Although you might know all of us here more by our words than by our photos, we are all photographers and we wield our cameras with overwhelming levels of enthusiasm. This of course produces prodigious quantities of pictures. You might get to see some of them alongside our articles, but we don’t tend to talk about them much. So to wrap up 2010, we thought that we’d let you see the world through Team Small Aperture’s photographic eyes. These are our favourite pictures that we’ve taken this year.
We hope that next year’s pictures will be even better. But until then, we all wish you a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year.
Daniela
I’ll let you into a secret, I almost deleted this photo. No, not accidentally, but deliberately. Honestly.
I took it in a bead emporium in the souk in Marrakech. Immediately after I’d taken it, I didn’t examine it that closely because I tried not to draw too much attention to myself and my camera. It’s not exactly discreet to stand around critiquing your own work in a bustling market. Later in the evening, when I did stop to look at it, I was a bit disappointed. I’d not really captured what I wanted, but seeing as the chances of me finding that particular bead shop again were slim-to-none, I held on to it.
Back in the UK, where mint tea and haggling over leather goods were but a distant memory, I began to sift through my photos properly. Suddenly, somehow, the picture looked different. The colours seemed vibrant and the depth of field was intriguing. I actually liked it. I even liked it enough to have it printed. It’s on the wall of the library in the Small Aperture mansion. It’s a reminder of an awesome trip, and not to make hasty decisions.
Matt
It was honestly really hard to choose. I feel this is my favourite because it is one from my first series, Our Choices, which is a series of four photographs that depicts the choices we make as human beings, and the possible repercussions that can come with them.
Burning My Heart explores our emotional need as human beings, to be loved. Even though our emotions most certainly have been ‘burnt’ repeatedly by failed relationships, we continue to seek out other relationships, searching for our ‘one true love.’
Although, the photo may appear staged, it is not. All the photos in this series were hunted for months until I found the perfect image that I felt best showcased my ideas. You can take a look at all of them here.
David
I have a few favourites from 2010, but this one is definitely at the top of my list. This photo was taken on a random side street in Vilnius back in August. I went to Lithuania with my girlfriend to visit her mother. It was my first visit there and it was amazing.
What I love about this picture is that it describes Vilnius exactly how I remember it… the narrow cobblestone streets, the beautiful architecture of the churches, and just the overall feel you get of being in Lithuania. I can’t wait to go back again and I hope to in 2011. More of my Vilnius pictures are here!
Gareth
I found it nigh-on impossible to pick my favourite image I’ve taken this year. To clarify, I don’t mean that in an egotistical way – I didn’t sit at my laptop, scrolling through countless images, crying ‘but they’re ALL magnificent!’ What actually happened was I spent a miserable morning picking holes in every single image I’ve taken, thanks to my somewhat self-critical approach to reviewing my own work. To resolve this, I decided to go for the image that I remember being the most excited about before, during and after the shot itself.
This was a promotional image for a female wrestler who wanted to look simultaneously strong and feminine. The idea actually came to me on the day of shooting, moments before my client was due to arrive. It turned out exactly as I’d hoped – a spot of superheroine magic combined with evoking ideas of weightlifting and strength. The magic dust (also known as bread flour) created this perfect arc just as I hit the shutter release, so a combination of sudden inspiration, a great model to work with and a spot of luck makes this my favourite shot of the year.
If you fancy looking at some more of my pictures, you’ll find them here.
Haje
This is one of my favourite photos of 2010 – it came about more by luck than by anything: I was at the top of a climbing wall, and my niece was climbing up, too. I took a photo, and then realised that the light was absolutely gorgeous. So I kept snapping. She was a fast climber, and I only had about a minute to get the shot, but what came out was entirely worth it.
You can find more of my ‘best of’ on Pixiq.