Bird of México City
Photo by Pierre Henket

My best shot

A ‘bird of Mexico City’ strikes a revolutionary pose: Pieter Henket’s best photograph

‘In Mexico, which has a strong macho culture, the lucha libre wrestling mask is a symbol of masculinity. Ixchel was taking that back’

Interview by Simon Bainbridge

Wed 6 May 2026

Itook this picture, called La Mujer [The Woman], on the very first day of a project called Birds of Mexico City. I remember thinking, in that moment, that this is one of those rare pictures where you know immediately something special is happening.

Derek and Quentin, twins from Indiana who live in the woods: Robin de Puy’s best photograph

 

Derek and Quentin, twins from Indiana who live in the woods: Robin de Puy’s best photograph

This article is more than 6 months old

‘I spotted them in a town called Elkhart, jumped out of the car and ran towards them. If you didn’t know their story, you might think they were runners or cyclists. Then you see the tattoos’

Interview by Chris Broughton

Wed 21 May 2025 14.36 

My first trip photographing Americans was in 2015, when I drove 8,000 miles across the country on a Harley-Davidson. I’d spent too long caught up in assignments and wanted to take some time off from commercial and editorial work to follow my own creative urges. America offered an opportunity to explore a landscape I didn’t know, and was far enough away from my home in the Netherlands to ensure it wouldn’t be easy for me to just go back if things got difficult.

Farmer Annie and her prize-winning sheep: Joanne Coates’ best photograph

 

MY BEST SHOT

Farmer Annie and her prize-winning sheep: Joanne Coates’ best photograph

This article is more than 1 year old

‘Sheep are Annie’s passion. She won an award with this north country cheviot. It’s put on a stand to keep it still’

Interview by Ella Braidwood

Wed 12 Jun 2024 15.20 BST

I moved back home to rural North Yorkshire in 2016, where I met my partner, a farmer. When you spend a lot of time on a farm, you end up helping out. I’m not from a farming background so I joined a Facebook group for women in farming to feel a bit more supported. You can ask about practical things – no question is a stupid one.

 

MY BEST SHOT

‘My mother had dementia but beautiful things unfolded’: Cheryle St Onge’s best photograph

‘She wasn’t very fond of Skipper, our jack russell, who loved the hose. But they were dancing together – two beings in the afternoon sunlight, having their own conversation’

Interview  by Charlotte Jansen

25 November 2025

Iam an only child. My father was killed in a car accident when I was 14 and my mother was 47. We were really tightly bonded after that. She worked at a university and was an artist: she painted and carved birds. She was a wonderful person, who lit up a room and was someone everyone wanted to be around. She was very giving.

My best shot / A husband and wife kiss in a doorway: Baldwin Lee’s best photograph

 

My best shot

A husband and wife kiss in a doorway: Baldwin Lee’s best photograph

‘I wanted to create a dialogue between the couple kissing and the plaque showing two people in a similar pose. I didn’t ask about the hats. That wasn’t the kind of questioning I engaged in’

A dwarf crocodile carried home by a hunter: Thomas Nicolon’s best photograph

 

MY BEST SHOT

A dwarf crocodile carried home by a hunter: Thomas Nicolon’s best photograph

‘As a species, these crocs are easy to find and easy to catch. Brice Itoua is the most skilled hunter in his village. But they kill the crocs to eat – not to sell’

Interview by Chris Broughton

Wed 23 Apr 2025 15.00 BST

My best shot

Michael Schumacher on the phone in Japan: Jon Nicholson’s best photograph

‘“What do you want me to do?” he said when we got to his trailer. I couldn’t have him just staring at me, so I said: “Maybe pick up the phone?” I don’t know if he called anyone’

Interview by Richard Williams

Wednesday 8 May 2024

Igot into photographing motor sport through my friendship with Damon Hill. When we met, 40 years ago, I had a job in the marketing department of an office supplies manufacturer and he was mostly on a motorbike, either earning his living as a dispatch rider or racing at Brands Hatch. Then he switched to racing on four wheels – his dad, Graham Hill, had been a double Formula 1 world champion. Damon is a really shy bloke and it was important to him to be with people who weren’t just fascinated by his family history. I didn’t know one end of a racing car from the other.

THE GUARDIAN 

My best shot / Ian McKellen becoming Mother Goose: Frederic Aranda’s best photograph

 

Ian McKellen becoming Mother Goose: Frederic Aranda’s best photograph

He’s in his dressing room, minutes before going on stage as a panto dame. “Snap away,” he said. “Whatever you like. You don’t need to ask.” So I felt free to get stuck in’

Interwiew by Ryan Gilbert
Wednesday 13 December 2023

Ian and I met seven years ago when our mutual friend Alan Cumming sat us next to each other at a dinner party. We hit it off and Ian invited me to join his quiz team the following week at the Grapes, his pub in east London. I’ve been going ever since. Our team name changes every week. There’s another team, called the Pirates of Men’s Pants, who tend to win, but we beat them maybe once a month. Doing the pub quiz regularly fits with Ian’s whole way of life, which is about making time to have fun. We’ve become good friends: we go to the theatre, or go dancing. He’s hilarious: his timing is always on point, but his humour is never at other people’s expense.