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 part 3 of our favorite photos on Dec. 31, and read part 1 here.
Performing Arts
What our photo editors loved:
The raw emotion in these images is palpable. There’s a beauty and elegance captured in ‘Blue dancer’s‘ that truly resonated with us.
Concert
What our photo editors loved:
We loved seeing the musician’s perspective in ‘A stage w/ French Montana‘—the photographer managed to capture the atmosphere of the show perfectly. With ‘Powerwolf,’ there’s a clear message: you missed one heck of a show! Now we’re hungry for a little metal at our desks after lunch. We also like the grainy, muted tones of ‘Auxili,’ which we felt lend well to the band’s musical genres of reggae and ska.
Family
What our photo editors loved:
Each of these photographers have managed to portray joyful, heartfelt moments that do not always come easy when you’re trying to capture young people. These are beautiful memories that each family will cherish.
Fashion
What our photo editors loved:
Body positivity and embracing the natural has redefined the role of the fashion photographer. Traditionally used to showcase the latest runway couture, fashion photography has evolved to focus on more than the fine garments the models wear, but on the models themselves. The styling in these images only enhance the visual experience, complemented by the use of minimal makeup and deferring to a more natural aesthetic we are currently seeing—creating unforgettable images.
Journalism
What our photo editors loved:
Each photographer masterfully provides a window into areas of the world we might never see and into the lives of people we may never meet. Enough said.
Commercial
What our photo editors loved:
These photos impressed us with their high production value and storytelling.
Film
What our photo editors loved:
Film photography evokes a sense of nostalgia, using traditional (and manual) methods of generating a clean shot. These images provide a fresh take on film as we see a strong dynamic range with beautiful highlights and deep shadows, giving way to a full-bodied experience that photography lovers crave and for which they often return to analog photography.
Black and White
What our photo editors loved:
With the exclusion of color, we are able to focus on how light has influenced the direction of the image and the exchange that occurs between light and shadow to create the black and white still. The light plays within the frames of these photos, providing softness where needed and accentuating and defining everything it touches.
People
What our photo editors loved:
The importance of representation in media in our current climate is evident; what we love most about these images is that we find ourselves embracing diversity in age (which is just a number), diversity in gender identity, diversity in ethnicity and freedom of expression and acceptance.
Fine Art
What our photo editors loved:
These images capture a strong vision, focusing in on high concepts and representing a subset and commentary on reality or current events. While these concepts are left up to interpretation, they use prop and set styling to help capture and curate their message, influencing our understanding.
What do you think of our favorite photos of 2018? Share your picks in the comments!
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