Celebrate 2025 in Charlotte with The Observer’s Captured Memories event

The Charlotte Observer’s visuals staff documents the history of this city and surrounding areas, day in and day out.

From Border Patrol to plane crashes to the Panthers making the playoffs, they put themselves in difficult situations and emerge with powerful imagery that captures a specific moment in time, allowing people to connect through various communities.

The Charlotte Observer, in partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, is holding our third annual Captured Memories: A Year in Photos event on Wednesday, Jan. 14, to showcase our favorite photos from 2025. Our photojournalists will share their top photos of the year, discuss their experience and take questions from the audience. In addition to the meaningful work by our staff, we will also recognize exceptional photography by CMS students.

Winners of the student photo contest will be honored, along with their work. In addition to engaging with the community through our visuals, attendees will also have the rare opportunity to bid on printed photos by our staff photographers through a silent auction.

Please join us Wednesday, January 14, at ImaginON: The Joe and Joan Martin Center, 300 East 7th St. in Charlotte. Light refreshments will be served in The Round on the 1st floor of ImaginON, alongside the silent auction. The presentation will take place in the Wells Fargo Theater. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. for the reception and the program will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Limited free parking is available under ImaginON; bring your ticket in for validation. Additionally, free parking is available after 5 p.m. at the 7th Street Station deck at 224 E. 7th St.

The event is open to the public but an RSVP is required. Registration is open now. We look forward to seeing you there!

This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 2:53 PM.