If you ever needed proof that a good photo is all about the qualities of the photographer rather than the quality of the equipment, then the 2016 iPhone Photography Awards should help to prove this once and for all. The awards celebrate the very best photos taken on an iPhone device and this year’s submissions included some truly stunning images. If you still need convincing that mobile photography can often rival the professionals, then these next 10 images will say more than words ever could.
Fugen Xiao – Guangdong, China
This breathtaking photo took first prize in the travel category and it is easy to see why. The beautiful image shows two farmers guiding a buffalo through woodland in Guangdong, China. The streaks of sunlight coming through the tree branches mixed with the rising mist on the floor really help to set a beautiful and tranquil scene.
Erica Wu – San Francisco, USA
This rather ‘foxy’ image was caught by American photographer Erica Wu in San Francisco, USA and took first prize in the ‘Animals’ category. Erica managed to capture eight beautiful foxes in the top-down photo and the animals seem to be just as fascinated in her as she was in them (apart from the two at the back of course. They let the side down).
K K – Changsha, China
Capturing that magical feeling of childhood is not an easy task but this image by K K has managed it just about perfectly. The photo was taken on a winter’s day in Changsha, China and shows two young children with a sled, enjoying the natural playground of a frozen lake.
Xia Zhenkai – Guangdong, China
This incredible image, shot by Xia Zhenkai, wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery, making the fact it was captured on a mobile phone all the more impressive. The photo was taken in Guangdong, China and won first prize in the ‘People’ category. The photographer used a sepia tone to capture the artsy image of a swimmer bathing in the river.
Yongmei Wang – Chongqing, China
A good photo can stop you in your tracks and take your breath away; that’s certainly the case with this stunning image of a fisherman casting his net in Chongqing, China. Yongmei Wang chose the perfect moment to capture the shot and produced one of the most beautiful photos of the whole competition. The most surprising fact of all though? The image only managed to claim second prize in the ‘Sunset’ category.
Valencia Tom – New York, USA
The winter of 2016 saw America hit by some of the worst blizzards in decades, but while many struggled through the freezing conditions, they also gave savvy photographers the perfect opportunity to capture some icy landscapes. And that’s exactly what Valencia Tom achieved in New York, with this beautiful photo of the Brooklyn Bridge during a snow storm, which helped him claim first prize in the ‘Seasons’ category.
Kevin Casey – Pemulwuy, Australia
This stunning black and white image was captured by Kevin Casey in Pemulwuy, Australia and shows young children using a concrete pillar as a makeshift diving board. The silhouetted figures of the divers and the graffiti on the wall really help to set off the artsy feel of the photo and it obviously impressed the judges as well, taking first place in the ‘Other’ category.
Vasco Galhardo Simoes – Lisbon, Portugal
Taking a photo from thousands of feet up in the air in a fast moving aeroplane may not sound like the perfect conditions for a good shot but I think it’s fair to say this image by Vasco Galhardo Simoes proves that theory wrong. The beautiful image was taken over the city of Lisbon in Portugal and shows a sea of thick cloud, with only the tip of a bridge and a church poking through the mist. Unsurprisingly, this stunning shot won Vasco first prize in the ‘Landscape’ category.
Junbiao Kai – Guangdong, China
At first glance, this photo by Junbiao Kai looks like a classily shot image of plants or shrubs but it is only on closer inspection that you realise the rows of stalks are actually hundreds of geese! The black and white tone just adds to the feel of the photo but perhaps the most surprising fact of all is that the shot only managed to take third place in the ‘Animals’ category.
Shiyang Han – Beijing, China
If you wanted a picture to sum up the phrase ‘living on top of one another’ then this photo by Shiyang Han would be just about perfect. The image was taken in a shanty town in Beijing, China and emphasises just how cramped living conditions can get in some of the world’s biggest cities. The stunning shot also took third place in the ‘Travel’ category.
