The year is wrapping up, which means it’s time to highlight some of the most popular, interesting, and engaging photographs uploaded to Flickr in 2019. Ready for some inspiration?

To compile this top 25 list, we started with an algorithm that took into account several engagement metrics, like how many times the photo was viewed, faved, or commented. The selection also involved curation by Flickr staff.

Most of the top photos come from long-term community members, professional and self-taught photographers from different countries around the world with an eye for people, nature, and beautiful landscapes.

Top 25 Photos of 2019

Mother Nature by Lizzy Gadd (Canada) with a Sony ILCE-7RM3.

Undeniable Dilemma by Koen Jacobs (Belgium) with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

Antwerp and the Jewish community have a long history together. When you walk through the diamond neighbourhood in Antwerp, you will see many Jews there. They are known to be very conservative and do not want their photo to be taken. That posed a dilemma for me as a photographer, but since I wanted to document the real life on the streets, I took the photo.

Untitled by Kristina Makeeva (Russia)

This photo was taken right next to our house. A few years ago, we noticed a field of lupins, and now every year, we come up with new frames for them when they bloom.

In the city of nomads… by Elena Shumilova (Russia) with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

This photo was taken in the abandoned city of Nomads in Kazakhstan. Nobody lives there — it was once a movie set. Nowadays, people live in big, modern cities, but I wanted to showcase the beauty and independence of the nation.

Balance by Jessica Drossin (USA) with a Canon EOS 5DS R.

For this photo, I was inspired by Autumn, its colors and tones. Particularly by the gentle breeze blowing leaves off trees and playfully messing this child’s long, beautiful hair. I thought it might be interesting to ask her to try to balance herself and walk across a few rocks that were running parallel to me. This became fun for her. She started swaying as she tried to keep her balance, and I felt like it fit perfectly with the graceful falling leaves around us.

Kiss The Paws by Audrey Bellot (France) with a NIKON D500.

The dog in this picture is Hermione; she’s a mixed breed. She is very lovely, but unfortunately, she started to go blind very early. This picture shows her joy. She was so happy to run and jump. I took this picture in a forest in France, during the autumn season. The leaves are beautiful and perfectly matched Hermione’s fur! For this photoshoot, we looked for a beautiful trunk, then I laid down, waiting for her! She was very fast, and she made it, she was flying.

Snowy owl – Harfang des neiges – Bubo scandiacus by Maxime Legare-Vezina (Canada).

I found this beautiful male on a nice perch in a field as the sun was rising and the moon was setting away in the backdrop. I noticed that the moon was quite big and it’s only once I got home that I realised that it was actually a ‘super moon’. What a chance!

Sharpless 308 (the Dolphin Nebula) by Martin Heigan (South Africa).

I’ve been concentrating on imaging some of the Nebulae and Supernova remnants that are not often seen. A lot of these objects are several times larger than the Moon, but extremely faint, and require several nights of multiple long stacked exposures to gather enough light. The Dolphin Nebula (Sharpless 308) is located near the center of the constellation Canis Major, about 8 degrees south of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. The nebula is bubble-like, surrounding a star named EZ Canis Majoris. This star is in the brief, pre-supernova phase of its stellar evolution.

USS John F. Kennedy by Claire Gentile (USA) with a NIKON D750.

I photographed this ship at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. After I learned this majestic beauty would soon be dismantled, my goal was to preserve her beauty and glory in the environment which she served and deserves. Standing close to photograph her, I could feel the history, power and importance. And, with some creative editing, I believe her story will be remembered long after she is gone.

Wintery Wave – Tête-de-Ran – Switzerland by Guillaume Kaufmann (Switzerland) with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

There is something very graphic and very balanced in the way trees are disposed there, especially in winter. It almost looks like a music partition: simple and elegant. I am always looking for such spots, but they are quite rare, actually. This morning, I was there for taking drone footage for a video, but I decided to stop there while driving just to take a few shots with my DSLR. The conditions, the atmosphere given by the mist were just perfect!

Pure Magic by Alex Noriega (USA).

Kingy on ice by Andy Harris (UK) with a Nikon D500.

Sakrisøy Dreams by Ramón M. Covelo (Spain) with a NIKON D800.

Postcards Shot of Zion National Park by Celia W Zhen (Canada) with a Nikon D800E.

…Frozen… by Philip Male (UK) with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

Milky Way over Dragon Arch by Royce Bair (USA) with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III.

Snowy Owl by Tom Ingram (USA) with a Nikon D5.

Hobby… by Jeff Lack (UK).

Caribou Minimalism by Khurram Khan (USA).

Resurrect by Jesse Moran (USA) with a SONY ILCE-7RM3.

The Landing by Monte Stinnett (USA).

Dune Light by Jim Patterson (USA) with a Panasonic DMC-G85.

Puffin by George Hart (UK) with a Canon EOS R.

Chocolate Mountains by Perez Alonso Photography (Spain, France, UK).

Short-Eared Owl by Ann and Chris (UK).

View the top galleries by country on the official Flickr account and join the conversation online using the hashtag #SeenOnFlickr.