Every month at the Eagle, member of the newsroom vote on what they think is the best photo by an Eagle photographer. At the end of the year, one of those twelve photos is selected as our photo of the year.
This year’s winner is Fernando Salazar for his stunning photo of Derrick Thomas covering the eyes of his little brother, Didiontae Henderson, while they walk past the scene of a fatal car crash outside of Gardiner Elementary.
The 12 photos were judged by members of the McClatchy’s Washington Bureau. Photo editor George Bridges has this to say about Fernando’s photo: “This image takes a different view of reporting on a ’standard’ newspaper scene, the tragic accident. Instead of seeing the wreckage or the victims, we see a tender moment as a boy steps up protect his little brother by covering his eyes. The expression on the face of the girl behind them gives an idea of the horror he is trying to prevent his brother from seeing.”