Stephen Rees's blog

Instead of a specific theme or topic, we invite you to share your most meaningful photo from 2017. This isn’t necessarily the “best” photo you’ve taken this year — feel free to post your most technically accomplished photo of the year if you’d like, but we equally encourage you to think about other parameters.

From the photo that generated the most reactions on your blog to the one that has the deepest emotional pull on you, define “favorite” in whatever way works best for you. Your chosen image doesn’t have to be one you’ve already shared in a previous Photo Challenge. Anything goes, as long as it’s a photo from 2017.

This image was taken in October in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was the second port of call on the Panama Canal cruise. We had taken a regular local bus into town, and were just wandering around the Old Town. This bridge is over the Ribera de Rio which is both a conservation area and a market aimed at visitors.

This shot was unposed, unanticipated but it captured a moment perfectly. The smile is utterly natural – and not aimed at me but the girl’s mother who is some distance behind me, waiting for her daughter to catch up to her. As soon as I read those two paragraphs of the challenge, I knew which picture I would choose.

I too look forward to seeing what others will be posting as their 2017 Favorites. 

Bonus image: the view from my window right now