Eric's top photos of 2014 - Austin Daily Herald

Eric’s top photos of 2014

Published 11:30 am Friday, January 2, 2015

Erin Dankert helped kick off a story in Austin Living’s July-August edition on summer outfits, helping give the spread a magical appearance.

The past year made for a fun year shooting photos for the Herald.

Thanks to both the newspaper and our magazine, Austin Living, a variety of images were made available to me from breaking news to sports and fashion spreads.

Without necessarily a rank of any kind, these are my top photos taken in 2014. The best a photographer can hope for is that you enjoyed them as well.

: This was one of the more gripping photos from the year as members of Austin’s Special Incident Response Team carried a 9-year-old child away from the scene of a standoff in January. It was the cap of a harrowing experience that stretched from earlier in the morning and throughout the day.

: Austin captain Josh Bretner, right, and assistant captain Jay Dickman hold up the NAHL championship trophy after the Bruins defeated Bismarck in game five of the Central Division finals. It had been a long time coming for the Bruins, having had previous seasons end to Bismack, so when the win came it was going to be a huge celebration. The ride didn’t end there though, as the Bruins would make their way all the way to the Robertson Cup finals, where they lost to Fairbanks, Alaska, in two games.

: Erin Dankert helped kick off a story in Austin Living’s July-August edition on summer outfits, helping give the spread a magical appearance.

: Nate Kohnke, of Lyle, jumps into the sunset during the Pro heats of the Motokazie show at this year’s Mower County Fair. I spent much of my time at this year’s races trying to get this shot and was convinced I had failed. In short, it’s nice to be pleasantly surprised.

: Raul Guerrero of Mariachi Nuevo de Las Vegas plays for students during the group’s visit to Neveln Elementary. These musicians were a blast both to shoot and to watch, especially their interactions with the students.

: Mattress Monkey won this go as the bull unseats Wayne Johnston who lands face-first into the dirt during the Great Frontier Bull Riding show at the grandstands of the Mower County Fair. Simply put, the only explanation this photo really needs is bull 1, rider 0.

: James Backen claps along with Jon Stowell’s set during Music at the Bank. Bracken performed after Stowell and then the two performed a set together.

: Slava Kritzer, left, and William Kahle ride in a clearing behind Riverland Community College’s west building in October. I loved the way the light fell in conjunction with everything else. But it would also prove to be a bittersweet shot for me. Just a few days after this was shot, Dr. Dick Schindler, a man I had the privilege to know and work with on occasion, died in a bike accident just down the hill from here. He was instrumental in getting the bike team off the ground.

: Slava Kritzer, left, and William Kahle ride in a clearing behind Riverland Community College’s west building Tuesday. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

: Elliana Leopold smiles for her picture while sitting with her mother Mandy. Her father Tyler, background, talked about a basketball fundraiser basketball game between Austin and Heron Lake-Okebena, Tyler’s high school for Elliana who is coping with cancer. Everybody hopes for a smiling, happy child in a photo, but Elliana was having it for the longest time. After some time of sitting and talking with her parents Elliana began flashing grins, which eventually broke out in this full fledged smile along with one word — “Camera.” Completely worth the wait.

: Austin Police officer Ryan Leif and CSO Ernesto Cantu rushed a dog rescued from a house fire in August to a waiting vehicle to take him to the vet. In the midst of a tragedy law enforcement and firefighters came together to rush the pooch to the veterinarian proving that all life is worth the effort of saving. The great part of this story is what police and firefighters told me later. The dog was not only up and walking around, it was actually brought back to the house where it was reunited with the owner. One of the best stories I had the opportunity to be a part of during this past year.