The results of the second round of our prestigious International Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025 competition are in! Azim Khan Ronnie wins the top place in this category with the image ‘Drying clothing under the sun’, of a textile worker in Narayanganj, Bangladesh, carefully arranging freshly dyed fabrics on wooden frames. Meanwhile, Valentin L came first place in the Young APOY competition. Here are the top 10 images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Two, People & Portraits, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge
Portraiture is always a challenge. It can be easy to become overwhelmed by our own ideas, or distracted by the technicalities of studio flash, or confused by the pattern and modelling of natural light. There’s potential to forget there’s an individual in front of the camera who might need directing and who has a story to tell. A successful portrait has an edge – a certain something that, in a split second, reveals some small detail or nuance about the person. It encourages the viewer to look longer and deeper into the image, and possibly come up with an interpretation that even the photographer hadn’t thought of.
APOY 2025, People & Portraits winner – Drying clothing under the sun by Azim Khan Ronnie, France
Canon EOS R5, 16-35mm at 16mm, 1/320sec at f/10, ISO 100
A fabulously dynamic shot that makes the very most of an ultra-wideangle view. Shooting from ground level looking upwards demonstrates imagination and a clear vision, going way beyond the usual record of a scene such as this. Azim has captured the man’s arms outstretched, at exactly the right moment, at the same time ensuring he released the shutter as the man’s face isn’t covered by any of the fabric. The division of the frame into opposing colours of orange and blue is excellently seen and captured, too.
2. Happy Moments by Aung Chan Thar, Thailand, 90pts
Nikon D7200, 24-120mm at 38mm, 1/125sec at f/7.1, ISO 250
The universality of children at play is a joyful theme in photography, and one that’s increasingly tricky to capture these days, so it’s lovely to see Aung Chan do such a lovely job of it. The way all four boys are touching gives us a sense of connection (literally), while the shapes they are making in the mud – with three of the four of them having arms cropped by the edges of the frame – elevate this from mere snap into a memorable and well-composed shot. A great image appeals to all the senses, and here we can feel the mud as well as hear their giggles. Well done.
3. Free Gaza protester by Phil Tomlinson, Bristol, 80pts
Canon EOS R, 24-70mm at 24mm, 1/400sec at f/4, ISO 100
Phil says he was able to fire off a couple of frames before the moment passed, and the resulting immaculately timed image is very powerful. The way the shaft of sun highlights the protester’s eye, giving it a catchlight, while the rest of her falls into shadow, allows us immediately to absorb the solemnity and intent of her expression. There’s also an unavoidable symbolism here, with an image that gives a sense almost of being trapped within the light. Including just a hint of the Palestinian flag in the frame informs the viewer what is going on without being too overt.
4. The American Dream by Andy Holloway, Hertfordshire, 70pts
Nikon D750, 24mm, 1/1000sec at f/8, ISO 100
Martin Parr, eat your heart out – this superb portrait wouldn’t look out of place in the pages of one of the great master’s books. The direct, overhead lighting shouldn’t work but it does – beautifully – thanks in no small part to the reflection in the man’s mirrored sunglasses. Andy is clearly extremely skilled in postproduction, giving us colours and tones that mean we’re not sure whether we’re looking at an image that was shot last week or in the 1950s. Finally, the composition is pretty much flawless, and containing it within the square frame completes the retro feel.
5. Girl at a concert by Oana Vasileniuc, Romania, 60pts
Nikon Z5, 85mm, 1/640sec at f/1.8, ISO 500
Oana has created an image that perfectly conveys the sense of being alone in a crowd. We know the young girl is at a concert, and on someone’s shoulders – probably her father’s – and yet at the same time there is a sense of solitude and, strangely, quietness that pervades the frame. Oana has done well to capture the girl in three-quarter profile. Some people might have preferred there to be eye contact, but this shot is definitely stronger without it, as it adds to the pensiveness of her expression and leaves us wondering what has distracted her attention from the performance in front of her. A simple shot with many layers.
6. A boy holding a candle at Ethiopia’s Genna by Bircan Harper, Cornwall, 50pts
Nikon Z9, 135mm, 1/400sec at f/1.8, ISO 12,800
Guest judge Drew Gardner says: ‘Beautiful. A stunning photo. A worthy winner. There is a certain simplicity and beauty which is exceptional. A real craftsmanship with a fast lens in low light which has gone on to be more than the sum of its parts. It helped that the entrant provided extensive caption details (see the winners on Photocrowd for this). So much of the time an image loses a little, as beautiful as it may be, without the context of an extensive caption.’
7. Bhutanese schoolgirls by Erika Howard, London, 45pts
Canon EOS R6, 24-70mm at 43mm, 1/100sec at f/4, ISO 100
With this lovely travel shot, Erika has been awarded 45 points both for herself and for Hampstead Photographic Society, where she is a member. The composition is confident and accomplished, with the placement of the girls creating a triangle with the doors, and allowing the eye to move around the frame easily. Cropping to a square adds to the strength of the composition, emphasising all those straight lines. The poses work well in the context, too; they give a formality to the scene but aren’t overly tense. An excellent travel shot.
8. Cliff-diving by Roy Egloff, Ponte Brolla 40pts
Fujifilm GFX100S, 45-100mm at 45mm, 1/1600sec at f/5, ISO 3200
A photograph of a photographer can sometimes be a bit of a well-worn trope, but Roy has done a great job here of making it part of a strong image. There’s a tension between photographer and diver, and Roy has caught the latter at exactly the right moment, creating a strong diagonal in the frame. The spectators in the background add scale and context, and help anchor the composition. We hope the photographer got his shot, too.
9. The eyes that follow into your being by Matthew Crosby, Northamptonshire, 35pts
Nikon D500, 105mm, 1/125sec at f/8, ISO 100
A straight-on portrait, simple and tightly cropped, can be a powerful thing, and this is a superb example of exactly that from Matthew. By filling the frame with Joel, his charismatic subject, the viewer is left with no distractions and our eyes go straight to his – which is clearly the intention. The detail and texture in Joel’s skin is second to none, and this is only highlighted by the conversion to black & white, which has been beautifully executed. Allowing the edges of the frame to fall away to black is the finishing touch this wonderful portrait needed.
10. Verso l’ombra by Agim Zeqiri, Italy, 30pts
Canon EOS R3, 28-70mm at 28mm, 1/4000sec at f/8, ISO 400
Agim’s title, ‘Verso l’ombra’, translates as ‘towards the shadow’. It’s a great name for a great street photo of an impossibly chic woman. There’s a mystery both to her and the way Agim has shot the image. The shadow that fills almost all of the lower half of the frame is an important integral part of the composition, anchoring it and helping to direct our eye straight to the subject. The remainder of the frame strategically makes the most of chiaroscuro, which brings texture and depth.
International Young Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025, People & Portraits winner
Emotional portrait by Valentin L, Serbia
Canon EOS RP, 35mm, 1/800sec at f/3.2, ISO 640
This image by Valentin caught the eye of several of our judges, with two of them awarding it first place, and another third. It’s a powerful portrayal that left the judges wanting to know more. Valentin’s title, ‘Emotional portrait’ is ambiguous, because at first glance there is joy in the young man’s expression, but look longer and there’s also the potential for sadness and even distress there. The tension between all these different feelings and interpretations makes for a powerful result. Shooting upwards from a low angle emphasises this conflict, as does the tautness in the man’s fingers as they pull the necklace in opposing directions, and the straining of his neck muscles. There’s something of the Bruce Gilden about the shot, which makes it all the more memorable.
Camera Club competition
Each round, we shine a spotlight on a selection of excellent entries from the many camera clubs that enter APOY
Chiang Mai market by Judith Tolley, Stafford Photographic Society
Canon EOS M3, 18-55mm at 18mm, 1/60sec at f/3.5, ISO 200
The movement here brings life to the street-food scene, with the blur of the bag being the finishing touch. A black & white conversion keeps things timeless.
The Batwa chief’s wife by Phil Gravett, Royston Photographic Society
Panasonic DC-TZ90 at 33mm, 1/160sec at f/5.6, ISO 3200
The direct gaze makes this portrait compelling. The relaxed hands are excellent and can be very hard to achieve!
Claudia by Karen Morris, Maghull Photography Club
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 24-105mm, 1/125sec at f/4.5, ISO 160, studio lights
A beautifully lit portrait that takes influences from the Old Masters. The no-nonsense facial expression has been very well captured.
Grandson Lewis by Graeme Youngson, Visions Photography Club
Fujifilm X-T5, 16mm, 1/60sec at f/2, ISO 1000
The boy’s iPad screen is not only the source of the light here, but also integral to the composition. His gaze and pose is relaxed, which is testament to Graeme’s skills.
Blooming roots by Rahimat Onize Shaibu, 85 Group Stockport
Canon EOS R6 Mark II, 24-70mm at 46mm, 1/250sec at f/5.6, ISO 320, Godox AD400 Pro flash
Rahimat’s model has been styled beautifully – her hair and makeup is stunning. The angular pose is eye-catching and the echo between the flower she is holding and the out-of-focus blooms in the background is carefully managed.
The 2025 leaderboard after round two, People & Portraits
As is often the case at this point in the competition, we have a number of entrants on the same points, which makes the top ten quite congested. However, this always starts to space out with the results of each round. Azim Khan Ronnie is a worthy first-place holder at the moment, thanks to his outstanding winning shot from round two, but as we know, this can change quickly.
We are in a similar position with the Young APOY leaderboard, with this round’s winner sharing first place with both last round’s winner and the second-placed entrant. It’s great to see so many new names in both leaderboards and are looking forward to seeing how things progress.
Winning kit from Camera Centre UK
What gear did our top ten photographers use?
Taking first place, Azim Khan Ronnie used a Canon EOS R5 for his shot. This 45MP premium mirrorless camera features a Dual Pixel CMOS AF sensor, ISO 100-51,200, 20fps continuous shooting and 5,940 selectable autofocus positions. Awarded 4.5 stars in its AP review, the camera is described as ‘phenomenally impressive. The sensor and highly effective IBIS system deliver images of exquisite quality.’ This camera can be purchased at Camera Centre UK for £3,149.
In fifth place, Oana Vasileniuc shot using a Nikon Z5, which features a 24.3MP full-frame CMOS sensor, 5-axis in-body image stabilisation, 4.5fps burst shooting and dual SD card slots. It was awarded four stars in its AP review and was said to be a ‘capable, reliable full-frame camera of quality feel, decent specs, and ever-expanding range of good lenses’. The mark II model of this camera is available at Camera Centre UK with 24-70mm lens for £1,999.
Coming in at eighth place, Roy Egloff used a Fujifilm GFX100S. This medium-format mirrorless features a 102MP sensor, ISO 50-102,400, 5fps continuous shooting, a 3.69m-dot viewfinder and 3.2in, 2.35m-dot tilting touchscreen. This five-star camera was described as ‘a camera that delivers sumptuous image quality in a remarkably easy-to-use package’. Find the mark II version of this camera at Camera Centre UK for £4,999.
To see the full range, visit www.cameracentreuk.com
