The full spectrum of human emotion is represented in the Magazine this week. In our first “Year in Pictures” issue, Tribune photographers tell the story of 2003: the sorrow and ecstasy, the disappointment and jubilation–and all the other feelings a vivid image can summon.
It’s hard to believe that just one year ago, hopes were pinned on the Columbia space shuttle, there was dancing at E2, and there was no war in Iraq. And the Cubs season was beyond imagination.
Tribune photographers–all 35 of them–saw the year unfold through their camera lenses, and the Magazine’s picture editor, Mike Zajakowski, along with art directors Joe Darrow and David Syrek, marveled at the range of photography from which we chose the images that appear in these pages.
“[Fellow picture editor] Meg Theno and I had a daunting assignment,” said Mike. “This is the third time I’ve edited a ‘Year in Pictures’ section, and every time I’ve felt the job couldn’t be more difficult–or more fun. As the editing progressed, we defended some photos like prized possessions.”
Tribune senior correspondent Charles Leroux looked at hundreds of photos and helped select them in a way that reflected the trajectory of 2003. In his distinguished career, Charles has written about everything from America’s largest ball of twine to the neighborhood that regularly leads the city in number of homicides.
Behind every photograph, there’s a story of how it came to be, and Charles captures that drama in a way that enriches the power of each image. “I relearned how much I love news photography and how I envy–as a writer–their instant, visceral punch,” says Charles. “Looking through these photos seemed to refresh emotions that had cooled since they happened.”
As you anticipate 2004, we hope that you take a backward glance, before new images of a year we cannot yet imagine are captured with a simple “click.”