Welcome to Smartphone Picture of the Week! Each week, we select and share your best smartphone photos in an online feature here on our website, and on our social media. We’ll be updating this page every week with a new winning photo, so be sure to come back and see the latest images.
Anthony Young, Xiaomi 14 Ultra
‘This was taken on my Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It was one of those shots when I thought the cat would move as soon as I took my phone out, thankfully the cat enjoyed the attention, posing for several shots and didn’t seem at all bothered by my attention.’
Instagram: @Campervanphotography
John Crosby, iPhone 15 Pro
‘This photo was taken on my iPhone 15 Pro with the use of RAW Max. I have been challenging myself to take a photo a day and this photo is day number 558. I was at Sasamat Lake, which is about 30 mins outside of Vancouver, Canada – an easy escape from city life. This particular weekend is traditionally grey and rainy, but today was going to be different. It started with the usual grey skies and low cloud, but as the sun rose, things began to clear up. I love this photo for a few reasons, but mostly the story. The clouds are still there, but now they are fighting with the golden sunshine for the narrative of the day. The battle lasted for about 20 minutes before it became sunny and clear.’
Instagram: @johncrosby_photo
Alex Russell, Google Pixel 6
‘The photo was taken on a trip to London, totally a case of right place, right time to catch the late afternoon light on the Center Point building on Tottenham Court Road. Quick adjustment in Lightroom afterwards, and here we are! I’ve always been into photography but like so many others only really taught myself how to edit during lockdown in 2020 when I finally had time on my hands on furlough.
I mainly post to Instagram and share a whole range of styles and genres depending on what takes my eye and brings me (and hopefully others) joy.’
Instagram: @alexrussell_photo
David Queenan, iPhone 15 Pro Max
‘This is my local pier and it’s only a five-minute walk from my house, which means I can nip over when conditions are good, and I can time my visits to coincide with a high tide – which is needed if you want the water to reach all the way to the bottom of the frame. I recently upgraded my old iPhone 8 to a new iPhone 15 Pro Max and I was keen to put the camera test along with a new app called ReeXpose, which allows you to use the iPhone to create a long exposure effect. Although it’s not technically a true ‘long exposure’ as the camera actually takes a series of short exposures, which are then blended by the app before delivering a final image, you still need a tripod to ensure any static elements in the frame are rendered sharp. Further editing in Photoshop was then done to remove the land on the horizon to give the image a minimalist ‘fine art’ appearance.’
Website: www.dqphotography.com
Facebook: DavidQueenanPhotography
Instagram: @davidqueenan
X: @davidqueenan
Krutika Balsara, iPhone 12 Pro Max
‘This photo is entitled ‘The Spectacular Glass Roof’. The famous Bollywood movie song scenes were filmed at The British Museum. The scenes depict the Museum as a collage and the interior looks beautiful, inspiring me to visit the Museum. However, for me, the most beautiful part of this Museum is the glass-roofed, sparkling white Queen Elizabeth II Great Court. I photographed this perfect architecture from the museum’s upper floor and loved how the light came through the glass roof, with the sunlight hitting the side of the wall. This photograph was captured on an iPhone 12 Pro Max with an ultra-wide-angle lens of 13mm, 1/100sec at f/2.4, ISO 32, to capture the entire area of the Great Court and The Glass Roof.’
Instagram: @splitframephotography
Edward Rumble, iPhone 13 Pro Max
‘These lovely fishing huts, known as Carrelets, are a common feature off the Western coast of France between the estuaries of the Gironde and Loire. I discovered this little grouping near Pornic; the outer two huts, each facing away from the middle, gave a very pleasing balance to the composition. However, gale force winds and rain blowing directly inland from the sea made tripod mounting a camera totally impossible. Smartphone to the rescue, I was able to brace against the conditions and experiment with the long exposure feature to capture the image I had in my minds eye. Thankfully the digital file was good enough to allow a little judicious dodging and burning in Photoshop to enhance detail and contrast.’
Instagram: @edmrumble
Andy Bowden, iPhone 12 Pro Max
”The Early Morning Line-up’ was taken from standing on the Newport Pier in Newport Beach, California. It was the setting of the first just past full moon of the year under clear skies, (it was cloudy the day of the full moon so I had to make do with an ‘almost full moon’ shot).
I walk the beach and the pier most mornings and am always looking for unique photo opportunities that highlight beachscapes with an emphasis on Newport Beach and the surrounding area. This is part of my ‘Life In A Beach Town’ series that I’ve been compiling for my own personal enjoyment and amusement. I try to post these photos to my own personal Facebook page as well as the Newport Beach Facebook page.
I took the photo using an iPhone 12 Pro Max and edited and enhanced it using both Snapseed and Lightroom.’
Instagram: @bowden.andy
vmotd, Google Pixel 6 Pro
‘My work is under my artist name vmotd. I’m based in Dublin, and I shoot everywhere – this picture was taken on an earlier smartphone of the Google Pixel series, the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
vmotd is spearheading the democratisation of photography through smartphone tech.
The monochrome images eloquently capture the interplay of light, lines, and shapes in spontaneous, minimalist compositions. With a tongue-in-cheek nod to classic photography, they explore the beauty of architecture and contrast, with their angles, frames, and composition. vmotd’s work often returns to minimalistic, architectural frames with high contrast, showcasing their eye for structural beauty. In vmotd’s words “The choice of what you fill the finite space of a frame with is entirely yours. That choice though reveals everything and often more than you care for.”
In this poignant image, the urbanite has travelled to the seaside, standing alone on a pier. The figure is relaxed, however they’re not escaping urban angst on the boardwalk, with the vast ocean on one side, and the inevitable crushing city scape on the other.’
Instagram: @vmotd
Anna Frączek, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
‘Mobile photography is something that brings me great joy. The fact that I have photography equipment with me at all times makes it easier to develop this recently discovered passion. Thanks to this, I can capture every moment. This was also the case in Agafay Desert, Morocco. When I saw a caravan in the distance, I took out my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone and used its 10x zoom. I captured the vastness of space and how in this space people are like particles of sand in the desert.’
Instagram: @anna_world_behind_my_glasses
Muhammad Qureshi, iPhone 13
‘Battersea Power Station on cold Sunday morning at the end of January provided the most amazing subject for my photo. I always look for a different perspective when taking photos and for this one the water feature provided a “reflective” perspective. After several attempts, I finally found the right position, midway from the edge of the water feature, just as the sun was emerging around the corner and through the broken clouds. I like using the phone upside down when taking photos, so I can capture depth but also the subtle ground textures or in this case the mirror like reflection of the water.
I love the deep orange colour of the power station bricks, the emerging purple sky and the orange/yellow glow of the sun on the one hand but then the modern glass structure provides a twist!
I’m an amateur photographer in the true sense of the word as I only started learning the skillset in October 2023. Every weekend, I go out and try to find interesting photography subjects. This weekend it was London, last weekend it was Zurich, Luzern and Engelberg in Switzerland! My portfolio is slowly developing on my Instagram account and I’d love to win some prestigious awards and hold an exhibition soon – perhaps being selected as the smartphone picture of the week by Amateur Photographer is the first step!’
Instagram: @jetsetter007_
Andy Parker, iPhone SE
‘Taken in Saint Mark’s Square in Venice, I used the phone upside down on the ground to get a strong sense of depth and include both foreground and background features. Framing the bell tower though the arch, I waited for people to walk past to create the silhouettes of the figures. It was a bit experimental, but when reviewing the shots, I really liked the resulting shapes of the coat and legs, the angles on the tower, the round light and the archway, but also the abstract reflection on the worn marble, which all give the image lots of interesting visual elements.
Although a big fan of the mirrorless camera (Fujifilm X-series) the iPhone is now my everyday, carry-around camera, given the incredible image quality, and I currently use the iPhone SE (2022). I shoot using the Adobe Lightroom Mobile app as that allows me to capture in RAW and edit in phone using my own black and white presets. A huge fan of monochrome, I shoot almost exclusively in black and white and Venice, for me, is the perfect subject for shooting monochrome given the interplay of light, shadow and reflection. I showcase this with a website and Instagram account dedicated exclusively for my shots around the city.
Originally from the UK, I live and work in Venice as an English teacher, and photography remains a passion rather than career, but it is becoming more and more important in my life. In fact, I have my first solo exhibition in Venice of over 30 images coming up from 10-23rd February focussing on the beauty and mystery of the venetian fog (or ‘caigo’ in local dialect). So if you’re in Venice for the end of carnival, please pop along! This exhibition will also include a few shots taken on iPhone, so it just goes to prove that old adage: ‘the best camera is the one you have on you’!’
Website: www.monochromevenice.com
Instagram: @monochrome.venice @andyparker.photo
James Ward, iPhone 13 Pro
‘The image was taken on my iPhone 13 Pro at Gellért Baths in Budapest on a recent trip there with my wife. It is a fabulous place to visit when in Budapest because of its Art Nouveau architecture and is one of the most historic and famous of Budapest’s thermal baths. I loved the symmetry of the indoor pool, the soft light streaming in through the glass roof and the beautiful blue hue of the waters. Taking a dip in the warm water wasn’t bad either…’
Instagram: @ward_jr
Roberta Savi, iPhone 13
‘I live in Mantova, Italy and this was taken with an iPhone 13 in Bardolino, at the lakeside promenade of Garda Lake, last summer, during a sunny day. I usually take analog photos with Nikon FM2 but sometimes I use the phone.’
Instagram: @ro.flug
Submit your photos
Want the chance to feature here on our website and across our social media? All you have to do is share your smartphone photographs on social media with the tag #APSmartphonePicoftheWeek. You can also send in photographs to ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk with “Smartphone Pic of the Week” in the subject line. Photos can be taken on any camera phone.
iPhone vs Android: Which is better for photography? We’ve rounded up the best camera phones for photography and the best camera phones you can get on a budget here.
Read our smartphone reviews here: Smartphone Reviews
See more smartphone photography guides:
How to take amazing portraits on a smartphone
Black and white smartphone photography guide
How to take great macro photos on a smartphone
11 best smartphone photography apps to download now
Further reading:
- AP Picture of the Week 2024 – Your best photos shared!
- Best photography competitions to enter
- Get Involved – Amateur Photographer
Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
