One Photo to Tell Your Year's Story

Finding the one image that captures the story of my year, and how to spot yours

This was my image that summed up how I felt about last year. Below I explain why and how to find yours

Every year, I choose one photo that tells the story of my year.

Not the most technically perfect shot, or the one with the best light. This is not a beauty pageant nor a photography competition.

Just the one that captures everything.

You know how people have a word for their year? Well, I have a photo.

Last year's winner was taken in a static caravan in Cornwall. My daughter's using her lunch cucumber slices as an eye mask, my son has dropped his on a questionably clean carpet, and there's my partner working in the background. We should have been in Spain – but a passport mishap at the ferry terminal had other ideas.

Instead of sangria, we got gale-force winds that almost sent our tent airborne at 3am. Instead of tapas, I made grant applications, written from a campsite. Then we upgraded to this caravan. Our friends took one across the drive. And somehow, in the middle of an intense period of change, this photo captured something perfect: the art of finding joy in Plan B.

It's not a technically brilliant photo. The colour composition is chaotic. But it tells a story of optimism in the face of total chaos. It shows self-care (cucumbers), friendship (across the drive), and that particular kind of laughter that only comes when things go spectacularly wrong.

This is why I choose one photo each year. Not just the posed shots or the pretty sunsets (though sometimes it is), but the ones that show what really happened. The before, the after, and the messy bits in between. Always with a story.

Want to find your photo of the year?

Look for the ones that make you pause. The ones that tell a story beyond what's in the frame. Sometimes the most meaningful shots are the ones that wouldn't make the Instagram cut.

Quick win

Create a 'Print These' album for shots that stop you scrolling. The ones that make you laugh, remember, or tell a story. Those are your gold.