Photos can tell a story in ways that words sometimes can't, capturing the action, beauty and emotion of the moment. And as we look back at our top stories from 2024, we asked our ASU News photographers to choose the favorite photos they've taken in the past year.
Some of those photos were published with articles, but some were simply shots that stuck with the photographer. Here, they shared their picks and the story behind them.
Charlie Leight
Senior photographer, ASU News
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What: ASU graduate student Joshua Pierre Moore performs at the dress rehearsal of “Sanctuary and Storm” on Jan. 3 at the Evelyn Smith Music Theatre on the Tempe campus. The performance was part of the National Opera Association’s 69th annual conference at the university. The work featured a fictional debate between two of the most powerful women in Medieval Europe: Hildegard of Bingen, a German abbess, and Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of the Normans.
Why Charlie chose this photo: The play is dark and very powerful. The picture captures the emotions without showing faces. The staging and lighting add to the drama.
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What: Ra Simms (left) and Liberty Filz, both 7, play with an artificial intelligence cat at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering's exhibit at ASU Open Door on Jan. 27 on the West Valley campus in Phoenix. Open Door invites the community — people of all ages — to come onto campus and explore ASU's labs and learning spaces.
Why Charlie chose this photo: The Fulton Schools — which had its first classes on the West Valley campus in the fall 2024 semester — aimed to attract new students by showing them the fun they can have in their STEM studies. The 7-year-olds quickly mastered the little robot’s controls.
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What: Second-year Sun Devil swimmer Ilya Kharun — shown during morning practice July 3 at ASU's Mona Plummer Aquatic Center — was one of ASU's Olympic stars at the Paris Games that summer, winning two bronze medals for Canada. Performing under pressure runs in the family: His parents were longtime Cirque du Soleil acrobats, and his sister is in Cirque’s "Joya" show in Cancun.
Why Charlie chose this photo: Kharun is a superstar swimmer who is respectful and poised. He gave us plenty of time to create promotional stories about him and his Olympic quest.
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What: (From left) Third-year mechanical engineering student Grant Lesley, second-year mechanical engineering student Connor Owens and mechanical engineering graduate student Vaibhav Khanna talk about the placement of the sheath-and-auger anchor that will stabilize their prototype of an inflatable lunar landing pad Sept. 13 in a lab on the Tempe campus. The project was part of the NASA BIG Ideas Challenge.
Why Charlie chose this photo: The students were quite open to having media coverage of their project, which they conceived and built from scratch in just a few months. They tested prototypes, made modifications, then tested again. They submitted their report to NASA judges and won the Best Systems Engineering award — one of two awards given at the Las Vegas forum.
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What: Members of a Mayo Clinic-ASU summer research team focused on orthopedic surgery and baseball injuries watch as left-handed pitcher Ben Jacobs throws a session in the indoor bullpen of ASU’s Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Sept. 20. The research project was based on the need to help find ways to reduce the incidence of shoulder and elbow surgeries in youth baseball pitchers.
Why Charlie chose this photo: The room is hidden within the stadium complex and filled with specialized cameras that record hundreds of frames per second. The data goes through computers and is analyzed by a team of Mayo Clinic and ASU clinicians, trainers and clinicians. The athletes can master their mechanics to maximize power, control and efficiency while minimizing injuries.
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What: Brothers Tully Griffin (left), 10, and Kevin Griffin, 12, pose with their grandfather Soloman Shehu for a snapshot as more than 1,200 people enjoy a cozy evening on Dec. 6 at the West Valley campus’s first Winter Wonderland. Colorful holiday lights illuminated various parts of the campus, which featured areas for photos, crafts, delicious treats and musical entertainment.
Why Charlie chose this photo: The West Valley campus crew put a lot of time and energy into making the open house a community success. Hundreds of the campus trees were decorated with lights, turning the academic setting into a festive winter wonderland for the whole family.
Samantha Chow
Multimedia specialist, VisComm (sister unit of ASU News, within the Office of Media Relations and Strategic Communications)
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What: ASU junior swimmer Léon Marchand competes in the men’s 100-yard breaststroke during the swim and dive meet against Grand Canyon University at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center on the Tempe campus on Jan. 6. Later that summer, Marchand would dominate at the Paris Olympics, winning four individual gold medals, each setting an Olympic record, and a bronze in the medley relay for his home country France.
Why Sam chose this photo: This was the last time Léon Marchand competed at Mona Plummer before going on to win big at the Olympics. We knew he was going to be important, so we had to get photos of him, one last time.
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What: A student skateboards in front of Alumni Lawn as it rains in Tempe on Jan. 23.
Why Sam chose this photo: It’s not often that it rains during the day on campus, but when it does, it pours. Not only is this student managing to skateboard through puddles, but carrying his coffee while doing so.
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What: Assistant Professor Liza Roger observes coral through a magnifying glass at the Walton Center for Planetary Health on the Tempe campus on Feb. 15. Roger, who had been recently awarded $1.2 million from the National Science Foundation, is investigating stress in coral-algal mutualistic symbiosis dynamics.
Why Sam chose this photo: Liza Roger had recently moved into her new lab, where she grows and studies coral. I love this quiet moment I captured of her admiring her coral — plus the blue lighting in her lab is awesome.
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What: Third-year communications major Zadrian Serras cheers for ASU from the student section while wearing a Sparky onesie during the football game against Kansas at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 5. ASU beat Kansas 35-31, its first win in the Big 12 conference.
Why Sam chose this photo: This was the third-hottest football game in ASU history, so seeing a fan in a long-sleeved, hooded onesie was quite a surprise.
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What: ASU football fans rush the field after upsetting Brigham Young 28-23 at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Nov. 23.
Why Sam chose this photo: This was the first football game we’ve flown a drone during, making it a special moment for our team. It took a lot of paperwork and needed approvals from TSA, the FAA and various ASU departments, but it was worth it to say the least. I was in awe watching the field fill with gold. But the cherry on the cake? Seeing the stream of blue exiting the stadium.
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What: The ASU football team celebrates after winning the Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship against Iowa State at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 7. The Sun Devils captured the crown their first year in the conference. The resounding 45-19 win gave the Sun Devils their first outright conference title since 1996.
Why Sam chose this photo: While most players were parading around with the trophy, I found one who was taking a moment to himself to soak it all in.
Deanna Dent
Assistant creative director for social media, VisComm
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What: Javier Aguirre Martinez smiles as he accepts his stole during the Veterans Honor Stole Ceremony at ASU Gammage on Dec. 14. He would also speak during the ceremony about his journey from an impoverished childhood to active-duty Marine. He graduated this December summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in technological entrepreneurship and management from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
Why Deanna chose this photo: We created this story carousel of Javier. I liked this image because I think Javier is an exceptional individual, but I think we can all relate to his story — the idea that we as individuals work to make ourselves better not just for our growth but for our families and communities.
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What: ASU women’s basketball coach Natasha Adair poses for a portrait outside the Weatherup Center on the Tempe campus Oct. 17 for an ASU News profile.
Why Deanna chose this photo: This was fun because Coach Adair was awesome. We set up two large white curtains, and although this wasn’t the image we used, I liked how the white of her jacket and the curtains mixed together and you can’t even tell it was over 100 degrees outside.
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What: (From left) Student workers Victoria Silva and Kathy Nazario, ASU Library conservator Suzy Morgan and Shari Laster, head of open collections curation and access at ASU Library, handle books from the Eugene D. Valentine Collection on July 10 at Hayden Library on the Tempe campus. The shoot was for a yearlong series about special collections at the library.
Why Deanna chose this photo: After nine years at the university, I’ve seen so many collections, labs, etc. — but this was my first pop-up book collection. We covered many, many collections, and they were all so cool.
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What: An overhead view of an iron pour at the ASU School of Art on the Tempe campus March 31. A handful of student-veterans affiliated with the university were working on sculptures as part of a program called "Devils in the Metal." The program was run by Bruce Ward, a veteran and ASU BFA alumnus working with the Pat Tillman Veterans Center, and assisted by ASU art faculty.
Why Deanna chose this photo: We’ve spent years putting together a system where we can fly our drone. We started with one pilot and now we have five, and this is just one of our drone images that reminds me how much we’ve built out the structure to support this.
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What: Aditi Rai smiles as she crosses the stage during the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Convocation on May 4.
Why Deanna chose this photo: I just love this image — I stayed in this spot for quite some time, but this was my favorite shot. She was so happy, the wind was blowing her tassels and hair and it all just lined up.
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What: ASU Uber graduate Kaiser Alcantara gets hugs from his family — Antonella Alcantara and their children Naomi, Samuel, Abraham and Miguel — on May 6 in front of the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus.
Why Deanna chose this photo: I just love a family image with their graduate. This is a student graduating through ASU's program with Uber, and it makes me happy to see him celebrating with his whole family and kids.
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What: (From left) Multimedia specialist Samantha Chow and student workers Christopher Goulet and Nate Levang lead a session on creating engaging social media content during the ASU Brand Team's Summer Camp event for communications staff at the Beus Center for Law and Society on the Downtown Phoenix campus on July 16.
Why Deanna chose this photo: I don’t think this is a good photo, but I love our creative team — this was our students and a staff member presenting to other ASU teams. Seeing their work on the screen just made me really happy.
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What: An aerial photo of SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Feb. 9.
Why Deanna chose this photo: This is a little too moody for regular use, but it was just a beautiful winter sunset over SkySong.
Chris Goulet
Management intern, VisComm
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What: International student and psychology major Liz Schoox (left) and graphic design major Tya Rowitz celebrate as confetti cannons fire at the end of the Spring 2024 Undergraduate Commencement at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on May 6.
Why Chris chose this photo: Tya was our graphic design student worker at the time, and Liz was her roommate. It was a wonderful moment to catch.
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What: Psychology major Basil Ribakane celebrates during the spring undergraduate ceremony at Mountain America Stadium on May 6. Nearly 20,700 students were honored in graduate and undergraduate ceremonies that day.
Why Chris chose this photo: Another spring commencement photo featuring some lens flares that lined up perfectly to all point right at psychology graduate Basil Ribakane as he celebrated.
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What: A bird is silhouetted against the setting sun in Papago Park in Phoenix on June 10.
Why Chris chose this photo: On this shoot I was capturing some stock heat-related photos for us, primarily featuring cactus in Papago Park. The dove made for the perfect topper to the blooming cactus as the sun set behind it.
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What: A view of the sun setting behind the APS Ocotillo Power Plant in Tempe on Jun. 11.
Why Chris chose this photo: This shoot was intended to capture some shots of the sun behind power lines, and I managed to get a perfectly timed shot with a plane sitting right on top of the sun.
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What: Rio Yards, part of the Novus Innovation Corridor on the Tempe campus, is seen at sunset on Aug. 27. The growing Novus Innovation Corridor features living and working spaces as well as dining, shopping and entertainment options, just a short walk to ASU’s major athletic facilities.
Why Chris chose this photo: The new Rio Yards building was perfectly situated to get some nicely framed shots with the overhead power lines running along Rio Salado, and I love the way that I captured this plane flying straight down the gap in the lines, adding a third layer to the image.
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What: Desert Financial Arena and Mountain America Stadium are seen in this drone photo of ASU's Tempe campus on Jan. 2.
Why Chris chose this photo: The only thing prettier than Tempe campus at sunset is Tempe campus at sunset from the air!
Emma Fitzgerald
Student photographer, VisComm
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What: Eleven-year-old Kaleb Richardson engages in an immersive virtual reality experience during ASU Open Door at the Tempe campus on Feb. 24.
Why Emma chose this one: When I took this photo, I loved seeing the kid's reaction to the virtual reality experience.
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What: Pat’s Run attendees cross the starting line on April 13 in Tempe. The race, which celebrated two decades this year, is a 4.2-mile run/walk celebrating the legacy of the former NFL player, Sun Devil and Army Ranger who enlisted after the 9/11 attacks and was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan.
Why Emma chose this one: Considering the story behind Pat Tillman, having a shot of a runner leading the race with the flag was so fitting.
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What: An ESPN reporter interviews Sun Devil Football coach Kenny Dillingham after ASU beat Utah 27-19 at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 11. The win was part of ASU's dominant 11-2 season, with the team headed to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Jan. 1 after winning the Big 12 Championship.
Why Emma chose this one: While I was immersed in the excited crowd, I was able to capture this shot of Coach Kenny Dillingham getting interviewed by ESPN with "Sun Devils Win" in the background.
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What: The crowd storms the field after the ASU-Utah game on Oct. 11. The upset of No. 16 Utah was ASU's first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 6 Oregon during the 2019 season. The Sun Devils forced Utah into three turnovers and made them kick field goals on three of the Utes' four trips into the red zone.
Why Emma chose this one: With two field storms for this season, it felt fitting to include a shot of the field packed with fans. I also loved how I captured a student showing the pitchfork.
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What: The downtown Tempe skyline rises behind a lit-up trail on "A" Mountain after the Lantern Walk on Nov. 22, a Homecoming tradition. The first Lantern Walk took place in 1917. Each year students, alumni, employees and friends climb to the top of “A” Mountain carrying lanterns to light up Tempe, with Homecoming royalty crowned at the top.
Why Emma chose this one: I loved that it was a unique view of "A" Mountain and the city.
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What: ASU graduate student and libero Mary Shroll takes a tumble going for the ball during the Dec. 6 first-round NCAA tournament game between ASU and New Hampshire at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Dec. 6. The Sun Devils won 3-0.
Why Emma chose this one: I loved the commitment shown by Mary Shroll in this photo and the intentional tilted crop to show the energy in the moment.
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