stadium to the photo room at field level. As I looked for a path down one of the ramps, I could see the sea of Army cadets walking toward their seats so I ran down a few levels. I had been searching for nice light on a gray day and was excited to find some pockets on the concourse ramps. I like that this scene feels so quiet and removed from the noise and chaos of the Army-Navy football game. -Danielle Parhizkaran
16. MARCH 18 / Lowell — I am not a sports photographer — mostly because I don’t typically know what’s going on within the game — but I live for moments that happen on the sidelines. While attending the MIAA Division 3 boys’ basketball championship at Tsongas Center, I knew it was going to end with a scene of jubilation from the winning team, Archbishop Williams High School. When the game was in the final minute, I stationed myself between the court and the winning school’s student section because I knew the team would rush to their peers to celebrate. What I didn’t anticipate was the clearance player Julian Sustache would get when leaping over the chairs. -Erin Clark
17. NOVEMBER 5 / Foxborough — The New England Patriots have had trouble scoring this season, so I was happy to get a photograph of tight end Hunter Henry catching a second-quarter touchdown pass against the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium. The fact that he made such an acrobatic catch was the icing on the cake. –Barry Chin
18. MAY 16 / Boston — I was photographing the Boston City League track and field championships at White Stadium. I had just finished shooting the boys’ long jump when I heard the announcement that the girls’ 100-meter hurdles final was about to start. As I was hurriedly crossing the infield, the starter’s gun went off before I could get in position. When photographing sports, you have to be prepared for anything. I stopped, raised my longest lens, framed, focused, and shot. The runners were in a tight pack before Sophia Barros [far left] of Boston Latin Academy took the lead for good. The moment was over in seconds, but I had my photo. -Barry Chin
19. FEBRUARY 7 / Weston — It was a cold day at the Weston Ski Track, where I was covering the Mass Bay West league’s final Nordic ski meet of the season. The exhausted eventual winner in the women’s competition, Emily Appleby of Lincoln-Sudbury, came in first by a large margin. You could tell she’d given it her all. As a sports photographer, you’re always looking for peak action, but the best photos often come from the athletes’ own reactions. -Matthew J. Lee
20. DECEMBER 19, 2022 / Green Bay, Wisconsin — Jeff Kahlow, a.k.a. “Frozen Tundra Man,” cheers on the Packers at Lambeau Field. The photo was taken as part of a project published in July called “The Seven Wonders of the Sports World,” which includes the Packers’ home field, as well as Fenway Park and Churchill Downs. -Stan Grossfeld
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
21. MAY 25 / Lowell — Wildlife biologist David Paulson holds up a pool noodle to keep a mother peregrine falcon at bay while Chalis Bird, a MassWildlife biologist, retrieves two chicks from a nest on top of the Fox Hall dorm at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The peregrine falcon chicks were getting a health assessment and being fitted with ID bands so they can be tracked after leaving the nest. -Jessica Rinaldi
22. OCTOBER 17 / North Adams — This photo of a small stream burbling over the Bernard Farm Trail at the Mount Greylock State Reservation, carrying a fallen maple leaf with it, was taken for a fall foliage package. -Lane Turner
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
23. JANUARY 22 / Worcester — For Timket, the holiday also known as Ethiopian Epiphany, members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Worcester gather to pray through the night before they process to the basement of their church. There, everyone converges around a small inflated pool. A priest sprays the faithful with holy water as a way of renewing their baptismal vows. It was such a joyful scene, with peals of laughter from everyone as they got soaked with water — myself included. –Jessica Rinaldi
24. SEPTEMBER 13 / Boston — This was taken at a luncheon at the State House to honor 11 centenarians. It made me happy that these 100-year-olds still live with their families and are not forgotten in nursing homes. Although they were all given standing ovations and medallions and flowers, I was more interested in the love offered to Fung Ying Chin by her family before her big moment. Born in Dongguan, China, she has six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Her loved ones wanted to make sure her tiara was attached perfectly before she accepted her award. -Stan Grossfeld
25. AUGUST 16 / Graves Ledge, Boston Harbor — Reporter Emily Sweeney and I were invited to watch the installation of a refurbished Fresnel lens for Graves Light, a historic lighthouse on an island in Boston Harbor. The two men who had purchased the structure were walking past the lens while it was being finished. A camera was positioned inside the lens, but more interesting to me was the approach to the lighthouse top, which requires a climb up a ladder attached to the side. An interesting climb, but not for those afraid of heights. What caught my eye was the moment they happened to walk past the circular parts of the glass lens. Click. -David L. Ryan
26. NOVEMBER 22 / Boston — Members of the Boston Arts Academy’s Spirituals Ensemble, with music director Michael W. Bradley, enter the atrium of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. -Pat Greenhouse
27. APRIL 18 / Boston — The daughter of Desmond Joseph read a victim impact statement in Suffolk Superior Court during the sentencing of the man convicted of killing her father in 2015. What stood out the most to me when taking this photograph was just how young she was, and how much courage this child had to speak in open court while sitting on her mother’s lap. It’s not something I’d ever seen in covering trials. -Jonathan Wiggs
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
28. JULY 12 / Johnson, Vermont — I was covering the catastrophic flooding in Vermont, documenting as people whose homes had been inundated with water were cleaning up from the storm. The entire first floor of Jessica Anthony’s apartment had flooded and she and a friend were getting rid of everything that couldn’t be salvaged, tossing items out the window that were beyond redemption. It occurred to me that showing a single hand tossing away a couch cushion might be a way to represent all of the many Vermonters across the state who were in the same situation. -Jessica Rinaldi
29. November 20 / Boston — To illustrate the Globe’s investigation into the Carol Stuart shooting in 1989, I photographed a projection of a photo of Charles Stuart’s body being pulled from the water after State Police divers found him below the Tobin Bridge on Jan. 4, 1990. Stuart jumped off the bridge hours after his brother told Boston Police that Stuart had planned and executed the robbery and shooting of his pregnant wife, shot himself to cover it up, and blamed a Black man for the crime. -Erin Clark
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