We may have fewer photographers than we used to, but photography remains a strength of The Wenatchee World.

World photo editor Don Seabrook and photographer Mike Bonnicksen picked the favorite images they shot during 2012. They shoot thousands of images each year — many of them award-worthy — so it’s no easy task for them to narrow it down to just a few.

Included with each photo is a short explanation from Don and Mike about why they picked the shot. If you want to climb into a photographer’s brain, check out Don’s Living Images blog.

— Marco Martinez, World features editor

DON SEABROOK

Left: I think this photograph is my favorite one that I made in 2012. It captures the moment as Wenatchee AppleSox baseball pitching coach Rob Hippi gets doused by his players after the team beat Corvallis in the third and final game of the league championship series in Wenatchee in mid-August. This was Hippi’s last year with the team and I had been tipped off that a moment like this was planned by the team. It was a matter of following Hippi around then trying not to get too wet.

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Right: This will probably be the only time a photograph from a meeting will be in what I think are my top three pictures. With the realization that his fire crew could be cut from 28 to 20 employees, Wenatchee firefighter Dustin Armitage wipes away a tear while sitting next to his wife, Aubri, and listening to the wife of a Douglas County firefighter talk about the bond firefighters have with each other. At right is Kelly Lindemann, president of Wenatchee Firefighters Local 453. Wenatchee was in the midst of budget cuts during the hearing in City Hall in late May.

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Left: Rounding out my top three, I really like the reaction or non-reaction the cats have while Brownie, a dog up for adoptionat the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society, reacts to the sight of Junior, a test cat, during a demonstration of a dog testing session at the shelter in late August. In the window watching the scene is an adoptable cat, Pepper Anne. Dogs are tested to see how they react to common house distractions or commands before being put up to the public for adoption.

MIKE BONNICKSEN

Left: It’s all about capturing moments, and in this photo, Wyatt DeLozier, 2, of East Wenatchee, greets “Ricky,” used by the Chelan/Douglas County Child Passenger Safety Team to teach people about safety. Wyatt was fascinated by the talking robot and spent quite a bit of time just watching him. I was lucky enough to capture the moment he waved hello.

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Below: When I took this photo in January on Badger Mountain, I knew it was going to be nice. The way the sun was glistening across the snow and ice covered fields made for dramatic lighting.