We love highlighting our amazing photographers, and we’ve been privileged to speak to twelve contributors with outstanding collections throughout 2024. As the year draws to a close, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to look back at our highlights or, if you missed any, remind you to take a look!
January 2024 – Katrina Brown
We kicked off the year with a celebration of light and colour with night sky photographer and light painter Katrina Brown. She brought us some well needed brightness while our days were still short and our evenings dark, allowing us a fascinating insight into how she captures star trails from the California Desert.
“I really LOVE the idea of capturing something the eye can’t see all at once, hence star trails and light painting. Both only exist in time and not in our sight, but the camera changes all that!…The beauty of photographing star trails and light painting lies in the fact that they’re essentially like secrets hidden in plain sight. Our eyes…can’t quite grasp the full enchantment of these phenomena all at once. It’s the universe’s way of saying, “Hey, there’s a whole world of wonder out here that you might be missing!”
February 2024 – Rasmus Nielsen
In February we followed insect macro photographer Rasmus Nielsen into a hidden world of a different nature. Through his stunning images, he brought us the wonders of insect life up close and personal. Even the most adverse to creepy crawlies couldn’t deny the arthropodic beauty Rasmus is able to showcase in his incredibly detailed and vibrant images.
“The intricate details and fascinating patterns found in insects are awe-inspiring and provide a wealth of artistic opportunities. The world of insects is incredibly diverse, with literally over one million species, and each species has unique features that can be beautifully showcased through close-up photography. Insects are an often-overlooked group of animals. I hope to in still a sense of appreciation and awe, encouraging others to see the beauty in even the smallest of organisms. All animals, no matter the size, are equal, and humans are no exception!”
March 2024 – Malte Müller
We also have an extensive collection of vectors and illustrations, so for March’s spotlight, we wanted to switch things up and highlight illustrator Malte Müller’s fantastic collection.
Often playing with scale and perspective, Malte creates surreal scenes combined with muted colour palettes in order to illustrate many relatable and pressing issues of today, with a perhaps unnerving humour, while continuing to grow a highly versatile collection.
“What motivates me most is…that my work allows me to be self-sufficient and independent, even if it’s often not the easiest way to make a living. It’s worth the challenge, as creating something yourself and then selling it is a very satisfying process.
I find my inspiration in everyday life. I mostly illustrate the little stories and problems that people experience every day.”
April 2024 – Neil C Robinson
In April, we found ourselves back in more familiar territory and celebrated the extraordinary within the ordinary with everyday life and landscape photographer Neil C Robinson.
It takes a deep understanding of image-making and a naturally creative eye to be able to find the beauty in the mundane, to extract eye-catching compositions from daily life and Neil is able to do just this.
Capturing the world around us, his images encourage us to see our surroundings in a different way and to appreciate the ordinary. This theme is further solidified with his unique aesthetic, utilizing muted colours to hark back to the age of analogue, a reaction to the over saturation we can be exposed to today.
“I get a little frustrated with digital photography at times and often think back to my film days, especially when I was experimenting with various colour neg films, and I think I am just simply trying to get back to those days a little with the colour palette. I don’t consider that those colours are muted – to be honest I just think a lot of digital photography is a little too saturated and bears no relation to reality, though of course I understand why, it’s just not for me.”
May 2024 – Riccardo Lennart Niels Mayer
For our spotlight in May, we immersed ourselves in African life with documentary and lifestyle photographer Riccardo Lennart Niels Mayer, who works hard to show the many different aspects of African communities, not only capturing joyous moments but equally vowing to never shy away from more difficult subjects.
Shocked by the lack of insight he has found most people have about life in Africa, along with its often negative portrayal, Riccardo’s images serve as an important and honest window into the diverse and emotional lives of those who live there.
“The overwhelming difference between what I’ve been told about Africa and the reality I’ve witnessed…pushes me to capture the everyday lives of my friends in Mali. It’s photographing the happiness of the children when their birthday gifts are exercise books and pens for school, it’s witnessing the joy in the eyes of a girl when she dances in the first rain after long periods of drought, it’s capturing Malian boys playing soccer barefoot in dusty clouds with an old, torn ball. It’s the purity and the authenticity in those smiles.”
Read Riccardo’s Spotlight here
June 2024 – Ian Walker
In June, we braved the early British summer weather and got out and about exploring badger sets and seal colonies with wildlife photographer Ian Walker. Having dabbled in wildlife photography pre-covid, Ian used it as a way of winding down and getting out into the fresh air. It then evolved to be his main focus, and it taught him just how patient he could be.
Occasionally venturing further afield to America, the self-professed animal lover hopes his beautiful shots will make all those who view them be kind to animals.
“I love animals. Every passing year makes me appreciate them more, so photographing them was just the obvious conclusion – everything that went before was just good practice. Also, it allows me to go out into nature, to get away from people. I enjoy the not knowing whether you will get to see anything, let alone actually shooting any sort of photograph – knowing that there is always the possibility is enough.”
July 2024 – Kim Petersen
We managed to catch up with Kim Peterson for our July spotlight. A travel and landscape photographer, Kim documents his travels all over the globe.
He makes it his mission to give a platform to the different cultural and religious backgrounds of the communities he immerses himself in, and his beautifully diverse collection is testament to how successfully he achieves this.
“[I am] driven by a deep desire to capture captivating landscapes and cultures rather than a simple urge to explore. When I embark on a photography trip, it becomes a state of mind for me, akin to a meditative experience that allows me to disconnect from the busyness of everyday life.”
August 2024 – Luc Kordas
In August we featured lifestyle and street photographer Luc Kordas, who captures the lives of his fellow residents of New York City. He utilizes natural light and the city lights in order to show a different side to his subjects, hoping that his viewers will use their imagination when thinking about the narratives behind his images, and using creative techniques which leave room for multiple interpretations of his work.
“New York is a paradise for photographers, especially street photographers, it is without a doubt the photographic capital of the world.
It’s definitely not an easy place to live, it’s the source of many frustrations and – being so huge – it wears people thin in the long term. But all that is annoying for me as a New York resident, is a source of inspiration for me as a photographer.”
September 2024 – Phil Judd
We dared to take a walk on the wild side with African wildlife photographer Phil Judd for our September feature. A relative newcomer to the Alamy community we were excited to have him on board and speak to him about how he has pursued a second career in the world of photography.
Stories of being on the ground surrounded by scorpions and a close shave with a white lion had us on the edge of our seats!
“Africa made an impression on me like no other country, as our house in Zimbabwe was surrounded by the bush and an abundance of wildlife. I love being able to capture animals and insects in their own environment, and display nature’s variety and beauty.”
October 2024 – Sanga Park
With autumn upon us, it seemed apt to highlight the work of travel photographer Sanga Park, whose images often feature the stunning autumnal hues of the beautiful South Korean landscape.
A South Korean native, she strives to share the beauty of her country with her viewers, showing that South Korea is undoubtably worth a visit for any landscape travel photographer.
“South Korea is my home and a country with four distinct seasons. Every month and every season you can see a very different landscape, for example you can capture cherry blossoms in the Spring and a completely different snowy landscape in the Winter.”
November 2024 – Andreas von Einsiedel
We were excited to be able to explore a completely different photography genre for our November spotlight with interiors photographer Andreas von Einsiedel, especially as he is an international leader in his field, with a huge collection of over 21,000 images.
From minimalist modern homes to spawling country manors briming with personal possessions, Andreas captures the full spectrum of interior design styles, resulting in a treasure trove of content; stimulating to those looking for interior inspiration or (if you’re anything like us) intriguing to those who love poking their noses around other people’s homes.
“To do good work the photographer needs to feel relaxed and secure in what they are doing. If challenged by an overbearing proprietor or a meddlesome client and made to feel insecure in their decisions the photographer is being put into an impossible situation. Downing tools and walking out is not an option.”
December 2024 – Misha Martin
Our final spotlight of 2024 featured landscape and travel photographer Misha Martin. We followed him to his prefered environment of unspoilt peaceful landscapes far from the hustle and bustle of the urban cityscapes which he actively avoids.
Currently residing in Iceland, Misha combines the use of drones with an analogue aesthetic to produce stunning images of the landscape he has unsurprisingly fallen in love with.
“All my work is dedicated to capturing the moment, as I’m a visual thinker, and my main focus is on creating aesthetically pleasing art. I tend to emphasise details, textures, and minimal compositions. I rarely include people in my photos, but when I do, it’s often to highlight how small we are in comparison to nature.”
We hope you enjoyed this round-up of 2024’s Instagram Feature Spotlights. We’re sure next year’s spotlights will be just as informative and interesting, and we look forward to seeing who will be featured.
Make sure you’re following us on Instagram to follow along with our spotlights in the new year, and who knows, we might even be in touch to feature you!
And if we’ve whet your appitite for gaining insites into the inner workings of our contributors, why not check out our News, Sports & Entertainment Spotlights too?