If there was ever a year when you could overlook the visual drama of construction, 2020 was it. All the spray disinfecting, temperature-taking and fussing with masks; all the worries about the virus outside and inside the gates. Those are the themes that will dominate our collective memory. Face coverings became an important tool to prevent the spread of coronavirus. But for those who did not previously have to wear them as a regular part of the work day, they could be an afterthought, a style statement or—more likely—a nagging, voice-muffling, heat-trapping distraction. You could endure the patch of fabric across the bottom of your face, but you couldn’t enjoy it.
Reading eyes became a new skill. And eyes are what distinguish some of the best images submitted to ENR for its annual Year in Construction Photo contest. Minus the companionship of noses and mouths, eyes inspire speculation about what the photo subject is thinking and feeling. There’s no smile, no grimace to point the way. When the ironworker on this page stares straight through you, you imagine the accumulated angst of the pandemic building up behind the eyes.