2020 in Review: Through the lens of Honolulu Star-Advertiser photographers

JAMM AQUINO / OCT. 16
A medical worker passes a mural painted by local artist Kamea Hadar along South Beretania Street.

JAMM AQUINO / JAN. 19
Honolulu police perform CPR on a fellow officer, who later died, after a shooting at a residence on Hibiscus Drive near Diamond Head.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / MARCH 7
The Honolulu Police Department held a ceremony for fallen Officer Kaulike Kalama, who was killed along with Officer Tiffany-Victoria Enriquez during January’s Hibiscus Drive incident. Police Chief Susan Ballard touches the urn of Officer Kalama, which is being held by his wife, Kaohi, who died in June.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / OCT. 18
On their way to campaign off Waikiki Beach, supporters of President Donald Trump took a boat ride from Kewalo Basin, motoring past fishermen casting their lines.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL/ JUNE 5
About 1,000 protesters marched in unity from Magic Island to the Duke Kahanamoku statue in Waikiki during a Black Lives Matter rally. Chantal Spriggs addresses the crowd with a unifying speech.

DENNIS ODA / FEB. 27
Visitor arrivals and spending posted solid growth in January before tourism started to feel the impacts of the coronavirus. Crowds of tourists sunbathe and swim on Waikiki Beach.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / APRIL 6
No traffic, no tourists — the pandemic left a normally bustling Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki barren of cars and pedestrians.

JAMM AQUINO / SEPT. 8
Honolulu police issue a citation to a woman on the beach near the Duke Kahanamoku statue in Waikiki. Oahu’s stay-at-home, work-from-home order limited many outdoor activities.

GEORGE F. LEE / NOV. 21
Five-year-old Ria Mayekawa reaches out to touch Santa Claus’ hand through plexiglass prior to having her picture taken with him and her sister Mika, 1, right, at Windward Mall in Kaneohe.









It is easy to define 2020 only in terms of COVID-19, but the year was marked by unprecedented events beyond the pandemic as well. These images capture moments in four significant categories: January’s catastrophe on Hibiscus Drive; enduring impacts on democracy, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the elections; the human toll of the pandemic; and the devastation of our economy. The images were chosen by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s photography staff.