Photo stories that could only have happened in 2020

We don't yet know what 2021 will bring, but we do know one thing – every photographer has had a unique story to tell in the year that went by.

Unlike most years, every genre of photography was affected by a single global event: Covid-19 compelled photographers across the world to rethink the way they work and this led to an array of projects that could only have happened in 2020. From quirky personal projects inspired by unexpected confinement to those made out of necessity due to changes in the commercial landscape and a cultural calendar altered beyond recognition.

Here are five photo stories that all, in different ways, epitomise the times in which we live.

Few people associate Italy with bears, and up until the summer of 2020, not many were aware that a critically endangered species, with less than 50 members left, could be found in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park in the Apennine mountains. But with airports closed and people heading out into nature like never before, a Marsican brown bear family suddenly became a bit of a tourist attraction. Canon Ambassador and wildlife photographer Bruno D'Amicis documented how the usually serene and quiet mountains were suddenly filled with photographers wearing face masks, all pointing their telephoto lenses at a bear and her four cubs.

"People want to witness nature but without keeping the right distance there's a risk of making the bear too comfortable with humans, meaning it might get too close and endanger itself and others," says Bruno. "On the plus side, the increased awareness has sparked an interest in the conservation of the bear."

What on earth are these men doing in the three photographs at the start of Canon Ambassador Gulshan Khan's video? You'll find the answer if you watch the three-minute clip to the end, but this intriguing and thought-provoking piece would never have seen the light of day had it not been for the strange situation the South African photojournalist found herself in a few months into 2020.

"My plan for 2020 was to move away from news coverage and do more documentary work, but when the pandemic broke out, it was difficult to go on trips and complete projects," says Gulshan.

"Instead, I looked back at my archive and found new meanings in old photographs." Using three photographs she had taken of a row of men leaning against a fence in the township of Soweto, she created a reflective video in which she shares the new insights she gained about society by looking at a photograph shot in the past.

She created the video for the prestigious Joop Swart Masterclass, which this year had 'Reset' as its theme. "It really made me think. We produce so much, normally there's no time to reflect," she says. "And it's by looking back and reflecting that we notice patterns: what has changed and what still needs to change. I really hope that everything that happened in 2020 wasn't in vain – that it will help us think and reflect in 2021."

In March 2020, Canon Ambassador Jérôme Gence was stuck in Paris during lockdown after his flights to Taiwan – where he was due to shoot a documentary project – were cancelled, but he didn't let that get in the way of doing his job. Adapting to extreme circumstances, Jérôme asked his photography assistant in Taiwan, Chi-Hui Lin, to attach a smartphone to her Canon EOS 70D. Jérôme would guide her as she moved around Taipei, telling her what to capture and where to position herself to frame the shots he wanted to take. That way, he was able to document how life continued as usual in the Taiwanese capital with people on public transport, in cafes and on beaches at a time when many other countries were experiencing restrictions of some form due to the pandemic. The resulting reportage was published in Le Monde newspaper.

"I asked myself how human skills and technology could be brought together to help me tell stories that matter while being confined," says Jérôme. A web analyst as well as a photographer, his mission is to explore the relationship between humans and digital technology. He will do doubt continue to push the boundaries of how we use cameras in 2021.