May 2024 in photos: Paste BN's most memorable pictures of the year
Memorial Day includes parades and commemorations to honor and remember U.S. military personnel who died serving the country. It’s also consider the unofficial kickoff to summer, with BBQs, pool openings and outdoor gatherings. Austin American Statesman photographer Jay Janner covered a solemn event at a state veterans cemetery earlier in the morning and then headed toward Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas to see how people were handling the typical heat in late May. “ I headed toward Lady Bird Lake, drawn by the buzz of activity around a sandbar known as Party Island,” Janner recalled. “Since the pandemic, the spot has morphed into a summertime oasis—packed with stand-up paddle boarders and kayakers looking to beat the relentless heat. It only took a few minutes in the air with my drone, carefully composing the graphic elements of the scene, to capture the shot.”