The results of the sixth round of our prestigious International Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025 competition are in! Eric Browett wins the top place in the Night & Low Light category with the photograph ‘Death from above’, of an owl overhead at night. Meanwhile, Hamish Herridge came first place in the Young APOY competition. Here are the top 10 images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Six, Night & Low Light, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge…
Low light is like catnip to the photographer. As light drops and reduces, it gives dimension, depth, colour and atmosphere to a photographic image, allowing previously ordinary scenes to gradually come alive. Low light has the power to either reduce a potential composition to its basic elements, or it can introduce a riot of conflicting tones and colour temperatures. It’s no wonder that generations of photographers have exploited it to their advantage. This is always a particularly strong round, and seems to unleash entrants’ creativity – and this year has been no exception.
International Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025, Night & Low Light winner
Death from above by Eric Browett, UK, 100pts
Nikon D500, 10-20mm at 13mm, 1/250sec at f/18, ISO 400
Guest judge Sarah Lee says: ‘For me, this image was a clear winner. Firstly, the composition is superb. It’s so confident and daring to use a flash that way against the night sky with a subject as fleeting as an owl in flight. The grass adds a real sense of drama and movement. The relationship between the owl and the landscape is vividly drawn, the flashlit fronds perfectly complementing the owl’s feathers frozen in the same burst of light. There is something slightly unnerving, too, about the image, like a piece of folk art. I mean this as a compliment – I absolutely love this image.’
2. Two old men by Sirsendu Gayen, India, 90pts
Nikon D750, 24-120mm at 24mm, 1/40sec at f/7.1, ISO 2000
Sirsendu’s image invites us into the worlds of these two men in a quiet and compelling way. The man on the left appears to have finished a hard day’s work, while the one on the right looks as if he is awaiting business. But it’s the balance of composition and colour that makes this image so memorable. The man’s blue tank top is echoed by the blue rectangle of light, and both are set against a backdrop of artificial orange. Sirsendu’s powers of observation and his ability to create connection, both between the elements of the frame and between viewer and subject, are to be commended.
3. Gateway to the stars, Ethan Scorer, UK, 80pts
Canon EOS R6 Mark II, 14mm, 6min at f/4, ISO 6400
It’ll come as no surprise to learn that there were many Milky Way submissions to this round. So, what makes this one stand out? For the judges, there was a mysticism to the scene, with the ancient dolmen (Lanyon Quoit, in Cornwall) in the foreground and the idea that those who built it might have looked up at the same night sky, billions of years old. There’s a sense of vastness both in terms of space and time that Ethan has captured sensitively and skilfully. He says this was only his second ever attempt at astrophotography – let’s hope he has many more to come.
4. Suri boys, Omo Valley, Ethiopia by Bircan Harper, UK, 70pts
Nikon Z9, 135mm, 1/100sec at f/1.8, ISO 12,800
Bircan’s use of such a wide aperture here takes our attention straight to the young boy on the right, his profile lit only by the flames of the fire. The interaction between all the boys is delightful, and the out-of-focus cattle in the foreground serve as an anchor to the overall scene.
5. Basketball at night by Rowan May, UK, 60pts
Canon EOS R6 Mark II, 24-105mm at 35mm, 1/125sec at f/5, ISO 100
This is a powerful portrait of Rowan’s wife, who was in training for the Invictus Games. He has set up the shot with precision, getting her to place her wheelchair on the court line, and setting up his lights so that the background falls away into complete darkness. He has illuminated his subject’s face and the basketball with skill, making them the focal point of the image, with the remaining lights outlining her arm and the wheels of the chair. It’s a stylish and slick portrait that is a fresh take on the low-light theme, and has been extremely well executed.
6. Under the starry night by Ales Krivec, Slovenia, 50pts
Nikon D810A, 14-24mm at 14mm, 25sec at f/2.8, ISO 6400
Ales says he always carries candles with him on night shoots, as he never knows when they might come in handy for adding a touch of warmth. They are certainly a stroke of genius here, introducing a welcoming orange that balances out the icy-blue sky and deep snow. The path through the white snow leads the eye beautifully towards the hut, and then on upward through the trees to the breathtaking sky above. The perspective provided by the 14mm focal length gives the impression of the trees leaning into the composition, which enhances the fairytale feel of the scene.
7. Ever Feat in Seattle, Charles Tracy, US, 45pts
Nikon Z6, 70-200mm at 200mm, 96sec at f/5, ISO 100
Dazzling is the best way of describing this image. The lights are so overwhelming, the viewer has to take a moment to make out the shape of the container ship in the foreground. It would be easy to call it futuristic, except this is very much the present, and all the more powerful for it.
8. Ganga Aarti at Varanasi, Azim Khan Ronnie, France, 40pts
DJI Mavic 2 Pro, 28mm equiv, 1/3sec at f/2.8, ISO 100
This astonishing religious ceremony, the Ganga Aarti, takes place every evening in Varanasi, India, to celebrate the sacredness of the Ganges River. Azim’s breathtaking drone shot captures the extraordinary beauty of the event, with thousands in attendance both on land and in boats on the river. He’s done a great job of picking out the parts of the scene that literally glow orange, and the judges liked the way the frame is divided diagonally from top left to bottom right, with the glowing boat in the centre helping to anchor the scene. The only slight criticism is the grey area to the right, which unbalances things slightly, but other than that it’s a great shot of exactly the quality we’ve come to expect from Azim.
9. Dark night by George Denscombe, UK, 35pts
Nikon D7500, 18-105mm at 35mm, 1/50sec at f/8, ISO 2000
It takes a daring photographer to create an image that is quite as low-key as this one, but George has done an excellent job of retaining a minimal amount of detail, but making sure it’s just enough. The silhouette of the man is clean and precise – so much so that we can even make out the outline of the cigarette he’s holding in his hand, and the exhaled smoke it’s responsible for. The tones of the varying background shades that run from left to right across the frame have also been beautifully managed. A wonderfully sparse scene that needs no more detail than that which is already there.
10. Night taxi, China by Zac Laws, UK, 30pts
Canon AE-1, CineStill 800T
It’s pretty rare for us to see entries to APOY shot on film these days, but here the qualities of the tungsten-balanced emulsion help make this image sing. Zac has captured a moment unfolding in fascinating fashion. The woman appears to be upset or angry about something, while the male driver stares straight ahead. In the rear, a young woman ignores it all. The vignette is enveloped in a mix of artificial lighting that is chaotic but not confusing – it only serves to emphasise the movie-like quality.
International Young Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025, Night & Low Light winner
Jamblusse en fete 25 by Hamish Herridge, UK, 100pts
Canon EOS 80D, 70-200mm at 149mm, 1/320sec at f/4, ISO 4000
Hamish’s wonderfully characterful and atmospheric low-light portrait almost looks as if it could have been taken at the turn of the 20th century (were it not for the logo on the baseball cap). There’s real depth to this image: it’s a beautifully candid moment that captures a pensive expression. The fact it’s in profile means we don’t know whether the young man is turning towards or away from the camera, or has something in the distance caught his attention? There’s just enough separation between him and the inky-black background, so he doesn’t merge into the darkness, and the lack of context makes everything that little bit more mysterious. The range of tones is excellent, too.
Camera Club competition
Each round, we shine a spotlight on a selection of excellent entries from the many camera clubs that enter APOY
Butter lamps by Charles Ashton, Kempsey Camera Club
Unknown
It takes skill to distil a street scene to its simplest form, and Charles has done a great job of it here. His timing and composition are spot on, and he has managed all the highlights, shadows and colours very well.
Evening glow by Tracey Small, Launceston Camera Club
Fujifilm X-H2S, 16-55mm at 31mm, 2sec at f/11, ISO 160
A low-light image with a difference. A still-life can be tricky to set up, but Tracey’s careful placement and composition is excellent, as is the gorgeous glow of the candle light.
Radio City by night by Steven Pinniger, Plymouth Camera Club
Fujifilm X-T2, 18-55mm at 18mm, 1/2sec at f/6.4, ISO 200
Neon city lights make an excellent low-light subject, as does this New York City landmark. There’s a good balance of stillness and motion in Steven’s well-captured shot.
Sky full of stars by Mark Hetherington, Penrith Camera Club
Sony A7 Mark IV, 14mm, 10sec at f/13, ISO 100
Mark has aligned his shot very sensitively, with the beacon just breaking into the line of the reservoir below, and, of course, the breathtaking Milky Way rising from it.
Honstrandir aurora by Steve Field, Bristol Photographic Society
Canon EOS R5, 16-35mm at 16mm, 5sec at f/5, ISO 400
A stunning aurora shot, where Steve has made it appear as if the waves of light are rising from the land itself. The snowy foreground works well as an anchor for the scene.
The 2025 leaderboards after round six, Night & Low Light
With the 70 points she earned for her fourth-placed image, Bircan Harper has jumped from joint fifth in the previous leaderboard to the top spot in this one, with a lead of five and ten points respectively over her nearest rivals. However, we are only just past the halfway point in the contest, and with another four rounds still to go, there’s still time for many more changes to the leaderboard. There’s a wider gap between first and tenth places in our Young APOY competition, with Hary Hammad and Ben Hancock-Smith putting clear water between themselves and the others, so we’re excited to see what the next four rounds bring!
Winning kit from Camera Centre UK
What gear did our top ten photographers use?
The fastest APS-C DSLR Nikon ever made, the D500 was Eric Browett’s camera of choice for his winning shot. It features a 20.9MP DX CMOS sensor, a ‘remarkable’ 153-point phase-detection AF system and a standard ISO range of 100-51,200. Our five-star review in AP concluded: ‘The D500 is not so much an expensive APS-C camera as a pro camera with an APS-C sensor.’A second-hand D500 can be purchased from Camera Centre UK for £799.
In fifth place, Rowan May used a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. When travel photographer Sue O’Connell was featured in AP she said this was her go-to lens: ‘It has the perfect combination of range and quality… This lens is more or less permanently attached to my Canon EOS 6D.’ You can buy one from Camera Centre UK for £1,179.
Taking seventh spot, Charles Tracy used a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for his city scene. Sigma’s 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sport is a fine example of this focal range, and was described in AP as a ‘classic premium telephoto… that seriously undercuts own-brand alternatives’. It is constructed of 24 elements in 22 groups with 11 diaphragm blades, has a hypersonic motor to keep focus operation fast and quiet, and is equipped with optical image stabilisation. A used example is available at Camera Centre UK for £699.
To see the full range, visit www.cameracentreuk.com
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