Last year, we unveiled our favorite photos of the year for the first time—a collection that showcased the breadth and depth of the 500px community, as well as many up-and-coming talents. The curation process was an exercise in inspiration for our team, and further demonstrated how much talent, creativity, and passion 500px photographers have to offer. We’re honored to reveal another instalment of our favorite photos of the year.

Similar to last year, we started our discovery process with 500px photos that were popular in each category throughout 2018, to give us a sense of what the community was engaging with. We hand-picked some choices from that group with the aim of recognizing as many photographers and as much high-quality work as possible. We also added our favorite shots of 2018 from Editors’ Choice, and dug deep into hidden gems and “undiscovered” work through our Recommended Photos and our own discovery.

While we can’t recognize every great photographer on the platform, we want to thank you all for the outstanding work you’ve shared with us again this year. We hope you enjoy our favorite photos of 2018 as much as we enjoyed discovering them—stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of our favorite photos on Dec. 28 and 31.

City & Architecture

MIA Atrium III by Scott Murphy on 500px.com

zones of light and darkness by Gilbert Claes on 500px.com

TK1 by Iiro Martikainen on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

Influenced by the minimalist architecture we have seen since the 1920s, these images use sharp angles and smooth contours, accenting simple design and form as decorative elements and playing on the shadows that fall from these modernist designs. This alternative perspective ultimately encourages the viewer to rethink the way they view and interact with these spaces.

Celebrities

T-Pain by Daniel Gray on 500px.com

Lorde in NYC by Jake Chamseddine on 500px.com

Goggle Portraits of Olympians - Mark McMorris by Markus Berger on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

Working with models can be challenging, but coupled with star power, things can really become difficult. Each of these photographers managed not only to rise to the challenge, but to create interesting concepts and compositions that reflect the personality of their subjects.

Urban Exploration

Messedamm Underpass by Claudio de Sat on 500px.com

LUMIX G9 Collaboration by LAMARR GOLDING on 500px.com

Shaft trunk by Serafim Gromov on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

There’s a gritty feeling to these images that we appreciate—whether in the tonality of the shot or simply the location itself—and this weaves a narrative about the journey each photographer took to capture these moments.

Transportation

DBX by Tobi Shinobi on 500px.com

Helicopter downwash on tall grass by Gael Le Martin on 500px.com

Porsche 911 991.1 GT3 Cup ready to hit the track for a night ride. by Deyan Yordanov on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

Whether it’s the view from an above-ground train speeding down a track or a high-end sports car sitting idle, the photographers here conveyed a clear sense of power and precision in each shot.

Night

Admiring the mire by Arv?ds Bar?novs on 500px.com

Lit by hand by Eric  Paré on 500px.com

Stetind by Sigrid Buene on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

In each of our selections, there’s an interesting relationship between the night sky and light. We admire the way each photographer balances these elements to create something magical without overdoing it.

Still Life

Eggs by Juan Zade on 500px.com

Ice cream scoops in spoons in food pattern by Valeria Aksakova on 500px.com

Peeler by Anil Akkus on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

The simplicity of these shots is what stood out for us. Each image is attractively minimal yet still descriptive and rich with context.

Aerial

Solitude by Anders Wotzke on 500px.com

Les Veines Bretonnes by Thibault Poriel on 500px.com

Island Sunsets by Mountain Waves on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

With the environment top of mind, we couldn’t help but focus our lens on the natural beauty of trees, water, and rock formations captured from unique perspectives.

Street

Flow by Mario Mirabile on 500px.com

*** by Babak Fatholahi on 500px.com

Untitled by Sixstreetunder on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

Each of these street photos is framed and composed well, with a good dose of emotion to draw the viewer in. We also love the use of shadows in these shots.

Food

Bucatini all'amatriciana by Food Director mackinpo on 500px.com

Cremeschnitte by Tatjana Zlatkovic on 500px.com

Toast with avocado, feta cheese and boiled egg by Vladislav Nosick on 500px.com

What our photo editors loved:

In each of these selections, there are foreground and background elements that elevate the story and add more depth to the photos. We also like that food photographers are moving away from traditional lighting, opting for harsher lighting to create more pronounced shadows, as evidenced in ‘Cremeschnitte.’

What do you think of our favorite photos of 2018? Share your picks in the comments!