ENR's "2018 Year in Construction" Slideshow
The 2018 ENR Photo Contest Winners Gallery showcases a collection of the world’s greatest construction photography taken in the past year. The annual contest honors the photographers, without whose efforts this gallery wouldn’t exist and take its place in ENR’s online archive of contest winner galleries that stretches back to 2003. Each photo tells a visual story, and each caption, crafted by our editors after interviewing the photographers to get the back stories, will help readers appreciate the quality of this extraordinary work even more. Please enjoy the 2018 winners gallery of the greatest construction photography in the world!
Interchange Project Chattanooga, Tenn.
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Photographer: Dylan Jones
Interchange Project, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Submitted by Frank Amend, GeoStabilization International
Project engineer Dylan Jones took this photo while building 75-ft-tall, 1,500-ft-long retaining walls as a subcontractor in this fast-growing city. As the job neared its end crews worked 24/7 to minimize project schedule impact. With drilling continuing one evening under lights, Jones saw this scene as the light illuminated dust, creating a glow and drawing the eye to firm superintendent James Brevard, operating the machine.
The Smith South End, Boston
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Photographer And Submitter: Robert Umenhofer
The Smith South End, Boston
Shortly after the 650-unit housing complex broke ground, Umenhofer “was down in the pit” shooting one of the largest residential projects in Boston history. He was struck by how this craftworker “was casually hanging from the concrete forms making sure they were ready for the upcoming pour. I normally try not to center the subject, but for this composition it really worked well,” Umenhofer says.
Newark Int’l Airport Terminal, Newark, N.J.
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Photographer: Debbie Skrynski
Rebar Cage Installation, Newark Int’l Airport Terminal, Newark, N.J.
Submitted By Lindsey Stevens, Dimension Fabricators
Skrynski’s day job as a nine-year driver for Dimension led to her adopting photography as an added function for the rebar fabricator—and as a passion . Here, workers of specialty contractor American Pile & Foundation rig a just-delivered drilled-shaft rebar cage—a 7-ft-dia, 90-ft-long epoxy-coated structure with a patented bracing system—at the airport’s $2.7-billion new terminal site. Using a Tamron 18-270mm lens, “I looked down inside the cage just as ironworkers were reaching in to hook the shackle … and I had my shot!” says Skrynski, adding the image “depicts the teamwork required” in placing cages. Her photo mentor and frequent passenger was the late Roy Stevens, father of Dimension founder Scott Stevens and himself a past ENR photo contest winner, says firm media specialist Lindsey Stevens, who praises Skrynski’s “ability to connect with people.”
Sound Transit E320 South Bellevue Extension, Bellevue, Wash.
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Photographer And Submitter: Jasmine Speaks
Sound Transit E320 South Bellevue Extension, Bellevue, Wash.
Jasmine Speaks, photographer for a Shimmick Parsons JV, delivers jobsite documentation on a $321-million job to build 2.3 miles of the 14-mile East Link light rail extension. During a night shift to set girders as much as 120-ft-long, Speaks says she used a highly sensitive camera and an extreme wide-angle rectilinear lens “to move swiftly around the operation and capture the event from all angles.” For this shot, Speaks says she chose the low angle “to show the expansive size of the girder set in front of the night sky’s constellations.” Speaks came to construction after developing close working relationships with collaborators at local outdoor sports and adventure groups for several video and photo series.
Residential Development, San Bernardino County, Calif.
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Photographer And Submitter: Josh Behrens
Residential Development, San Bernardino County, Calif.
Working as an estimating and engineering intern for heavy civil contractor Sukut Construction, 21-year-old college sophomore Josh Behrens spends a lot of time taking photos on jobsites. While walking a site in Southern California testing out new camera equipment one day, he stumbled upon a couple of Caterpillar 657E scrapers coming down a slope. “These guys were coming down really steep terrain around the corner of the cut. It was a cool shot seeing them all lined up with the operators hanging on that steep grade,” says Behrens.
The Shed, New York City
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Photographer And Submitter: Timothy Schenck
The Shed, New York City
“Spider-Man” James Marksbury, an industrial climber working for Cole NYC, was oblivious to onlookers mesmerized as he scaled the Shed, an event venue at Hudson Yards with an atrium-like hall that rolls on wheels to expand or contract. “Industrial climbers in New York City are rare,” says Schenck, a veteran ENR photo competition winner and juror who, in 2011, gave up structural engineering to become a construction photographer. “There were crowds of people that stopped” on the sidewalk and adjacent High Line linear park to watch Spider-Man climb all over the Shed, adjusting transparent sheathing hardware, says Schenck. Shed architect Diller Scofidio+Renfro/ Rockwell Group hired Schenck to shoot the weblike structure, an inspiration, thanks to its striking exoskeleton.
Arbuckle Reservoir, Lane City, Texas
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Photographer: Matt Sweeney
Arbuckle Reservoir, Lane City, Texas
Submitted By Kayley Mccreary, Phillips & Jordan Inc.
More accustomed to creating cinematic wedding videos for his firm Odyssey Filmworks, photographer Matt Sweeney says being hired by contractor Phillips & Jordan to document a wave protection wall project on the Arbuckle Reservoir was “a stretch for us in the creative sense, as filming construction projects is admittedly not our specialty.” But the contractor wanted “stylized, creative, unique perspectives of their projects, and they thought we fit that bill,” he adds. While using a drone to capture workers installing a leveling pad, Sweeney guided the drone to a top-down perspective and “in a split-second the symmetry and lines of everything just came into focus for me in that moment,” he says.
One Dalton, Boston
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Photographer And Submitter: Ellen Webber
One Dalton, Boston
While visiting this 61-story mixed-use skyscraper being erected in Boston, Webber encountered an unfinished elevator shaft temporarily plugged by formwork. “Looking up, it felt disorienting to see the multiple levels and sheer mass of concrete that was forming such a tremendously tall building,” she says. Webber has been a photographer and videographer for the New England Carpenters Labor Management Program for eight years.
Follo Line Project, Oslo, Norway
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Photographer: Nicolas Tourrenc
Follo Line Project, Oslo, Norway
Submitted by Giovanna Mirabella, Corporate Communications, Ghella S.p.A.
Workers for the Acciona Ghella Joint Venture, wearing required personal protective clothing, anticipate the breakthrough of the hard-rock boring machine Queen Eufemia right where an image of the cutter head is being projected on the tunnel wall. With rare timing, two TBMs broke through simultaneously on the 22-kilometer-long twin-tube rail tunnel. Tourrenc captured the eerie photo under the black light being used by an animation crew projecting moving images of the tunnel’s future trains for the JV’s welcoming event.
Route 209 Bridge Replacement, Harrison And Burrowes Bridge Constructors Inc., Kingston, N.Y.
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Photographer And Submitter: Dennis Lee
Route 209 Bridge Replacement, Harrison And Burrowes Bridge Constructors Inc., Kingston, N.Y.
“I used to be a fishing captain between stints of photography, “ says professional shooter Lee. “We had a rule: If you don’t catch a fish in a certain amount of time, you move. I apply that to construction photography, forcing myself to look from different perspectives.” The approach can be fruitful, he says, especially when shooting projects that lack standout scenic or design qualities. “It was one of those days when it rained for awhile and everything looked really drab. I saw the reflection and I worked it, trying different focal lengths,” he says. “A lot of times the extra effort pays off.”
Underground Cable Upgrade, Haverhill, Mass.
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Photographer And Submitter: John Miller
Underground Cable Upgrade, Haverhill, Mass.
O’Connell Electric Co. marketing manager Miller recalls a “freezing cold, gray morning” in October 2018 when he met an O’Connell project manager to document progress on the electrical contractor’s work on a system upgrade in Haverhill, Mass. At the jobsite, Miller and the PM met a crew splicing in an 8.5-mile section of replacement cable. “It was my first day of shooting with a new camera, a Nikon Z 7 mirrorless model,” he says. “I caught the crew going in to really tight quarters. … We really emphasize safety and that decal is on all our hard hats. I just happened to frame it as he was going in.”
Okeechobee Clean Energy Project, Vero Beach, Fla.
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Photographer: Nick Grancharoff
Okeechobee Clean Energy Project, Vero Beach, Fla.
Submitted By Jen Jonas, Zachry Group
Zachry corporate photographer Grancharoff says the Okeechobee project is so huge he works at the wide end of his 16-35mm zoom lens to take it in, as in this shot of pipefitter Haltrent Allen inside one of three 130-ft-tall heat-recovery steam generators on site. He says his goal is to show “the amazing work” the company does that most people will never see. “I captured this image in the belly of the HRSG after crawling on hands and knees beneath the massive network of heat exchanger tubing. I lay on the floor to create this view of one of our craft professionals to accentuate the height of the HRSG by making the viewers’ eyes travel to the opening above.”
Meydenbauer Beach Park Dock, Bellevue, Wash.
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Photographer: Will Austin
Meydenbauer Beach Park Dock, Bellevue, Wash.
Submitted By Ashley Kimberley, Imco Construction
Austin says he stood on the State Route 520 bridge over Lake Washington for two hours, waiting for a few critical seconds to capture the passage of a traveling section of Meydenbauer Beach Park’s new 260-ft-long floating dock. A tugboat towed the final piece under the bridge while a chase boat helped prevent the curved section (consisting of polystyrene foam wrapped in 3 in. of concrete) from drifting to the left. “The composition was exactly what I wanted, with the diagonal curve and the texture of the water,” Austin says. “The green stripe in the wake of the little boat is a miniaturized version of the curve of the dock.”
Automotive Collision Center, Albany, N.Y.
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Photographer And Submitter: Paul Knapick
Automotive Collision Center, Albany, N.Y.
Knapick, photographer for BBL Construction Services and a repeat ENR Photo Contest winner over the years, noticed the light “poking through” the roofing system on this Albany body shop project. The pattern was “unique to me,” he says of the photo taken during a site visit to the 24,000-sq-ft structure. Construction began on the project in fall 2017 and was completed in spring 2018.
Innovation Square, Boston
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Photographer: Robert Umenhofer
Innovation Square, Boston
Submitted By Helen Novak, Consigli Construction Co.
While taking progress photos on the phased 375,000- sq-ft research and development life science campus in Boston’s Seaport District, Umenhofer says he was “graciously” granted access to the iron workers’ “off-limits” work area. Umenhofer says Alexandra Callahan of Local 7 (pictured here) was “instrumental in getting me up on the deck, and I particularly wanted to make sure I captured her fastening the corrugated decking.” He said he was compelled to document the moment because “women on jobsites are still a relatively rare sighting,” and he hopes that showing Callahan tack-welding will inspire more women to “jump into the construction industry.”
High Line Northern Spur Preserve, New York City
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Photographer And Submitter: Timothy Schenck
High Line Northern Spur Preserve, New York City
The sight of MFM Contracting Corp.’s Jose Costa, Alexandre Lopes and Antonio Rodrigues installing concrete forms and rebar in a below-grade utility vault for the High Line spur is frozen in time by professional photographer Schenck, who developed such a powerful photography habit working as an engineer that he abandoned his first career to let flow his creative juices. For the shot, Schenck was standing on the spur about 30 ft above the vault. The nonprofit High Line commissioned Schenck to tell the construction saga of the famous linear public park, which replaced a derelict railroad trestle. This last stretch is set to open this year. “I have been fortunate enough to photograph every construction phase of one of New York City’s most famous parks,” says Schenck.
Seattle Convention Center Addition, Seattle
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Photographer And Submitter: Catherine Bassetti
Seattle Convention Center Addition, Seattle
This photo was taken during early demolition and construction of the Washington State Convention Center Addition project in October. Bassetti, a Seattle-based photographer, captured the shot using a Nikon 18-200mm lens from the overhead corner vantage point of Boren Avenue, which stands above the I-5 corridor freeway. “Looking down on the early demolition and construction site after a heavy rain, I spotted a surveyor walking in the thick mud checking the bright markings,” Bassetti says. “It wasn’t until later editing that I noticed the reflection of a high-rise building in the water. Construction sites are rich with split-second vignettes and compositions.”
Broad River Tunnel, Columbia, S.C.
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Photographer And Submitter: Casey Pieczonka
Broad River Tunnel, Columbia, S.C.
When called in by his company to help stop the leaks from this tunnel in Columbia, S.C., project manager and photographer Casey Pieczonka says he was struck by the beauty of the 19th-century brick tunnel. “I was enamored with the brickwork and mortar,” he says. He was told the tunnel, 70 to 80 ft under the river, was hand dug and built by Irish settlers in the 1850s. The tunnel was dewatered, and Pieczonka and his Prime Resin team injected resin. Mortar was applied by another contractor. “After completion it doesn’t look as cool, Pieczonka says. “It’s kind of sad.” Pieczonka says he’s seen such work once before—in Savannah’s tunnels built by slaves.
The Smith South End, Boston
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Photographer And Submitter: Robert Umenhofer
The Smith South End, Boston
Tasked by Suffolk Constructors to capture a “dynamic image” to illustrate how builders “take full advantage of technology in construction,” Umenhofer says he benefitted from the late fall sun that was low in the sky and created dramatic shadows through the rebar. Looking into the pit, Umenhofer framed his subjects in the upper right quadrant of the composition to use “the strong linear elements all around them.” He says most of the image is high-contrast and monochromatic, which lets the high-visibility vests “make the subjects really pop.”
Route 209 Bridge Replacement By Harrison And Burrowes Bridge Constructors Inc., Kingston, N.Y.
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Photographer And Submitter: Dennis Lee
Route 209 Bridge Replacement By Harrison And Burrowes Bridge Constructors Inc., Kingston, N.Y.
An iron worker muscles a diaphragm into place while connecting steel for a replacement highway bridge over Esopus Creek, near Kingston, N.Y. “As soon as the sun comes in at the right angle, the surfaces will bounce a little bit of the light back in,” Lee says, and he adds that framing the shot in anticipation of that effect and watching the pattern of work and waiting for the right moment all contributed to the creation of a powerful shot. “But it’s almost always about the light,” says Lee. “It’s such a huge element of a good picture.”
BNSF Railway Bridge, Bosworth, Mo.
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Photographer And Submitter: Samantha Struemph
BNSF Railway Bridge, Bosworth, Mo.
Struemph snapped this photograph on only her second trip to the site she visited every few weeks for more than a year: construction of a railroad bridge for BNSF Railway in Bosworth, Mo. “One of the project engineers would walk with me to explain what was happening,” she says. In this case they were welding deck plate to the truss. It was quite windy, so they welded under a tent. “I stepped in just to get a few shots, thinking that the colors would be great with no outside light interference.”
Salton Road Pedestrian/ Cycle Bridge Design-Build Project, Abbotsford, British Columbia
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Photographer And Submitter: Aidan Connell
Salton Road Pedestrian/ Cycle Bridge Design-Build Project, Abbotsford, British Columbia
A team with contractor Graham Infrastructure LP lifted a 78-meter, 208,000-lb steel span bike and pedestrian bridge over Highway 1 in Abbotsford, using a 550-ton mobile crane on the night of Oct. 20, 2018. Connell, project manager for Graham, took the shot around 3 a.m., using a Nikon D500 with a wide-angle lens as he was walking the site, monitoring activity and lighting. “The wide-angle lens takes the viewers into the photograph and lets them feel like they are standing on the bridge itself,” Connell says. Foreman Derek Groot is in the basket, getting ready to remove the rigging from the struts attached to the steel arches.
Okeechobee Clean Energy Project, Vero Beach, Fla.
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Photographer: Nick Grancharoff
Okeechobee Clean Energy Project, Vero Beach, Fla.
Submitted By Jen Jonas, Zachry Group
Zachry corporate photographer Grancharoff calls this “The Blue Hour,” but it is not what it seems. The blue hour refers to a period before dawn or after twilight when the atmosphere takes on a blue hue that’s beyond the range of human perception, yet is capturable with a digital camera. He actually shot this in the pitch dark before dawn using a high-dynamic response technique to fire five shots at a range of settings almost instantaneously and then merge them into one image.
Hudson Commons, New York City
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Photographer: Karen Fuchs
Hudson Commons, New York City
Submitted By Colin Sullivan, Cove Property Group
“When shooting construction, besides documenting what is going on … as far as I’m concerned there is beauty in everything if you look for it,” the photographer says. Fuchs got this shot of a tower crane base being erected, using a Nikon D3S, about a year after she’d started monthly visits to the site at Hudson Commons. This activity involved erection of a tower crane on a roof setback to support construction of an 18-story addition to an 8-story factory built in 1963. “I noticed the Empire State and the triangle almost side by side, and it gave me the idea to place the Empire State exactly inside the triangle of the cables,” she recalls. “It took two more frames … to get the perfect alignment.”
Atlanta International School, Atlanta
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Photographer: Shane Getchell
Atlanta International School, Atlanta
Submitted By Lillian Lanzot, Div005 LLC
Getchell snapped many photos of the moving sun at the end of the tunnel to get this stark and almost dizzying image of a lone worker framed by the roof’s exposed steel architecture. Jobsite photography is a hobby for the web developer, who has nevertheless been capturing construction images for more than five years for Enlighten Design & Marketing, the firm hired to shoot the project by Div005, a design-build, cold-formed steel supplier. “We wanted to make sure to highlight their product in the most creative and authentic way possible,” says Getchell.
Loma Linda Univ. Medical Center, Loma Linda, Calif.
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Photographer: Patrick Halloran
Loma Linda Univ. Medical Center, Loma Linda, Calif.
Submitted By Susan Garritano, McCarthy Holdings Inc.
As a division safety manager for McCarthy Building Cos., Halloran wants to be clear that this Liebherr 1750 crawler crane was not in use at the time he snapped this up-close photo. Documenting potential safety hazards on the site of a major hospital project with his iPhone, Halloran walked by one of the two massive cranes that ironworkers were using for structural steel erection. “I turn, and this thing is just towering above me. I was right behind it, by the counterweight,” he recalls. “I framed it out and thought it was a cool picture. The more simple the photo is, the better, in my opinion.”
Jordanelle Reservoir Shoreline Residential Development, Hideout, Utah
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Photographer And Submitter: Josh Russell
Jordanelle Reservoir Shoreline Residential Development, Hideout, Utah
Photographer Russell captured this candid shot of Sunroc Corp. foreman Jeff Vincent before a jobsite meeting at the Jordanelle Reservoir Shoreline residential development in Hideout, Utah, in November 2018. Vincent, 57, calls himself a “working foreman” because, in addition to his supervisory duties, he still operates the heavy equipment. “I can drive anything they’ve got,” he says, but about 90% of his operator time is spent on the “finish blades.” Vincent just started his 18th year with Sunroc and has done heavy construction work for nearly 40 years. “I started driving equipment when I was big enough to crawl up on them,” he says.
Russell was drawn to Vincent’s rugged face, his experience and his confidence. “Jeff is also just about the nicest guy you’ll ever meet,” he says. Sunroc is performing site work for the high-end residential development, including asphalt paving, sidewalk curb and gutter, and utility installation.
Icon Buckhead, Atlanta
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Photographer: Mo Lelli
Icon Buckhead, Atlanta
Submitted By Jessica Small, Power Design
As skies darkened before the day’s last shoot, 28-year-old photographer Mo Lelli wondered about going to the Icon Buckhead apartment tower project at all, but once there, the awaiting cityscape view lured him to overcome a shut-down buck hoist and climb 21 floors to the top floor of construction. Positioning himself about 30 ft away from a crew working on a deck layout, Lelli zoomed in on superintendent Jesus Otero, his total station target in hand. The juxtaposition of grittiness—conveyed by Otero and boosted by the dark skies—with the futuristic tool in his hand “is what made the composition in my eyes,” Lelli says.
Oklahoma Gas & Electric’s Sooner Generating Station, Near Red Rock, Okla.
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Photographer: Dave Schafer
Oklahoma Gas & Electric’s Sooner Generating Station, Near Red Rock, Okla.
Submitted by Patti Barrett, PCL Industrial Construction Co.
Schafer says the cast of trades at the Sooner Station site was amazing, but even among the army of workers at shift change, PCL ironworker Eleazar Sanchez stood out. “I just ran over and said, dude, have you got five minutes?” The contrast and textures of the man and his gear seemed to mimic the facility, so Schafer placed him “in the grand center” to capture the energy. A Nikon 17mm lens helped Schafer make the scene dramatic and surreal. The EPC project is a JV of PCL Industrial Construction Co. and Black & Veatch to provide an air quality control system to keep the Sooner Station online and in compliance with environmental requirements for a coal-fired power plant.
Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge, Long Beach, Calif.
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Photographer And Submitter: Marie Tagudena
Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge, Long Beach, Calif.
Tagudena has been shooting this project since 2013 for the design build joint venture of AECOM/ Shimmick/FCC/Impregilo. Her shots there have landed in the photo contest winners’ circle five times since, including this one and one on the bottom of the next page. The two shots of steel work couldn’t be less alike. One takes color and 3D to an extreme, and the other is two-tone and as flat as plate glass. What they share is exquisite timing. “If I didn’t capture it that second, the ship and the tugboat wouldn’t be in that shot [or] the guys moving the floorbeam into its placement. It’s like telling all of those stories at once,” she says.
Wildcat Point Power Project, Cecil County, Md.
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Photographer: Dave Schafer
Wildcat Point Power Project, Cecil County, Md.
Submitted by Patti Barrett, PCL Industrial Construction Co.
To capture welder Eric McCarthy doing grinding to prep for a weld, professional photographer Schafer asked if he could open the dock door in front of him to add a touch of soft light. That had the unexpected consequence that a breeze came through and gave “the most wonderful arc” to the hot metal grinding spray. “We’ve got great grinding shots, but this is different,” Schafer says. A Nikon 200mm lens kept Schafer at a safe distance and compressed the scene to provide even more drama.
Florida Power & Light Transmission Line, Weston, Fla.
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Photographer And Submitter; Kayley McCreary
Florida Power & Light Transmission Line, Weston, Fla.
Phillips & Jordan Inc. was building a 68-mile long access road for a power line. Fifteen miles of the route crossed wetlands that needed stabilizing geotextiles placed beneath the roadbed. Crews transported 300-ft-long by 15-ft-wide rolls of the fabric to the site. In this scene, McCreary captured workers on site using handheld sewing machines to connect adjoining pieces before they were covered with aggregate. “I didn’t expect to see a sewing machine on a construction site!” he says. McCreary has been a full-time graphic designer for Phillips & Jordan for two years.
Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge, Long Beach, Calif.
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Photographer And Submitter: Marie Tagudena
Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge, Long Beach, Calif.
Without timing, Tagudena says this photo “is just the shapes of the falsework and the beams.” But it becomes dynamic because the worker is there pacing that beam and creating that moment. “Because he’s there, there’s that sense of movement, of work being done.” To get the shot, she watched the pattern of beams being flown in and the worker’s movements, then set her exposure to underexpose everything and block out detail. Then she kept adjusting her position to keep the moving sun split on the edge of the beam to tone it down while she waited, always being mindful of the activity going on around her and safety.
Penn Medicine Center For Healthcare Technology, Philadelphia
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Photographer And Submitter: Ralph V. Oswald III
Penn Medicine Center For Healthcare Technology, Philadelphia
Thanks to many years working with project general contractor IMC Construction, photographer Ozzie Oswald had good access to the site and “a pretty good vantage point” two floors below to get shots of a four-person “raising gang” at work on a frigid morning in January 2018. This image shows Alex Ryzinski of Ironworkers Local 401, tightly focused on the task, using his bull point chisel to line up the beam and slip bolts into holes. “These guys are great to shoot,” Oswald says.
Rockfall Remediation, Ouray, Colo.
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Photographer: Tray Sickels
Rockfall Remediation, Ouray, Colo.
Submitted by Jeromy McFadden, GeoStabilization International
After climbing 900 vertical ft up at a 10,000-ft elevation, Jeromy McFadden looked around. “It was a beautiful, cold sunny day, and it just had snowed. I thought with the beautiful backdrop a good action photo was needed.” McFadden set up the photo and then handed his camera to his co-worker, Tray Sickels, and asked him to snap the photo. It took McFadden, a rockfall remediation specialist for GeoStabilization International, 1.5 hours every morning to climb to their jobsite in the Red Mountains. It was “one of the gnarlier climbs,” that McFadden says he has made in his work. The crew used equipment and materials flown up by helicopter to drill 10-ft-long bolts to secure an existing cable net system.