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There were protests that roiled street corners, and shootings that stole lives. Floods that washed away homes, and wars that changed the world. Concerts that attracted thousands, and festivals that celebrated life.

There was death, loss and tragedy. Love, joy and celebration. And through the lenses of their cameras, photojournalists at The Bay Area News Group captured it all.

Through this photo series, the depths of humanity in the Bay Area are on full display, along with the beauty and agony of the place we call home.

Caught in the moment

Ryan Orosco, of Brentwood, carries his son Johnny, 7, on his back while his wife Amanda Orosco waits at the front porch to be rescued from their flooded home on Bixler Road in Brentwood, on Jan. 15. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff Photographer)
Flood waters cover most of Pájaro Valley on March 12. An atmospheric river storm broke through a levee along the Pájaro river inundating homes and businesses and leaving thousands of people without shelter. (Shae Hammond/Staff Photographer)
Pajaro residents who evacuated their homes from the flood attend a town hall meeting with Monterey County officials and emergency personal at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds on March 22. The residents expressed their frustration and discontent after officials didn’t say exactly when the evacuation order will be lifted to return to their homes. (Ray Chavez/Staff Photographer)
Esteban Sepulveda holds his dog Milo while leaving his home in Pajaro Valley on March 12. (Shae Hammond/Staff Photographer)
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office officers hold candles during candlelight vigil in honor of the mass shooting victims in Half Moon Bay, on Jan. 27. Chunli Zhao, 66, admitted fatally shooting four of his co-workers and wounding another at California Terra Garden farm and continuing his killing spree at Concord Farms where he fatally shot 3 more workers. (Ray Chavez/Staff Photographer)
Alicia Ortega grieves, on Jan. 24, at her home in Moss Beach, one day after a gunman shot and killed her boyfriend along with six other farmworkers on Half Moon Bay. (Karl Mondon/Staff Photographer)
Leese Courington, left, gets a hug from fellow member Toni Edgar during the Rossmoor LBGTQ+ Alliance movie night and panel discussion at the Rossmoor retirement community in Walnut Creek on August 3. (Jane Tyska/Staff Photographer)
On the banks of the Salinas River in San Miguel, Brian Doan talks about the emotional loss of his five-year-old son, Kyle, who was swept away by floodwaters more than four miles away from here on Jan. 9. Because the river is so wide and long, Brian fears it would be difficult to find his son. (Dai Sugano/Staff Photographer)
A customer is silhouetted in front of the main entrance door with shattered glass after a burglary two days ago at the the Hillcrest Restaurant and Taphouse in Antioch on Feb. 17. Another restaurant not too far from here was burglarized too. (Ray Chavez/Staff Photographer)
Disgruntled Oakland Athletic fans take out their frustration by throwing rotten tomatoes at pictures of team owner Steve Fisher, team president Dave Daval and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on May 12 in Oakland. (Karl Mondon/Staff Photographer)
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao leaves a press conference at City Hall in Oakland, on April 20. The Oakland A’s have agreed to buy land in Las Vegas and build a new stadium there, team officials confirmed Wednesday. (Dai Sugano/Staff Photographer)
A pro-China supporter peers through the flags of China and USA during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on the perimeter of Moscone Center in San Francisco, Nov. 15. (Ray Chavez/Staff Photographer)
Yael Nidam holds a flyer with an image of her sister-in-law Rimon Kirsht on Oct. 16, in Albany. Kirsht was abducted from Israel by members of the terrorist organization Hamas. (Aric Crabb/Staff Photographer)
A protester carries a doll with red paint representing victims of Israel-Hamas war at the Civic Center in San Francisco, as part of an “International Day of Solidarity with Palestine,” on Nov. 4. Demonstrators demanded a stop to military aid to Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza. (Ray Chavez/Staff Photographer)
The casket of Senator Dianne Feinstein inside City Hall on Oct. 4, in San Francisco. (Aric Crabb/Staff Photographer)
Jim Solomon, a veteran of the United States Marine Corp salutes during a Memorial Day event at the Chapel of the Chimes cemetery on May 29, in Hayward. (Aric Crabb/Staff Photographer)

Split-Second Action

Sunisa Lee performs on the balance beam during the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships at the SAP Center on Aug. 27. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff Photographer)
Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) takes a shot against Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (6) and Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis (3) in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Western Conference semifinal playoff series at the Chase Center on May 2. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff Photographer)
Amber Glenn skates in the Prevagen Skating Spectacular during the 2023 TOYOTA U.S. Figure Skating Championships at SAP Center on Jan. 29. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff Photographer)
Nasa Hataoka hits her second shot on the ninth fairway during the final round of the 78th U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach on July 9. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff Photographer)
Berkeley High School mountain bike team member Theo Lemkin ,16, rides along the Vollmer Peak Trail in Tilden Regional Park on June 5, in Berkeley. Mountain bikers are working to create a “flow trail” in the East Bay hills. (Aric Crabb/Staff Photographer)
Clayton Valley’s Kellsey Ogu competes in the Girls Long Jump during the North Coast Section Meet of Champions at Dublin High School on May 20. Ogu would place sixth with a distance of 17-02.75. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff Photographer)
USC Trojans place kicker Eddie Czaplicki (37) kicks a punt return against the California Golden Bears during the second half of their game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, on Oct. 28. USC defeated Cal 50-49. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff Photographer)
Santa Clara’s Orlando Lewis (7) rolls in the dirt after scoring a run off of a sacrifice fly hit by Santa Clara’s Andrew Traffas (1) against Los Gatos High School at Santa Clara High School in Santa Clara, April 5. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff Photographer)
San Jose Earthquakes’ Judson (93) and Toronto FC’s Hugo Mbongue (83) fight for the ball in the second half at PayPal Park on March 25. (Shae Hammond/Staff Photographer)
San Jose Sharks fans wear bags on their heads towards the end of the Sharks 10-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks late in the third period at the SAP Center on Nov. 2. (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff Photographer)
Archbishop Mitty players celebrate their NorCal Open Division volleyball win over St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose on Nov. 14. (Jane Tyska/Staff Photographer)

How We Live

AXIS Dance Company dancers practice their performance for the opening ceremony of the upcoming Invictus Games in Germany, on Aug. 31, at Berkeley Ballet Theater. (Dai Sugano/Staff Photographer)
A high-wire act takes place at the top of San Francisco’s 245-foot-tall Ferry Building clocktower in April, as it is encased in scaffolding, part of a renovation project celebrating this year’s 125th anniversary of the iconic structure. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Visitors check out the Astro Botanicals Space Garden display by artist Stan Clark during the 12th Annual Autumn Lights Festival at the Lake Merritt Gardens in Oakland, on Oct. 12. (Jane Tyska/Staff Photographer)
Los Tigres del Norte lead vocalist Jorge Hernández gestures to the camera after a final check of his appearance before going on stage at SAP Center on April 1. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff Photographer)
Girls and women from the community of Santiago Apostol Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico, perform a traditional dance during Santiago the Apostle day festival in Half Moon Bay, on July 29. (Ray Chavez/Staff Photographer)
Bob Weir leads Dead & Co. during their concert at Oracle Park in San Francisco, on July 14. (Karl Mondon/Staff Photographer)
A pedestrian walks past a broken fire hydrant on Merritt Street in Castroville on April 11. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
Greg Farias and his husky Sky, 2, of Oakland, right, and Rosario Castro and her Welsh corgi Benji, 5, of Concord, cheer during the Bark in the Park event during the Oakland Athletics game against the Boston Red Sox at the Coliseum in Oakland, on July 18. (Jane Tyska/Staff Photographer)
Members of the the Oakland Technical High School girls basketball team arrive at City Hall during a City of Champions celebration on April 16, in Oakland. (Aric Crabb/Staff Photographer)
A young boy leaps as he goes through a jellyfish tunnel which is part of the California Coastline exhibit during the Glowfari lantern festival at the Oakland Zoo on Feb. 9. (Jane Tyska/Staff Photographer)
Working inside a nearly 18-foot-deep snow pit at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, Shaun Joseph, l-r, Claudia Norman, Helena Middleton take measurements of snow temperatures ahead of an atmospheric weather storm, on March 9, in Soda Springs. (Karl Mondon/Staff Photographer)
A crow flies at Baylands Nature Preserve in Palo Alto, on June 20. The 1,940-acre preserve features 15 miles of multi-use trails, where you can explore tidal and fresh water habitats. (Dai Sugano/Staff Photographer)
California poppies bloom at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, on March 20. (Dai Sugano/Staff Photographer)
Fisherman on the Pacifica Pier are silhouetted by the setting of the winter solstice sun on Dec. 21. (Karl Mondon/Staff Photographer)
A referee watches as a ball kicked by Bellarmine soars in the night sky for the extra point against Valley Christian in the second quarter of their game at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, on Sept. 23. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff Photographer)
The full Harvest Moon shines above the stadium lights illuminating Wilcox High’s football game against Mountain View High in Santa Clara, on Sept. 29. (Doug Duran/Staff Photographer)
Rocky Franciso clears snow below a laser observing shack at Lick Observatory’s Shane telescope on March 7. (Karl Mondon/Staff Photographer)