The Rivard Report's 2018 in Photographs. Credit: Composite / Bonnie Arbittier and Scott Ball / San Antonio Report
In the age of digital media and social networking (I’m looking at you, Instagram) it’s rare for the average encounter with a photograph to last more than three to five seconds.
Every year I sit down and spend hours looking at every photograph the Rivard Report published. Composition, framing, complementary colors – all the technical stuff is important, but the most vital component of each photograph is time and the feeling that comes after the dust has settled.
What kind of impression does a single photograph make on you the day it was taken? Now hide that same photograph in a drawer for a year and look at it again. We take images to record a certain place and time, but underneath all of the recordkeeping lives an ever-changing story of a specific moment.
In 2019, I challenge you, our readers, to spend more time with the photographs that surround you. In a world full of fleeting moments, try to embrace the ones you have, keep them in a safe place, and return to them often.
January
During the MLK March a participant walks with a framed portrait of the Obama family.
(From left) Janeli Saucedo-Castrejana; Octavius, 5; Maximus, 4; Jacob Castrejana; and Ezri, 2, sit for a family portrait.
Daryl Davis sits next to his MLK Jr. Commission poster awarded to him by DreamVoice and the MLK Jr. Commission during DreamWeek.
(From left) Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, and Kathleen Weir Vale, the new chairwoman of the Symphony Society of San Antonio, greet one another before the second of two Tricentennial concerts.
Bexar County Sheriff Deputies who work with community relations stand in the back of the room during a community training session in January.
District Attorney Nico LaHood speaks during a press conference.
A man sweeps the inside of the Estela Avery Education Center before the opening of Confluence Park.
Councilman Greg Brockhouse (D6) (center) stands with Anwar Tahir, President of the Association of Convenience Store Retailers, (left) and Paul Hardin, President of the Texas Food & Fuel Association, to protest the Tobacco 21 Ordinance in front of City Hall on January 10.
Natasha Bakunda sits with her dog on the front port of her home in Dignowity HIll.
February
Glenn Ligon, America, 2008 on display at the McNay Art Museum.
Melanie Brooks runs her hand across a grave of one of her ancestors, now at rest in the Griffin family cemetery in a neighborhood off of Thousand Oaks Road.
(From right) Felecia DeBravo and her son Braxton, 2, visited Express ER last month after Braxton sprained his ankle after jumping off a bed.
Ethan Bryant is one of three players 16 or younger on an independent USL team roster.
State Sen. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) and his wife Lleanna leave the federal courthouse following his verdict of guilty of all counts.
Everett Fly
Firefighters union President Chris Steele (right) records the press conference held by Mayor Ron Nirenberg (left).
Domingo Gutierrez visits the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church regularly for prayer.
Retired Assistant Fire Chief Joe Candelario (right) signs a petition held by retired Lt. Bert Kuykendall at Lion’s Field.
March
Rigoberto Luna installs the decals on the doors of the new Tricentennial merchandise shop at Centro de Artes.
Mike Flores hugs friends and family before hearing that he will take over as Alamo Colleges chancellor on Oct. 1.
Bats leave Bracken Cave for the evening to hunt for food during the night.
Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood concedes in the race against local defense attorney Joe Gonzales.
Pre-K student Tristan, 4, lays on the ground during the student “die in” at the Alamo following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg asks the San Antonio Professional Fire Fighters Union to begin contract negotiations with the City.
A great egret flies to its nest at Brackenridge Park along the San Antonio River.
Joann McFadden cries while speaking about the memory of her child Kenne McFadden at a rally at Crockett Park to protest a ruling made in McFadden’s case.
Bexar County Judge Tom Rickhoff discusses his issues with Plethora.
Shelley Potter, president of San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, protests ahead of SAISD’s vote to turn Stewart Elementary into a charter school ran by Democracy Prep.
(From left) Nicholas Cobb, Garret Rigdon, and Ken Ellis react to the Chicago Loyola University and Michigan University game during the 2018 NCAA Final Four.
April
Duchess of Treasured Textiles Gwendolyn Elizabeth McGee, of Riverside, Connecticut, waits to be announced.
Villanova University players celebrate their victory in the 2018 Men’s Final Four title game.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to a crowd of people at a campaign stop Tuesday afternoon at La Hacienda Scenic Loop.
(From left) David Rohwer, Derek Smith, and Rick Rodriguez Jr. prepare to march through Olmos Park.
Mike Marsh, an amputee, prepares to return a tennis ball during a practice.
San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association President Chris Steele and union members deliver petitions to City Hall.
Weston Urban CEO Randy Smith gazes at the future entryway to Frost Tower.
A police officer performs a wheelie before the Battle of Flowers parade officially begins.
Maureen Galindo raises her hand to express her concerns with the future of Towne Center and her family.
Escaramuza’s prepare to perform during an Old Day in Mexico.
A man from the Navy Medicine Training Support Center thanks Fred Navarro (right) for his service in the military.
May
Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller lights local businesswoman and philanthropist Rosemary Kowalski’s candle during the vigil on Commemorative Week’s Day of Reflection.
David Jones, eighth-grade student, stands inside the hydroponic shipping container at IDEA Public Schools’ Eastside campus.
The original documents that founded the city of San Antonio on loan from the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.
Health Careers High School students (from left) Chloe Kiniry, Audra Blazicko, and Aaron Mayfield, all accepted the United States Air Force Academy, sit for a portrait.
Visitors at Alamo Plaza stop at the cenotaph honoring fallen soldiers.
Jessica Jones prepares her makeup for a dress rehearsal of La Bohème.
Attendees place notes in Scott Deem’s memory next to his photograph in Alamo Plaza.
Arthur Maspero, now a retired striper, spends his days on his family land nearby Mission Espada.
Brian recalls his history with opioid addiction at Hope House Ministries.
Interfaith leaders gather on stage at the rally to support the “Families Belong Together” movement.
June
Immigrants found in a trailer form a line to move to a transportation vehicle.
A young boy peeks behind him between adults’ legs as the Maghreb prayer takes place.
(From left) Pedro Baussou, founder and owner of Agüita Cerveza Artesanal, Shiner Brewmaster Jimmy Mauric, and Enrique Arocas, founder and owner of Agüita Cerveza Artesanal, share a laugh while talking about their beer collaboration between Shiner and the Canary Islands: Las Canarias Rubia.
San Antonio River Authority employees work to clean litter and debris from San Pedro Creek Culture Park.
Wildlands Firefighter Jeff Gosling looks over the large swath of land engulfed in flames.
Attendees hold signs supporting Ted Cruz.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg and his wife Erika Prosper Nirenberg holds hands after greeting the crowd.
The King and Queen of Spain walk through the grounds of Mission San José.
Flamenco dancers perform their first number as night falls on the Pearl.
Prayers and moments of silence were held in Main Plaza as hundreds gathered for a vigil in honor of families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Construction workers inspect progress on the rainbow-colored crosswalk at North Main Avenue and West Evergreen Street.
Brendan Gibbons floats down the San Antonio River at Saspamco.
(From left) Catalina, 9, and Jessica Camacho organize the fireworks on the shelves.
SAISD child nutrition managers and supervisors create a buffet with the prepared food.
Members of the Society of Native Nations stand behind the stage after praying for the separated families.
July
Teena Larson and her dog Hershey arrive at the Oak Park-Northwood Fourth of July parade.
A young girl runs through shallow water at San Pedro Creek Culture Park before Sunset in July.
Attendees hold signs protesting the relocation of the Cenotaph uring a public input session on the Alamo master plan.
Rey Salazar with his son Rey, one year, and his niece Annabella 7, plays in the water at Woodlawn Lake Pool.
Debra Clay, a recipient of a home remodel by local nonprofit Blueprint Ministries.
Protesters hold signs outside of St. Anne Catholic Church during a C.O.P.S / Metro press conference.
Brieanna, 9, enjoys the swimming pool at Inner City Development.
U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (R-El Paso) stands on a chair as he gives a speech at a LGBTQ+ town hall at Casa Azul de Andrea.
August
Volunteers and attendees at the Beto O’Rourke town hall watch the congressman’s speech.
Local musician Garrett T. Capps
Patrons sit at the Rathskeller Bar in the Hermann Sons Life Home Association Building.
Porter Loring Mortuaries President Helen Loring Dear carries a photograph of Tom Frost at his funeral.
Patricia Frost (center) is escorted by Porter Loring Mortuaries President Helen Loring Dear (left), and her son Thomas Frost III (right) toward Rev. Patrick Gahan following the memorial ceremony for Tom Frost.
Carvajal Early Childhood Education Center teacher Andrea Greimel tests her children on their ability to identify letters.
A KUKA iiwa robot in the Collaborative Robotics Laboratory at Southwest Research Institute.
September
A woman waves a Texas flag next to the cenotaph during a protest of the proposed Alamo master plan which involves moving the monument.
Brittany “Brimo” Morales walks dogs through their neighborhood using the Wag! app.
Sarah Strunk explains the rock art on her family’s Hudspeth River Ranch in Val Verde County.
Two cyclists ride down Main Avenue.
Wind turbines are part of the Akuo Energy wind farm in Rocksprings, Texas.
Members of the Bexar County Democratic Party hold signs in favor of props A, B, and C.
The Calaveras Power Plant.
Cyclists enjoy a car-free Broadway Street during Síclovía.
October
Mayor Ron Nirenberg and supporters of the Go Vote No campaign call on citizens to vote down the proposed charter amendments in October 2018.
Lionel Sosa.
Attorney David Van Os responds to reporters’ questions directed at Chris Steele during a press conference at the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association headquarters.
Roberto Gonzalez, superintendent for contractor DN Tanks, stands in front of a 10-million-gallon water storage tank, part of the San Antonio Water System’s Agua Vista Station. The site will be the end point of the Vista Ridge pipeline.
(From left) Beth Griffith and Jane, 9, choose trees for their home at a Parks and Recreation Department tree adoption event at Phil Hardberger Park.
Neil Peterson stands over one of his handmade acoustic guitars in his Bandera wood shop.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg exits Alamo Hall moments after signing the resolution in support of the proposed Alamo redevelopment plan.
Louis Vega Treviño is the artist behind a special version of Restored by Light at Mission San Juan.
United States Senator Ted Cruz engages his supporters following a debate against opponent Beto O’Rourke on Oct. 16, 2018.
Riders pass the Alamo in a qualifying heat during the Red Bull Last Stand series.
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and his wife Tracy Wolff.
Drake White poses for a photo with a monarch butterfly during the 2018 Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival held at the Pearl.
Seniors from KIPP University Preparatory High School, a KIPP Texas Public School, go to a local post office to mail their first batch of college applications, then to the Bexar County Election Office to participate in early voting.
A girl carries a flag from Congo through the crowd at Colonies North Elementary School.
Beto O’Rourke leads a rally at Gilbert Garza Park.
November
Candidate for Texas Senate District 25, Steven Kling, hugs his son during a watch party with Joseph Kopser. Kling failed to gain a seat from incumbent Donna Campbell.
Murals are painted for the San Antonio Street Art Initiative underneath Interstate 35.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Councilwoman Ana Sandoval (D7) watch as results in approval of proposition C continue to rise on election night.
Lionel Briseño, 3, tries to kiss a girl at the Pearl Brewery during Dia De Los Muertos.
Dancers line up before their performance during Diwali at Hemisfair.
An adult Texas horned lizard rests in the hands of a San Antonio Zoo staff member.
Melissa Watkins wears a sticker in support of US Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke.
“Panchan,” or side dishes from Chas Market.
Santa Claus poses for photos with attendees at the H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting at Travis Park.
A man prays in the prayer room at the Islamic Center of San Antonio.
Traveler Barbershop is located on the ground floor of the Burns Building.
Workers cut the large tree free from the twine that bound it while it was traveling to San Antonio.
December
Mark Hotchkiss prepares for a day dressed as Santa by blow-drying his beard.
A hotel luggage cart is pushed through the Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon as runners dodge the obstruction.
City Manager Sheryl Sculley stands in front of the public art piece The Story of Civilization with Discarded Signs by artist Gary Sweeney.
Heather Holloway (center) reacts to winning a raffle during the Texas Inmate Families Association (TIFA) New Braunfels Chapter 2nd annual Christmas party held Thursday Dec. 6, 2018 at Peace Lutheran Church in New Braunfels, Tx. Holloway’s husband Justin Holloway is incarcerated at the Sanders “Sandy” Estes Unit in Venus, Tx.
Ikea Live Oak’s opening is set for Feb. 13, well ahead of schedule.
San Antonio Living History Association hosts the Battle of Beja at La Villita.
A young man leans against a car at Santa’s Cruisers.
San Antonio College Mortuary Science Program Coordinator Juan Moreno stands underneath colored lamps used for viewings that give the appropriate complexion to the deceased.
The Lackland Corridor Gateway Sculpture is located at the intersection of West Military Drive and Highway 90.
A firefighter works through a simulated call during a an urban fire training session.
The Cave Without a Name features about 80? ceilings.
State Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D-San Antonio) leads District 2 residents in a discussion of what qualities they’d like to see in their candidates to make a unified recommendation to the City Council.
Joni Smith hugs volunteer Emma Castelo, 11, after sharing a dance at the 26th annual Feast of Sharing.
Scott Ball
Scott Ball is San Antonio Report's photo editor and grew up in San Antonio.
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