Editor’s Photo Challenge: Your Best Photos of 2024
As 2024 approaches, we’ve invited our readers to share their best photos of the past year. The response was fantastic, ranging from stunning macro shots of insects to breathtaking images of the night sky and everything in between. Many thanks to everyone who contributed! The quality of the entries was exceptional, and unfortunately, we can only display a selection here.
To see all submissions and find out which photos your fellow readers liked the most, please Go to challenge page,
Did you miss this challenge? Stay tuned for our January challenge announcement. In the meantime, consider participating in these current and upcoming challenges hosted by other members of the DPReview community:
open challenges
- Shoes (Closes on 30th December)
- Bus (Closed on January 3)
- house on the range (Closed on January 3)
- locomotive (Closed on January 3)
- Wild Peaks: Wildlife Supported by Heights (Closed on January 3)
upcoming challenges
- a big year 2024 (Starting from 30th December)
- face or face in the crowd (Starting from 31st December)
- Stadium/Arena – Wide Angle (Starting from January 2)
- fire engines (Starting from 4th January)
- Tree (Starting from 4th January)
And now, here are our top picks from the Best Editor’s Photo Challenge of 2024.
kingfisher
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Photographer: fujijohn
Description: I took this image from a hide at Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve in Hampshire, UK. Kingfishers are not commonly seen, and certainly not this close. Having said that, this reserve is one place you can (almost) guarantee a sighting. He sat on the branch for a while, looking around, and I took a series of short bursts. I chose it for the competition because the bird seemed balanced on the leaf. The bird was strongly backlit, which is why the background is blown out.
equipment: Fujifilm X-H2S , Fujifilm XF 150-600mm F5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
St Paul’s Cathedral, London
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Photographer: A Clark2
Description: Photo taken from the nearby Reflection Garden. By holding the camera just above the surface of the water, I was able to make the pool appear larger than it was. The main problem was the strangers who spoiled the view by sitting at the far end of the pool.
equipment: sony a7r , Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G
eagle hunter crossing the river
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Photographer: JeffriesPhoto
Description: Western Mongolia: The rider is crossing a stream with his golden eagle. I liked the action as well as the dynamic pose with a diagonal line from the bird through the rider and horse’s legs.
equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 , Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
bloom in the rain
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Photographer: nt35
Description: While walking near the house on a rainy day, I found these flowers of Trimezia coerulea. The colors and water drops look amazing to me. I went home and took my camera and a piece of black cotton. I think this photo is the best of the four I took.
equipment: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
kestrel with prey
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Photographer: gjvv
Description: This kestrel flew towards a pillar carrying its prey. The conditions were good, sunlight was coming from behind me and the wind direction was also from the back. When the bird took flight, it would fly towards me to get proper lift. This shot was best in burst. I am very happy with the result.
equipment: Sony A7 IV , Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
Cuban Ballerina
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Photographer: gefbourke
Description: We will lead a photo tour to Cuba at the beginning of the year. It was taken on a shoot in Havana. It was early morning, and she managed to get her hand in the sunlight while I was shooting on the F18.
equipment: sony a1 , Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD
Chinese New Year with Mumu
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Photographer: mumupower123
Description: 1 year old Mumu is celebrating Chinese New Year. He has no interest in traditional “red packets”. They love red strawberries!
equipment: Canon EOS R6 , Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art
winter storm
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Photographer: sad1
Description: My focus for 2024 and 2025 is marine landscape photography, and a wild and windy day on the north coast of Scotland seemed like the perfect opportunity, especially as high tide coincided with sunset. The sun had already disappeared behind the rocks surrounding this sea arch. It’s a lot of fun to determine the best shutter speed and then capture the best wave. In the end, I’m happy that I created the best possible image from this location at this time, and that’s how I measure success.
equipment: Sony A7R IV , Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
Moonrise at Black Mesa Coffee II
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Photographer: blind bill
Description: I captured the moon as it rose over this small church in northern New Mexico. This is easily one of my top 10 favorite photos of all time. It took a little planning to reach there and know the timing of the rising moon and setting sun.
equipment: Sony A7R III , Sigma 105mm F1.4 DG HSM Art
Lioness
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Photographer: MDJ180
Description: I took my first trip to Africa in 2024, and it was incredible (of course). In Lower Zambezi NP, Zambia, we had a great time with the local lion pride. This is a portrait shot of the alpha female walking towards me after feasting on the impala she killed around dawn. The intricate detail in his eyes still takes my breath away.
equipment: Canon EOS R7 , Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L USM
It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas
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Photographer: howie1223
Description: It was taken on a sleigh ride through a Bavarian forest covered with recently fallen snow, which allowed me to capture a magical fairy tale-like image.
equipment: Canon PowerShot G5
blue heron ballet
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Photographer: kilmer
Description: A lone blue heron suddenly attracts another bird. He starts to keep a respectful distance but soon starts talking nonsense with the other heron. He comes closer, and they bump into each other. One rises into the air and pushes the other underwater. When they come up, they raise their beaks in the air, a graceful circling posture. This was taken in the fall, so I didn’t think it was mating behavior. I don’t know what they were doing, but it certainly made my bird watching trip a success.
equipment: NIKON D500 , Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR
Robberfly’s Breakfast
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Photographer: lajos hajdu
Description: I was about to leave for home, disappointed that I didn’t find the rare dragonfly species I was looking for in a bay in Hungary. Just then, I saw this robber fly eating a freshly caught cicada on the railing of a wooden bridge.
equipment: Canon EOS 80D + Sigma 105mm macro lens and Renox 250 clip-on lens
Aurora 05.2024
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Photographer: Vitalij’s
Description: Aurora polar lights in May 2024. Solar wind frequently causes magnetic storms in 2024. One of the most memorable magnetic storms of the year 2024 occurred in May. This photo was taken in Gauja – a national park in Latvia.
equipment: Fujifilm X-S10 , Sigma 10-18mm/2.8
Longines Equestrian
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Photographer: Jswcat
Description: After managing to snag a press pass from the Longines press manager (after providing a print of one I’d taken the day before), my eyes were opened to the competition and excitement behind the competing horsemen. The incident took place on Miami Beach, where the ocean was just 50 feet away.
equipment: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV
angolan woman smoking
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Photographer: mclean
Description: The woman was looking for Roshni to smoke tobacco. We asked him to do the same on the door of our house for a darker background.
equipment: nikon d850 , Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Capturing Orion’s Hidden Treasure
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Photographer: greenfirephotography
Description: The most recognizable constellations in the sky are some of the most beautiful and abundant deep sky objects. This picture shows some great things. Starting from the bottom right, we see the Boogeyman Nebula (LDN 1620), the right edge of Barnard’s Loop (SH2-276), M78 (small, blue reflection nebula), the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), the Horsehead Nebula (B-33). , the Running Man Nebula (S279), and the Great Orion Nebula (M-42). This area corresponds to the area around Orion’s sword in the night sky. After nearly a decade of work, the stars finally agreed to this stunning image.
equipment: ZWO ASI2600MC + Red Cat 51 Refracting Telescope
cocoa
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Photographer: gaspar17
Description: I chose this photo because it excites me. Since I can barely walk, Coco rides with me on the electric bike. It was difficult for him in the beginning, but eventually he became fond of cycling. We are visiting Via Verde del Pas. A beautiful bicycle path in Cantabria, Spain. In the background, you can see Monte Castillo, a field of interesting prehistoric caves.
equipment: Canon EOS M5 , Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
hide and seek
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Photographer: Timor Claquin Chambugong
Description: An oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor) in Tura, India. I wanted to see what kind of image I could get with the minimum focus distance of this lens. I tried to get as close to the lizard as possible without scaring it. This is the photo Published in The Guardian But it was cut by the editorial team. I prefer the original (uncropped) photo because that’s how I took it and composed the shot. I arranged various visual elements within the frame in a certain way, and shooting in the 4:3 aspect ratio was a deliberate choice. However there is always room for improvement.
equipment: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 ,Panasonic LEICA DG Vario-Elmer 100-400mm F4.0-6.3 ASPH Power OIS
wild and wonderful miniature world
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Photographer: minus_i
Description: With a lot of patience, I got very close to this tiny drill fly with incredible green eyes (body about 10 mm). Then my eyes fell on his poor, tiny victim, invisible to the casual observer.
equipment: OM System OM-1 , OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS Pro
