Well, 2019 is almost behind us, and we want to end the year by celebrating you, our creative community. It’s safe to say you were hard at work this year, uploading and sharing over 12.4 million photos, submitting 650 thousand images to Quests, and commenting on your fellow photographer’s photos over 15 million times.
We also saw a lot of change in 2019, but some things, like our most popular categories (landscape, nature, and travel) and our most used tags (nature, sky, and travel), ultimately remain the same. Oh, and we turned 10 this year! And you helped us celebrate by sharing your best work along with happy birthday wishes from all around the world.
This year we were also excited to find unique ways to showcase your work, whether it be via a gallery show, on a billboard, or even a beer can.
And now, to wrap up the year (and this blog post), our team of Editors wanted to share some standout photos that were uploaded this year. Take a look!
Contents
People
Photo by: Filippo Dicomani
The way skin is portrayed in photography has become an art form in itself. It is not always easy to capture the natural textures found in skin; however, Filippo has done a marvelous job at it. Diffusing light over the models face has highlighted the skin texture, creases, and curves of the face, adding dimension and depth to the image as it pulls you in. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Aditya Ganpule
Lighting often plays a critical role in photography and can ultimately dictate the intended narrative of the photo. Aditya has utilized limited light in a dark space, adding drama and intrigue by positioning the model under one of the only available light sources. The space is illuminated just enough to add context, but remains mysterious, allowing us to imagine our own storyline. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Brianna R
A new wave of women supporting women is on the rise, and this vision of female empowerment is the embodiment of this important message. Brianna eloquently incorporates red as a subtle nod toward womanhood. Her central model poses stoically, with her chin held high, creating feelings of confidence and liberation. The composition also carries a spiritual feeling and significance with the gold crown haloed around the model’s head, adding to the layered meanings within the photograph. – 500px Editor
Landscape
Photo by: Daniel Kordan
This classic take on a Canadian landscape incorporates a warped effect, guiding your eye toward the mountains along the horizon of the image. The gradient from light to dark helps your eye navigate around the image, and understand the different elements within the landscape. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Sean Bagshaw
The trees artfully frame this dramatic sunset, taken just after the clearing of a storm. The long exposure allows for the soft motion blur of the water, adding movement within the photo. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Marc Adamus
Photographing the natural wonders of the world can contribute to the awe of a surrounding landscape. Marc caught the Aurora Borealis flashing through the night sky, adding an unusual and ethereal quality to his photograph as it casts a green glow over the surrounding area. – 500px Editor
Travel
Photo by: JASONHAN
This photo is a great example of playing with perspective. Isolating the three travelers on this dramatic and minimal background not only creates a sense of scale within the landscape as they embark on their journey, but also conveys a sense of awe as you consider just how vast and unpredictable this type of landscape is. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Daniel Kordan
The soft pastel tones and still water in this seascape create a calming effect as you float around the image with the fisherman. These traps are used to capture seaweed, crabs, and oysters, but create a watercolor-type quality within the composition. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Trevor Cole
This documentary-style capture illustrates the relationship between the Mundari tribe in South Sudan and their cattle. The muted tones help to drive attention to the model as he gently touches the cow, depicting respect for their relationship. – 500px Editor
Underwater
Photo by: Michal Zahornacky
This portrait incorporates water, creating an unexpected and abstract element to the composition. It plays on traditional concepts of beauty, emphasizing different areas of the face and creating a dialogue around warped beauty and beauty standards. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Chris Melcher
This classic underwater snap of a photographer capturing some approaching humpback whales is quite dramatic when you consider the massive scale at which this is caught. The broken light rays piercing the water highlight the other whales distantly in the background, capturing a moment not commonly seen. – 500px Editor
Aerial
Photo by: James Phillips
The various shades of blue create a sense of chaos as the surfer navigates the crashing waves. The view from above enhances the movement within the water and entices you to follow the surfer through the frame. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Ueli Frischknecht
This unusual perspective enhances the umbrella shape of the trees, creating an almost abstract quality to the photo. The green canopy creates a lush setting and helps the aqua blue of the lake to really pop, creating a dynamic composition. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Jelle Canipel
Shooting contrasting patterns within a landscape is a great way to add intrigue to your photograph. Here we see a variety of lines and patterns that lead your eye throughout the photo. The road dividing the linear from the curved lines creates an intersection that can be used to convey a number of different concepts. – 500px Editor
Animals
Photo by: Monika Malek
Cats are particularly nimble and pride themselves on perfection. This spontaneous photo of a cat playing shows that sometimes it’s okay to let loose and have a bit of fun. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Oleg Senkov
This punchy photograph is a fun contribution to the animal category. It incorporates a bright pop of color that instantly uplifts the mood of the image, while creating a heart shape out of the two flamingos. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Jowita Tank
The different shades of white create an abstract, monochrome composition that will cause you to look twice. Cats are known for knocking items off counters, which makes this vase placement seem somewhat precarious, creating stress in an otherwise calming atmosphere. – 500px Editor
City and Architecture
Photo by: Alexander Hadig
Alexander captures an uncomfortable shot, as the model hangs over the edge of this car garage. The crop of the image creates an interesting scenario where we cannot determine where the car garage starts or stops, creating an illusion of endless layers. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Antoine Martin
Antoine creates an immersive experience as we view this photo from a first-person perspective. He adds another layer of dimension by incorporating his mobile device into the composition, attracting your attention right to the center of the photograph and toward the bottom of the structure. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Anastasia Rotkovich
This minimalist rendition of city and architecture focuses on the angles and details of the space and how they work together in this context. The curves of the track contradict the sharp angles of the structure. – 500px Editor
Food
Photo by: Eleonora Martin
This composition focuses on how food (or lack thereof) can unite us around the table and create shared moments and memories. The animated expressions of the children and the messy, but cleared, plate create an authentic and relatable atmosphere. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Schmoo Theune
The earthy tones in this photo help enhance the raw vegetables in the composition. While the image focuses on a variety of onions, there is a lifestyle quality within it, creating a familiar element and adding context by incorporating a used water glass. This also creates a more authentic, snapshot aesthetic. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Renat Renee-Ell
This monochrome rendition of a North American favorite is an abstract and conceptual contribution to the food category. It encourages us to consider what ingredients are truly in our food and the potential implications that can have on our health. – 500px Editor
Still Life
Photo by: Andre Jabali
This still life plays with the idea of color. The rich golden brown hues from the Edison light bulb are similar to the golden honey color of cognac, something that is only obvious, however, when the bulb is paired with a cognac glass. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Tatjana Zlatkovic
The bright studio lighting within this photograph is what helps it to stand out, providing a somewhat surreal quality to the composition. Everything in this photo is styled in a way that will help the shadows and colors pop. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Laurens Kaldeway
This playful rendition of a ‘book nook’ takes the traditional notion of a small space where you read books and turns it into a literal experience. – 500px Editor
Urban
Photo by: Aslan Xiong
The vibrancy of this image catches your eye, with the model boldly popping in the center of the frame. The bright yellow creates a somewhat flat backdrop; however, the hand railing cuts perfectly through the photo, helping the viewer to recognize the depth within the image. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Irene Eberwein
This photo gives us a 1950s diner aesthetic, with cherry reds and checkerboard patterns. The clean backdrop allows for the decorative gas pump to really stand out, creating a nostalgic element within the composition. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Yeow Chin Liang
This snapshot, upon first glance, looks whimsical and fun; however, the children in this photograph also appear to be somewhat possessive of their playground. Ultimately, the photograph reminds us of what it’s like to be kids. – 500px Editor
Abstract
Photo by: Adrian Borda
This classic take on abstract photography incorporates a long exposure, creating movement within the photo. The warm and cool tones reflected in the water’s surface create a welcome contrast. – 500px Editor
Photo by: oprisco
This abstract composition incorporates some playful concepts. The tulips provide a sense of imagination that also give you a peek into the world portrayed in the novel the model is reading. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Filipp Rabachev
Glass is a great prop to use with abstract photography because of the many ways in which it can distort your subject. In this case, the glass contributes to the discussion around identity and how it can cage, refract, or obscure the thought process and self-understanding. – 500px Editor
Family
Photo by: Marina Bo
This image captures tenderness and chaos within a single frame. Elements of exhaustion and fatigue of a new baby are represented in this photograph; however, love, togetherness, and unity are also captured. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Adrian C. Murray
This photograph is more composed; however, we love the idea of kids hanging out with the family dog. The muted color palette and soft lighting in the photograph provides a calm and cozy atmosphere as these kids unwind and settle into a good story. – 500px Editor
Photo by: Maria Pavlova
This intimate snapshot between a grandchild and grandmother feels authentic. Maria has created an environment where the viewer is given the opportunity to peer into this everyday moment, creating a genuine and relatable connection to the pho – 500px Editor
We want to take a moment to thank you all for the outstanding work you’ve shared with us this year. We can’t wait to see what 2020 brings to the 500px Community.
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