The Year in Photos 2019: RJ Sangosti

By RJ Sangosti | rsangosti@denverpost.com | The Denver Post

December 11, 2019 at 6:00 a.m.

A man in a bulldozer clears ... — RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
A man in a bulldozer clears snowdrifts in Limon on March 14, 2019, after a bomb cyclone swept across much of Colorado. On the Eastern Plains, blizzard conditions included winds up to 60 mph.

The year 2019 was full of firsts for me. It was my first time covering a bomb cyclone. I had never heard of a bomb cyclone before, but I really enjoyed landing in Limon for a few days during the first one, photographing interstate travelers stranded at a hotel there.

I had my first viral phone video on social media. It shows a guy in a small two-wheel-drive car sliding down Perry St. in Denver. His car slowly slid down an icy hill, hitting five other cars. I’ve lived in Colorado my whole life and the weather, and the people driving in it never ceases to amaze me here.

Fall colors show as the Decker ... — RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Trees turn color as the Decker fire continues to burn in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness outside Salida on Oct. 8, 2019. The fire began Sept. 8 and burned nearly 9,000 acres before a snowstorm helped contain it in late October.

Saddle bronc rider Brady Love, of ... — RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Saddle bronc rider Brady Love of Wellington gets ready for his ride during the PRCA Rodeo at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo on Aug. 23, 2019.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Colorado State University wide receiver Preston Williams runs a 40-yard-dash during pro day for NFL scouts on the campus in Fort Collins on March 6, 2019. Williams signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in May, but his season ended Nov. 3, when he tore his ACL against the Jets.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
A car drives through the mountains near Marble on Aug. 1, 2019.

In 2019, I worked on two stories where I did the photography, reporting, and writing all on my own. It was a year of growing, not only as a visual storyteller but also as an overall journalist. My passion is to tell long-term narratives- stories that need a little extra time, and being able to work on every aspect of storytelling is incredibly fulfilling.

Annabel Rodriguez-Santos, 8, lies in bed ... — RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Annabel Rodriguez-Santos, 8, lies in bed after a long night of getting little sleep. Annabel had an asthma attack during the night. “There are some nights you don’t even sleep because you are just watching over them,” said Annabel’s mother Nancy Santos. Both Annabel and her older sister have asthma. The family’s home is in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood only a few blocks from the construction on the Central 70 project.

The Long Shadow series shares the experience of families in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods that struggle with asthma amid historic I-70 construction project. In one of the nation’s most-polluted urban ZIP codes, the four-year Central 70 Project is adding to health concerns for those families that live near the construction.

Paige Brown, 18, left, supports 91-year-old ... — RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
Paige Brown, 18, supports 91-year-old Bob Hansen by the arm as they head to the car outside Hansen’s home in Wray on May 16, 2019. Brown, who worked for Northern Colorado Caregivers, had a shift after school around four nights a week, from 4-9p.m., caring for Hansen. The two became friends.

My second story was a fun feature on the unusual friendship between an 18-year-old girl and a 91-year-old retiree in Wray, Colorado. To make extra money for college, Paige Brown took a job in companion care during her senior year of high school. Four nights a week she cared for 91-year-old Bob Hansen. The two developed an extraordinary relationship that defied the years between them.

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