Top shots: Your best photos of 2024

Editors' Photo Challenge: Your best photos of 2024

As 2024 draws to a close, we invited our readers to share their best photos from the past year. The response was fantastic, with submissions ranging from stunning macro shots of insects to breathtaking images of the night sky and everything in between. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed! The quality of the entries was exceptional, and unfortunately, we can only showcase a selection here.

To view all the submissions and discover which photos resonated most with your fellow readers, please visit the 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 Dec. 30)
• The Bus (closes Jan. 3)
• Home on the Range (closes Jan. 3)
• Locomotives (closes Jan. 3)
• Wild Peaks: Wildlife backed by the heights (closes Jan. 3)

Upcoming challenges

• A Big Year 2024 (starts Dec. 30)
• Face or faces in a crowd (starts Dec. 31)
• Stadiums/Arenas - wide angle (starts Jan. 2)
• Fire Engines (starts Jan. 4)
• Trees (starts Jan. 4)

And now, here are our top picks from the Best of 2024 Editors' Photo Challenge.

Kingfisher

Photographer: FujiJon

Description: I took this image from a hide at Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve in Hampshire, UK. Kingfishers aren't commonly seen, and certainly not as close as this. Having said that, this reserve is one place where you can (almost) guarantee a sighting. It sat on the branch for a short while, looking around, and I took a series of short bursts. I chose this one for the competition as the bird seemed to be balanced by 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

Saint Paul's Cathedral, London

Photographer: A Clark2

Description: Photographed from the nearby reflection garden. By holding the camera just above the surface of the water, I was able to make the pool look bigger than it is. The main problem was unaware people who spoiled the view by sitting on the far side of the pool.

Equipment: Sony a7R + Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G

Eagle hunter crossing stream

Photographer: JeffryzPhoto

Description: Western Mongolia: rider crossing a stream with his golden eagle. I loved the dynamic pose with a diagonal line from the bird through the rider and the horse's leg, along with the action.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 + Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR

Blossoms in the rain

Photographer: nt35

Description: Walking near home on a rainy day, I found these blossoms of trimezia coerulea. The color and the water drops seem amazing to me. I went home and took my camera and a piece of black cotton. This photo, I think, is the best of four I have taken.

Equipment: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000

Kestrel with prey

Photographer: GJvV

Description: This Kestrel flew to a pole with his prey. The conditions were good, with sunlight from behind me, and wind direction also from behind. When the bird would take off, it would fly towards me to get the proper lift. This shot was the best of the burst. I'm very happy with the result.

Equipment: Sony a7 IV + Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

Cuban ballerina

Photographer: GeffBourke

Description: We lead a photo tour to Cuba early in the year. This was taken on a shoot in Havana. This was in the morning, and she managed to get her hand in the sun as I shot at F18.

Equipment: Sony a1 + Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD

Chinese New Year with Mumu

Photographer: Mumupower123

Description: Mumu, a 1-year-old, is celebrating Chinese New Year. He is not interested in traditional "Red Packets." He is rather fond of red strawberries!

Equipment: Canon EOS R6 + Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art

Winter storm

Photographer: Gloomy1

Description: My focus for 2024 and 2025 is seascape photography, and a wild and windy day on Scotland's North coast seemed like the perfect opportunity, especially as high tide coincided with sunset. The sun had already disappeared behind the cliffs surrounding this sea arch. Lots of fun trying to determine the best shutter speed and then capture the best wave. In the end, I am happy that I have produced the best image possible from this location at this time, and that is how I judge success.

Equipment: Sony a7R IV + Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS

Moonrise over Black Mesa Coffee II

Photographer: Blind Bill

Description: I captured the moon as it rose over this small church in Northern New Mexico. It is easily one of my top 10 favorite pictures of all time. It took a bit of planning to get there and time the rising moon and setting sun.

Equipment: Sony a7R III + Sigma 105mm F1.4 DG HSM Art

The lioness

Photographer: Mdj180

Description: I took my first trip to Africa in 2024, and it was incredible (of course). In Lower Zambezi NP, Zambia, we spent a good amount of time with the local lion pride. This is a portrait shot of the alpha female walking towards me after feasting on the Impala they killed around dawn. The complex detail in her eyes still takes my breath away.

Equipment: Canon EOS R7 + Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Photographer: Howie1223

Description: This was taken on a sleigh ride through the Bavarian forest blanketed with a newly fallen snow, which allowed me to capture a magical fairytale-like image.

Equipment: Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II

Blue heron ballet

Photographer: Kilmer

Description: A lone Blue Heron suddenly attracts another bird. He starts a respectful distance away but soon begins to trash-talk the other Heron. He moves closer, and they charge into each other. One rises up in the air and drives the other one under the water. When they pop up, they assume this beak in the air, a graceful circling pose. It was taken in the Fall, so I didn't figure it was mating behavior. I have no idea what they were doing but it sure did make my birding trip.

Equipment: Nikon D500 + Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR

Robberfly's breakfast

Photographer: Lajos Hajdu

Description: I was about to leave for home, disappointed that I hadn't found the sought-after, rare dragonfly species at a creek in Hungary. Just then, I noticed this robber fly eating a freshly captured cicada on the railing of a wooden bridge.

Equipment: Canon EOS 80D + Sigma 105mm macro lens and Raynox 250 clip-on lens

Aurora 05.2024

Photographer: Vitalijs K

Description: Aurora polar lights in May 2024. The solar wind in 2024 often caused magnetic storms. One of the most memorable magnetic storms of the 2024 year occurred in May. The photo was taken in a national park - Gauja in Latvia.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-S10 + Sigma 10-18mm/2.8

Longines equestrian

Photographer: Jswcat

Description: After managing to wrangle a press pass from the Longines press manager (after supplying a print of what I took the day before), my eyes were opened to the competitiveness and the zeal behind competitive equestrians. This event took place on Miami Beach, with the ocean just 50 feet away.

Equipment: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV

Angolan lady smoking

Photographer: Maclean

Description: The lady was looking for a light to smoke her tobacco. We asked her to do this in the doorway of her house for a dark background.

Equipment: Nikon D850 + Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

Capturing Orion's hidden treasures

Photographer: GreenFirePhotography

Description: One of the most recognizable constellations in the sky holds some of the most beautiful and plentiful deep sky objects. This photo showcases some of the best. Starting at the bottom right, we see the Boogeyman Nebula (LDN 1620), the right edge of Barnard's Loop (Sh2-276), M78 (the 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 region corresponds to the area around Orion's sword in the night sky. After nearly a decade of work, the stars finally aligned for this stunning image.

Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MC + Red Cat 51 Refracting Telescope

Coco

Photographer: Gaspar17

Description: I chose this photo because it cheers me up. Since I can barely walk, Coco accompanies me on an electric bike. It was hard for him at first, but he ended up becoming a cycling enthusiast. We are touring the Vía Verde del Pas. a beautiful cycling path in Cantabria, Spain. In the background, you can see Monte Castillo, an area of ​​interesting prehistoric caves.

Equipment: Canon EOS M5 + Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

Hide and seek

Photographer: Timour 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 focusing distance of this lens. I tried to get as close as possible to the lizard without scaring it away. This photo has been published in The Guardian but was cropped by the editorial team. I prefer the original (uncropped) photo because that is the way I took it and composed the shot. I arranged the different visual elements within the frame in a certain way, and shooting in the 4:3 aspect ratio was a deliberate choice. There is always room for improvement, though.

Equipment: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 +Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4.0-6.3 ASPH Power OIS

Wild and amazing mini world

Photographer: Minas_Eye

Description: With a lot of patience, I got very close to this small drill fly with incredible green eyes (body around 10mm). It was then that I noticed its poor, tiny prey, invisible to a common observer.

Equipment: OM System OM-1 + OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS Pro