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Images are everything: Our photographers on a momentous year

Political Theater, Episode 231

Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., puts on a mask that reads “dignity” before the start of a news conference with other House Republican members on immigration in Washington on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The image says a lot about the year that was, and is one of CQ Roll Call's photos of the year.
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., puts on a mask that reads “dignity” before the start of a news conference with other House Republican members on immigration in Washington on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The image says a lot about the year that was, and is one of CQ Roll Call's photos of the year. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call file photo)
By Jason Dick, Tom Williams, Bill Clark and Evan Campbell
Posted December 15, 2021 at 7:00am

It has been, to put it mildly, a momentous year. After the instability of 2020, defined by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and a presidential election, let’s be honest: Many of us breathed a sigh of relief. Then the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol happened. Then the virus surged again.

The country, and Capitol Hill, attempted to get back to normal, but it just didn’t happen. Chronicling these events is what journalists do. It’s our job. And at CQ Roll Call, we are extremely fortunate to have a long tradition of photojournalism that captures the moments that define politics, on a historic level and at a very human level. 

Bill Clark, Tom Williams and Caroline Brehman had quite a task in narrowing down their photos of the year, and it’s always great to have them on the Political Theater podcast to discuss how they work, what moments stay with them and their reflections on the images that defined 2021.

Show Notes:

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