The Concept of the Top Ten Selections

For the last ten years, I have selected my top ten, my favorite photographs of the year, published them on my website, and created a video slideshow showcasing them. Not only is it always fun to reflect on the year gone by and relive those special moments, but I also find it valuable to review my work from the year, reflect on the photos I liked most, and consider what makes them special to me. Sometimes, I discover that photos I immediately liked don’t stand the test of time and don’t make it into the final selection. Other photos that I didn’t appreciate at first have grown on me and are now among my favorites. I find it insightful to think about the hows and whys of this, too.

My hope, my goal, and the reason I take on this arduous process again and again each year is to carry the insights I gain into the field and make better photographs in the year to come. I have no idea if that has worked out, but all in all, I enjoyed the process nonetheless.

Urban Animals

This year’s selection is called Urban Animals. For one thing, it consists of animal portraits and urban images. For another, I enjoy the wordplay, as I like to refer to my urban photos as “urban animals,” too. In addition to this bit of fun, giving my selections titles often helps me in the final stages. This year, it helped me exclude a photo of two chimneys (thus bringing the total down to ten photos) because it was more industrial in nature and simply didn’t match the title.

Now, without further ado, here is my selection of the top ten photographs from 2024. As always, click on the image to view it larger and in an almost distraction-free lightbox. Below the photos and the accompanying write-up, you can find a video slideshow of the images. Enjoy in whichever format you prefer!

Watusi #9

One might think that photographing animals in a zoo is an easy endeavor, given that they are confined to their enclosures. However, the enclosures often have out-of-sight areas for the animals to hide from us annoying humans, and we can’t direct them to pose in a certain way or walk into better lighting conditions. This is probably why I had to wait 11 years (!) before I got a second chance at a concept I used in my photo Watusi #2. While the angle is different, the similarities are obvious. I included this photo in this collection despite it being a remake and somewhat less creative in nature. However, taken with better light and superior camera equipment, this image more or less represents the completion of the original idea. Plus, it always feels good to see some progress in one’s work, doesn’t it?

Motherly Love #2

In an online discussion in a Facebook photo community, I stated that all photography is rooted in documentation. Indeed, a large part of what makes this image special is the moment it captures: an ape mother feeding her child while looking the human observer right in the eye. I can’t even begin to imagine the stories this situation (hopefully) inspires in the viewer’s mind. This is why I included it in this collection. By the way, if you are interested in Motherly Love #1, you can find it here.

Gorilla

This shot almost didn’t make it into this year’s top ten. After all, I already had a gorilla in last year’s collection. However, when my son saw the image recently, he responded so strongly to the gorilla’s pose that it reminded me how special this image is, even without the eye contact. I remember taking this photo vividly. The gorilla was actually quite lively and only sat like this for a few seconds before it moved on. Sometimes you just have to get lucky.

Brave New World

It’s not that I don’t appreciate the positive comments I received for this image on social media. People applauded the composition, the minimalism, and other artistic qualities. It makes me smile, though, how little thought went into capturing it. I was in Brussels with my family, waiting for a green traffic light to cross the street. Yes, I am one of those guys who actually waits when the lights are red. Just when they turned green, I looked right and saw this scene. I took a quick snap, hardly thinking about the composition, and then hurried across to rejoin my wife, who was not amused.

Cathedral Walls #2

I took this photo in the Catholic cathedral in Trier, Germany, and it’s another example of my luck. Being one of the main tourist attractions in town, this place was packed with people. Not only was I busy avoiding bumping into other tourists, but I was also quite overwhelmed by the countless visual stimuli this place offered. I only had a few seconds before another person walked into the frame. In situations like this, I tend to shoot without thinking in order to seize the opportunity before it passes. Quite honestly, at first, I didn’t really know why I took this photo, and I didn’t like it very much. It took a good deal of work on light management and some cropping to make it click in my mind.

Land of Confusion #4

Here is an image taken at Times Square in New York City. When I took this, I had already been up and running for 20 hours and felt completely knackered, which probably contributed to the feeling of sensory overload I experienced in that moment. Originally, I intended to add these images from Times Square to my Refractions series. However, back at home, with the impending US elections ahead, I decided to create a small sub-series called “Land of Confusion,” reflecting the aforementioned sensory overload as well as the looming victory of Uncle Donald.

What I like about this image is that, despite reflecting sensory overload, it still has some compositional order, with decent leading lines zigzagging through the frame.

Oculus #8

How could a photographer not love the Oculus? From the very earliest planning stages of our trip, I told my family that I would need some photography time there. I only had 45 minutes while they waited for me in a café. This is one of the many photographs I took of this amazing piece of architecture. Obviously, it’s about the lines and curves, but also about the high-key tonality. Instinctively, I tend to gravitate toward low-key tonalities and rich contrasts. I find getting the subtleties of high-key photographs tricky and difficult. Fortunately, I (arguably—you be the judge) got it right here.

Urban Concentration #15

This summer, I started a new series called Urban Concentration. The objective of the series is to show how population density in urban areas reflects in very densified or “concentrated” architecture and cityscapes using the compression of a telephoto lens. From all the images I took in New York City this October, this one reflects the objective of the series in the most aesthetically pleasing way. Plus, it boasts lots of detail for the viewer to get lost in.

Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan

When I was in New York City, the Harbour Lights Tour was hands down the most magical experience of the whole trip. It started at Pier 83 on the Hudson River (near the Javits Center) and took us all around Manhattan Island up to Williamsburg Bridge, then back south to Liberty Island, and finally back to Pier 83. All the while, we got to see the marvelous NYC skyline with its zillion lights. We were particularly lucky because we had a clear sky and a full moon hanging not too high above the skyline. Pure magic.

This image was taken on this tour. It was a difficult shot because it was quite dark for my camera, and the boat was constantly moving and shaking. I had to crank the ISO up to 8000 to get the shot. Thanks to the inventors of LR AI-based noise reduction, I was able to remove the noise almost completely. I think this is a special shot, not only because of the atmosphere it exudes but also because you can only get a shot from this particular angle on this tour. You can’t capture it this way from Brooklyn on the east side of the East River, so it’s a bit of a rarity.

State of Liberty

It’s the ambiguity of the billboard’s display that made me add this image to this year’s top ten selection. Is it joy or fury in the overlayed guy’s face? I showed this image to several friends. Some saw fury in it, while others saw triumph and joy. Luckily, I don’t have to decide and can enjoy seeing something different every time I look at this photo.

Top Ten 2024 – Video Slideshow

Conclusion

These were my top ten photographs from 2024. I hope you liked them! Please let me know what you think in the comments, maybe along with a link to your top ten photos if you’ve gone through a similar process yourself. All the best for 2025!