Apple has just announced the winners of its Shot on iPhone Night mode challenge after iPhone users around the world answered the call to showcase the low-light capabilities of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
A curated panel of judges selected the six winning photos created by iPhone photographers from countries including China, India, Russia and Spain.
The winning images will be featured at Apple’s website and on Apple’s Instagram account as well as appearing on billboards globally.
Here are the winning shots:
Konstantin Chalabov (Moscow, Russia), iPhone 11 Pro
Phil Schiller says: Konstantin’s photo is a super-dramatic image shot with Night mode. It could be the opening shot of a great Cold War spy movie.
Brooks Kraft says: A movie-like scene that leaves you curious about what happened in this snowy remote setting. Night mode captures the blue light exterior hue beautifully as well as the incandescent lighting inside the cab of the truck and the truck lighting — a wide variety of lighting.
Andrei Manuilov (Moscow, Russia), iPhone 11 Pro Max
Darren Soh says: An amazingly well-balanced composition that throws so many questions back at the viewer — ‘Where is this? Who lives here?’ — and perhaps the most important — ‘Why is laundry hanging out to dry at night?’
Sarah Lee says: I love this and feel it could only have been shot on Night mode. It is beautifully composed, uses symmetry very well, and without cliché to communicate a fascinating story about densely populated urban spaces and the way many people live.
Mitsun Soni (Mumbai, Maharashtra, India), iPhone 11 Pro
Tyler Mitchell says: This one blows my mind. I have no idea where that deep rich red light is coming from on the tree. It almost feels like a UFO sitting above the tree, just out of frame. Absolutely beautiful composition as well.
Arem Duplessis says: The rich red color of the tree and ground gives this picture an otherworldly quality. Paired with the night sky, it feels like a still from a sci-fi film.
Rubén P. Bescós (Pamplona, Navarra, Spain), iPhone 11 Pro Max
Phil Schiller says: Photography is the art of light, and Rubén’s photo magically uses light to bring this art installation in Spain to life. The color in this Night mode image is a captivating orange, beautifully framing the band of pilgrims in sharp silhouette.
Alexvi Li says: Taking great advantage of Night mode with exposure setting, the photographer captured the silhouette of a group of people in the city light backdrop. The simple composition quickly draws viewers into a story, while delivering good image quality.”
Rustam Shagimordanov (Moscow, Russia), iPhone 11
Kaiann Drance says: A captivating shot of a winter village by the sea, which must feel cold, yet looks warm with the glow against the rocks and lights inside the red cabins, inviting a story about the people inside.
Malin Fezehai says: I love how the lights in the red cabins give a sense of warmth in the cold. The layers in the image create depth and give me a sense of cold and warmth at the same time. It’s a beautifully captured landscape image of a winter evening.
Yu “Eric” Zhang (Beijing, China), iPhone 11 Pro Max
Jon McCormack says: This image represents iPhone at its best. Capturing life as it happens, no matter what the light is! The sense of moment, intimacy and place in this image is very good. It really transports the viewer to being right there.
Arem Duplessis says: This picture has a very real quality to it. The rising steam, the silhouetted figures backlit from the lamp all align perfectly in this magical caught moment.
If you’d like to try your hand at capturing night shots with the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max here is what you need to know:
— Night mode is made possible by a new Wide camera sensor with 100 per cent Focus Pixels and intelligent software, enabling low-light photos never before possible on iPhone.
— Night mode automatically comes on in low-light environments. If the yellow Night mode icon is showing, you’re shooting with Night mode.
— Night mode determines capture time based on the scene, and displays this time in the Night mode icon. You can tap on the Night mode icon and adjust the slider to Max to extend the capture time.
— For longer exposures, try propping up your iPhone or using a tripod for a longer capture time at the darkest time of night.