If you’re planning to enter our Urban Life round, which launches next week, take these tips from four of last year’s top ten photographers

As well as working on a weekly magazine, running a website and our social media platforms, we’re often out taking photos, whether for gear reviews or just for pure enjoyment outside of work. Here’s a selection of our favourite photos taken in 2025

From island-hopping in southerly Okinawa to farm experiences in rural Aomori and skiing in far northern Hokkaido, this diverse archipelago offers intriguing local culture, ancient history and epic wilderness experiences around every corner — and deeper exploration reaps huge rewards

Jonathon Isola, Chandler, Arizona, USA

Below: ‘The Roubaix finish line is different to other races. You can’t be straight on because there are still riders doing laps of the track. I’d only arrived about four minutes before winner Pauline

(whatever your budget!)