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. This is our third and final instalment of our favorite photos of 2018—read part 1 here and part 2 here.
Animals
What our photo editors loved:
Being one of our most popular categories, animal and wildlife photography is a competitive environment. What we love most about this set is the emotional connection these images create, forcing us to contemplate the relationships in the imagery. The viewer is invited to create or follow along with the implied narrative of friendship, acceptance or family; humanizing the experience between the animals within the frame.
Underwater
What our photo editors loved:
Water diffuses light differently than when we see it on land, creating a number of challenges when attempting to photograph underwater. Embracing the ever-fluctuating light source from the surface is what makes these images so dynamic.
Landscapes/Nature
What our photo editors loved:
These landscapes play on space, utilizing natural land formations to help drive our eyes to the landforms in the distance.
Travel
What our photo editors loved:
A style of photography defined by the Steve McCurrys of the world, these images explore people, landscape, and culture, uncovering the day-to-day in these destinations. From busy streets to tight, lower-light conditions, these images provide us with an informative glimpse reminiscent of documentary photography, encouraging us to explore these places for ourselves.
Macro
What our photo editors loved:
Focusing on smaller subjects, macro photography provides us with an unobstructed view to things that are on a smaller scale—enlarging details and almost abstracting what has been photographed. We love the central focus these images provide, giving us the ability to see the fresh dew droplets, the texture of the snail shell, or the hairy shell of the heineken fly.
Sport
What our photo editors loved:
Sport photography can be considered a subset of documentary or photojournalism as it often revolves around reported sporting events. Using a quick shutter, these action-packed shots are immortalized with minimal blur, providing definition and expression within each shot.
Wedding
What our photo editors loved:
Authenticity in wedding photography is not always easy to capture, however, these images provide us with an intimate look into the moments that help define a memory meant to last a lifetime.
Abstract
What our photo editors loved:
These images isolate complex and naturally-occurring patterns, leaving us to interpret what has been captured. What we love most is the range of textures, shapes, and how the photographers have obscured these natural phenomena, creating a seemingly-unreal visual experience that is easily associated with a memory or mood as your mind jumps around the image, trying to discern what it is.
What do you think of our favorite photos of 2018? Share your picks in the comments!
Leave a reply