“A polar bear carves out a bed from a small iceberg before drifting off to sleep in the far north, off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.” (Photo: Nima Sarikhani // Instagram)
Photography is a medium that has both artistic and cultural value. It affords us the ability to see new perspectives while also capturing universal emotions and sharing a relatable sense of nostalgia. As we near the end of another year, photography also provides a way for us to look back at what’s transpired over the past 12 months. It has become a beloved tradition here at My Modern Met to take a trip back through photography and reflect on the past 365 days. And while there have been countless images taken, we’ve narrowed our list down to highlight the photos that really stood out as both a document of this year and as timeless snapshots of life that have drawn an emotional response from us.
This year has been a really big one for astrophotography. Several astronomical events have taken place in 2024, and countless astrophotographers chased the beckoning calls of the cosmos. From the Great North American Eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower to the rare appearance of red sprites and a double moonbow, it’s been a year to keep our eyes (and lenses) to the skies. NASA and astronauts aboard the ISS have also provided ample footage of our truly awe-inspiring universe.
Much like the sublime beauty of galactic images, which often spark a sense of adventure, we've been treated to some wanderlust-inducing landscape and cityscape photography. However, we've found that photographers have captured more than just shots of empty expanses of land, sea, sky, and space. They’ve documented moments of our collective history or visualized the essence of a feeling within each respective frame.
There has also been a surge in truly moving wildlife photography and photojournalism this year. Images of endangered animals, funny creatures in the wild, and even a shocking display of deceased birds have caught our attention this year. Going hand in hand with anything having to do with wildlife, the environment has also continued to be a topic of interest for many photographers. The looming fate of the planet due to climate change has certainly heightened the obligation many photographers feel they have to get the message out about saving our planet. Countless causes, initiatives, and campaigns exist, but a single image can be more powerful than all of them combined. This year, we've had multiple reminders via photography of the imminent dangers of global warming and humankind's impact.
Two other ever-present themes in photography are love and war—and 2024 had plenty of both. From the simple, warm smile of a little girl surrounded by colorful little felt balls to the sobering reality of children living in war-torn countries, the emotions emanating from these images run the gamut. Through their images, photographers and photojournalists have allowed us to feel joy, sadness, comfort, and empathy throughout the year. Many of these documentarians also travel the world, offering us a glimpse of all different cultures, subcultures, and traditions.
Ultimately, 2024 was a year filled with a wide range of images that help us to better assess and understand life—whether that's human life, wildlife, or the life of our planet. So, join us as we take a look back at 2024 in pictures.
Here are My Modern Met's picks for the Best Photos of 2024—a mix of photography that captures the beauty, the heartache, and everything in between from the last year.
A “Bird Layout” of over 4,000 dead birds who died due to window collision. Their bodies were collected and arranged by volunteers to draw attention to this problem and honor the fallen birds. (Photo: Patricia Seaton Homonylo // Facebook | Instagram)
“Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse” – progression of Baily's beads during an annular eclipse, which are formed when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters found on the Moon's surface. (Photo: Ryan Imperio // Instagram)
Powerful image of an older woman standing alone near a wall, with just a beam of light illuminating her. Used in a campaign to spotlight the struggle to live with Alzheimer's disease. The photographer shot the image only using natural light. (Photo: Lucila Blumencweig // Website | Instagram)
Black and white photo highlighting the inherent high contrast of the medium. A white cat lies on a black background as two black cats are set against a white background. (Photo: Karlynne Wintels // Website | Instagram)
A curious student turns to look directly into the camera in a classroom in Zanzibar. (Photo: Roberta Vagliani // Website | Instagram)
A boy looking in awe at marine life at an aquarium in Tampa, Florida. Image shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. (Photo: Erin Brooks // Instagram)
The moment a jaguar delivers a fatal bite to a caiman in the Pantanal. (Photo: Ian Ford // Website | Instagram)
After mating several times, the lioness calls it off at the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. (Photo: William Fortescue // Website | Instagram)
Children play in the foreground of a war-torn Ukraine as smoke in the aftermath of explosion can be seen in the background. (Photo: Patryk Jaracz // Website | Instagram | Facebook)
Women walking across stepwells in Rajasthan, India, which were initially built to harvest rainwater thousands of years ago. (Photo: Barry Crosthwaite // Instagram | Flickr)
From the photo series “African Victorian,” which explores Zimbabwean identities through high fashion. (Photo: Tamary Kudita // Website | Instagram)
A representation of Gaia from Greek mythology that looks like a Baroque-esque painting, but is actually a photograph. (Photo: Paul Szimák // Website | Instagram)
“With Buddha (symbol of inspiration) in the backdrop, Bhutanese teenagers engage in a spirited game of baseball in the capital of Thimphu. Clad in the nation's traditional noble attire, they embody the harmonious blend of tradition and modernity that defines Bhutan.” (Photo: Matthew Desantis // Instagram | Prints)
A poignant moment between a mother and her three calves—two sleeping peacefully on her chest while the third, weary, rests beside her face. The Milky Way was captured in this same place. (Photo: Lurdes Santander // Instagram)
Photographer dangled from a helicopter to capture abstract aerial photos of landscapes. (Photo: Andrei Duman // Website | Instagram)
Comet A3 rising up over the horizon just before orbital sunrise with aurora streaking, captured by an astronaut aboard the ISS. (Photo: NASA / Matthew Dominick // X)
Long-exposure astrophotography in an area in Kyrgyzstan with little population density and ample dark skies. (Photo: Soumyadeep Mukherjee // Instagram | Facebook)
Rare photo of massive red sprites amid the Perseid meteor shower. (Photo: Paul M. Smith // Website | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram)
Lotomau Fiafia (72), a community elder, stands with his grandson John at the point where he remembers the shoreline used to be when he was a boy at Salia Bay, Kioa Island, Fiji. (Photo: Eddie Jim // Instagram)
Hidden beneath the iconic peaks of Colorado's high country a pair of Colorado River Cutthroat trout spawn in the gravels of a small lake outlet. (Photo: David Herasimtschuk | Freshwaters Illustrated // Website | Instagram)
A Bryde’s whale about to devour a heart-shaped baitball. (Photo: Rafael Fernández Caballero // Instagram; Ocean Photographer of the Year // Website | Facebook | Instagram)
Aerial photo of Kelingking Beach in Bali, shot with an iPhone 14 Pro Max. (Photo: Yuepeng Bao // Instagram)
Twin planes flying under the Great North American Eclipse. (Photo: Dustin Snipes // Website; and Mason Mashon // Instagram)
Lunar occultation of Saturn — the Moon appears to pass in front of Saturn. (Photo: Andrew McCarthy // Website | Instagram | X | Patreon | TikTok)
Rare double moonbow, an optical phenomenon happens when moonlight is refracted through water droplets in the air. (Photo: Aaron Watson // Website | Facebook | Instagram)
HDR photo of the Great North American Eclipse captured from Clarksville, Texas. (Photo: Miguel Claro // Website | Facebook | Instagram)
A 1.3-gigapixel photo showcasing the central part of the Vela Supernova Remnant, the cosmic corpse of a gigantic star that exploded as a supernova about 11,000 years ago. (Photo: CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA)
Perseid meteor shower raining shooting stars over Stonehenge. (Photo: Josh Dury // Website | Facebook | Instagram)
Perfectly aligned photo of the Moon, Basilica of Superga, and Monviso mountain just outside of Turin, Italy. (Photo: Valerio Minato // Website | Facebook | Instagram)
Powerful portrait of a Ukrainian refugee in France, posing in front of a backdrop displaying her destroyed homeland. (Photo: Danila Tkachenko // Website | Facebook | Instagram)
A sobering look at war-torn Syria, when a peace player plays music to make the children feel safe as warplanes fly in the sky. (Photo: Mouneb Taim // Instagram)
The moment a bobcat leaped up to snatch a blue heron out of the sky. (Photo: Jacob Hall // Instagram)
Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) with a freshly caught European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in the Spanish Sierra de Andújar. (Photo: Staffan Widstrand // Website | Instagram | Facebook)
From the series “The Sanctuary,” which explores abandoned mosques in small villages across Turkey. (Photo: James Kerwin // Website | Instagram)
Dreamy present-day photo of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk that looks like a nostalgic image from decades past. (Photo: Helene Havard // Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube)
B2 Bomber jet flying over the Rose Bowl. (Photo: Tyler Leipprandt // Website | Facebook | Instagram)
“I took this in a felt ball factory while I was shooting a documentary video. This small girl was curious about my camera, so while I was on a break, I took her picture.” (Photo: Bibek Kunwar // Instagram)
Real photo of a flamingo from a forced perspective that makes it look like it's headless. This photo initially won an AI photo competition but then was disqualified after it was revealed to be a real photo. (Photo: Miles Astray // Website | Instagram | Facebook)
