10 beautiful photos of 2015
From mountainous landscapes to a bookworm’s treasure trove, Yahoo Singapore picks out 10 striking photos of 2015 as the year draws to a close.
10. The beautiful allure of adventure
Burma the cat (pictured on the right) in Colorado’s San Juan mountains. Image: Burma Adventure Cat/ Instagram
Let one feline’s travel snaps inspire you to take on the great outdoors too. If an adventurous cat can do it, why can’t you too? This famous feline has scaled mountainous landscapes, trekked across jungles and swam in rivers with his owner Stephen Simmons and service dog Puppi. There’s a moving story behind the trio’s adventurous life: Simmons, an army veteran, started exploring the wilderness with his dog to help overcome PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), reported the Huffington Post. He adopted Burma shortly after starting on this active lifestyle and has since launched a travel photo book and inspired many other #adventurecat posts too.
9. The beauty of books
Literati Bookstore. Image: cmtobin/ Instagram
Print is not dead, if these cosy, independent bookstores are anything to go by. It’s the bookworm’s idea of a beautiful retreat within the city. San Francisco bookstore Chronicle Books started the #thisismybookstore hashtag in August 2014 as an ode to bookstores worldwide and has been featuring selected snaps weekly. Scroll through the tagged posts to find more bookish nooks to visit on your upcoming trips.
8. The most liked Instagram photo of 2015
The most popular photo to date on Instagram. Image: Kendall Jenner/ Instagram
Kendall Jenner’s snap has 3.3 million ‘likes’ to date and is currently the the most liked Instagram snap of all time, reported BBC. It should be of little surprise, considering that the 19 year-old model is among one of the most popular celebrities on Instagram, with over 44.8 million followers and counting. With this photo of her heart-shaped locks, Jenner broke the 2.4 million record of 2014, which went to a snap of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on their wedding day.
7. The beauty of femininity
Amy Schumer for the 2016 Pirelli Calendar. Image: Amy Schumer/ Instagram
This annual calendar by the tyremaker is better known for its sexy nude photos of supermodels. But in an empowering departure from tradition this year, the 2016 Pirelli calendar photographed by Annie Leibovitz features influential, inspiring women the likes of artist and activist Yoko Ono, musician Patti Smith, women’s tennis star Serena Williams and art collector Sadie Rain Hope-Gund.
The only nearly nude portrait is that of comedian Amy Schumer, pictured as if “she didn’t get the memo saying that she could keep her clothes on,” said Leibovitz. Schumer was as exuberant when she shared the snap on Instagram and Twitter, with the caption: “Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you Annie Leibovitz!”
6. The beauty of architecture
Architectural Interior of Sagrada Familia church, designed by Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, Spain. Image: PlusONE/ Shutterstock.com
Architect Antoni Gaudi famously said his client “is in no hurry”. Now into its 130th year of construction, Sagrada Familia will be the world’s tallest church once it’s completed and is said to be in the final phase of construction. Currently slated to be completed by 2026 to coincide with the 100 years since Gaudi’s death, even this deadline is far from — pardon the pun — set in stone. When speaking to the press in October this year, Chief architect Jordi Fauli admitted the decorative details could add another four to six years’ worth of construction work and postpone the completion date.
5. The beauty of space travel
Photo of Earth from space by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) from International Space Station. Image: NASA/ Instagram
Space projects may cost upward of billions to maintain. But if you ever need a reason to understand why these should continue, browse the awe-inspiring NASA Instagram feed. From Pluto’s ice mountains to the discovery of water on Mars, these photos cap off an eventful year for space exploration. To put things into perspective, shots of Earth by astronauts in space can just as easily remind you of how beautiful space travel can be.
4. The beauty of marine life
Image: Anuar Patjane Floriuk / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
Look no further than the annual National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest for beautiful snaps of the deep blue and its inhabitants. This Grand Prize-winning photo by Anuar Patjane Floriuk pictures a humpback whale and its newborn, cruising near Roca Partida island, in Mexico. The photographer hopes to raise awareness for protecting marine life of Roca Partida and other Revillagigedo Islands against the threat of illegal fishing.
3. The beauty of the great outdoors
Yellowstone national park by US Interior. Image: US Interior/ Instagram
Start following the U.S. Department of the Interior’s official Instagram account if you haven’t been doing so, for wanderlust-inspiring snaps of the great outdoors. As shown in this photo, the majesty of space can admired on Earth, away from the bright lights of urban life and city pollution. This particular scene was photographed at the Grand Prismatic Spring of the Yellowstone National Park, in the United States of America.
2. The scarily beautiful Instagram spot
Trolltunga in Norway. Image: yunsee_ / Instagram
The Huffington Post has called it “The Scariest Instagram Spot on Earth” and that’s not far from the truth.
Located at 2,300 feet (701.04 metres) above the Ringedalsvatnet lake in Norway, this travel destination made the headlines in September, after an Australian student fell to her death from the cliff. According to British tabloid The Telegraph, the 24 year-old was waiting for her friends on a crowded weekend at Trolltunga, when she lost her balance and slipped off the loose rocks.
1. Hope in tragedy
The lifeless body of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, found on a Turkish beach. Image: AFP News
This heartbreaking photo made the headlines in September and became a symbol of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. Now his father, Abdullah Kurdi, is reaching out to the world for help to empathise and support him and his fellow refugees who continue to make dangerous crossings to flee their war-torn country. Kurdi, lost his wife and two sons after the boat capsized. “My message is I’d like the whole world to open its doors to Syrians. If a person shuts a door in someone’s face, this is very difficult,” said the 39 year-old. Watch his moving appeal on video here.
