TOP SHOTS: Check out some of The Border Mail's favourite pictures for 2022

MARK JESSER, JAMES WILTSHIRE and ASH SMITH share their top 10 pictures of the past 12 months.

In picking my top 10 images of the year it was a balance between different photographic techniques and key moments from across the region.

Using two flashes I created a silhouette of an anonymous mother, illustrating the lack of rentals for families.

Flying a drone above Brookfield maze, I positioned owners Francois and Tania Steyn to get their shadow.

Taking the opportunity and time, I worked with Jacob Moore and his partner Nicole to tie a balloon to each of his dreadlocks and carefully take him outside, he raised over $15,000 for Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre.

I was covering a St Matthew's Albury Church service showing support to Ukraine when a man tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and George Dosenko, 90, had his shirt open with tears running down his face.

Listening to a press conference with Dan Andrews in Wangaratta, I framed him in the circle lights, depicting him as being this holy figure in Victorian politics.

The first Eskdale bee festival I caught up with organiser Emily Mikschi and daughter Olive Caparra, 3, they hosted visitors in their air bee n bee.

Bec Styles was raising concerns about the medical care she got after a car accident. Trying to show her internal injuries I shot through the X-ray.

I was in amongst it when Chiltern's Ben Mason turned into a swan during the celebrations after Chiltern captured their first flag in the Tallangatta and District Football League.

Another year, another virus saw Wandiligong resident Bernard Eden test positive to Japanese encephalitis and then test negative weeks later.

Urana's only supermarket burnt down in suspicious circumstances, the community is lost without it. I like how the NSW Police officer looks a little lost standing amongst the ashes.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The year 2022 was a return to a sense of normality but will be remembered more for the endless rain and consequent flooding. The Border region was spared the extremes witnessed in Echuca and central NSW but the Lake Hume dam gates ensured that the river was in flood for months.

The water level in Barkly Street, Wahgunyah, represents the highest the Murray River reached, with residents using a kayak to leave their properties.

Earlier in the year the AFL returned for a pre-season game for the first time post-COVID and I loved the rainbow and I was able to capture it in this photo.

Bella Pasquali is a future 400m star and this photo was taken in the middle of winter. Bella was freezing every time we took a photo but she soldiered through and was happy to get a jumper back on.

Dartmouth Dam overflowed for the first time in 26 years. The cascades created a tourist boom for the small town but the story was significantly overshadowed by the worsening flood situation.

Community sport grand finals returned, climaxing in a terrific Ovens and Murray football grand final at Lavington Sports Ground with Wangaratta narrowly beating Yarrawonga. Joe Richards celebrated a last quarter goal with a double cobra.

Continuing with the wet theme this photo of Myrtleford's Mitch Dalbosco summed up much of the footy in the second half of the season. This was only the end of the first quarter.

Bruce Barnes has been a volunteer at the Lavington Rural Fire Service since he was 16 and is now fighting for adequate compensation for firefighters. He has been diagnosed with several forms of cancer after a lifetime of service.

It's not every day you get to see an Olympic gold medal and plenty of local kids were excited to see Logan Martin's when he came to Albury. The kids around the edge of the bowl are my favourite part of this picture.

Perhaps the biggest sports story for the region was Lauren Jackson returning to the basketball court for the Bandits and, ultimately, Australia. This photo was taken the day she announced her return to the Bandits. I wonder if she knew where she would end up at the time of this photo.

Taungwurung-Yorta Yorta artist Glennys Briggs had an exhibition in Beechworth which included the use of possum skins. The contrast between the background and the artist allows the picture to really pop.

It seems after years of stability the past three have been etched into our minds forever. After a return to social norms Mother Nature stepped up with the wettest year on record. Let's hope 2023 is a boring one.

When picking my top 10 I drew on a mix of photos that were both visually interesting as well as photos from stories that I identified with.

My picture of world champion skater Renton Millar gave me a chance to bring together my work as a skate photographer and my work as a news photographer. It was the first photo I had in The Border Mail and put me on the path to joining the team as a staff photographer.

In my spare time I love documenting artists and their practice so when I met with Marley Dawson to talk about his exhibition Plateau, I spent as much time chatting as I did taking photos.

When photographing Kev Poulton ahead of the CoCreate music festival, I told him that I'd make him look like a rock star despite the fact that he'd never touched a piano, much less played one.

It can be a challenge capturing the energy of an event like the Wodonga Caulfield Cup in one photo but with enough encouragement I think we just about got there. Cheering on command can be tough.

Earlier in the year members of the St Matthews Church community, including Barbara Hoodless, got together to raise money in support of people affected by the invasion of Ukraine. An uplifting story in the face of a terrible tragedy.

Longtime speech and drama teacher Jan Skinner was awarded an honorary doctorate. The window light in her studio was so perfect that I ditched my flash and let the natural light do the work.

At the end of a chaotic day dashing from game to game, the sun peeked through the trees in just the right spot to catch Brody Ricardi and Brady Sharp being hoisted onto their teammates' shoulders.

I love trying to capture movement in a still image. With some tricky camera work I caught boxer Tony Kennedy's explosive fists in action.

In news, sports is just as much about the player as the action. When photographing former AFL player Frazer Dale ahead of his first fight I wanted to make a photo that reflected that.

Serious stories need a serious photo. When Zach Mona was the target of a racial comment during a game of football, I took the time to make a photo that captured the significance of what had happened while still showing his good nature.

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