My favorite photo of 2014

One of the most fun parts of my job is looking at the photos my photographers send me from the social events I've asked them to cover throughout the year. I look through thousands of images a year and decide which ones work best for print in the Observer, online at www.charlotteobserver.com or in SouthPark magazine, which is an Observer publication.

I had a photo in mind as my favorite of the year, then photographer Daniel Coston shot The Nutcracker Ball fundraiser at Charlotte Country Club right before Christmas. When I saw the photos, I realized I had a new favorite.

First, a little background, because I don't want anyone to read anything negative into this photo. The Nutcracker Ball is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Freedom School Partners that's geared toward children. Parents are there. It's a lovely evening for them to mix and mingle with other parents while the children have an absolute blast. It's so much fun to see all the kids looking sharp and being groomed to be future philanthropists.

The boys, as is their nature, can tend to get a little rowdy as the evening goes on. At one point at the end of the long evening, a group of young friends was goofing off. Daniel did not catch some melee in process. Instead, the boys saw him taking pictures and decided to really give him a scene to shoot. Daniel laughed, the kids laughed, and I about fell out of my chair with laughter when the photo popped up on my screen at work.

It was all in good fun, and an instant classic.

So here it is, my favorite photo of 2014:

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