A photo of a Russian-made van on a snow-covered road by a hillside during a harsh winter shot in a low-light environment was chosen as one of the winning entries of Apple's low light photography challenge which was done in January this year.
At first look, many would have thought that this type of clear, low light shot can only be taken with a pro dSLR camera, but it was shot with the iPhone 11 Pro by Konstantin Chalabov from Moscow, Russia (IG @chalabov).
One of the judges for the contest, Phil Schiller who is also Apple's vice president of worldwide marketing, says Chalabov's photo could be the opening shot of a great Cold War spy movie.
The photo shows cool mist permeating a blue Russian hillside and snow-covered ground, framing a lonely vehicle with bright red lights that hint at an unknown danger.
"It is a super-dramatic image shot with the Night mode. It challenges us with intriguing questions, such as ‘Where is the driver? Where are they going? Why stop out here?’," says Schiller.
Smartphones have become one of the main photography tools for most people today as their capability, with the power of new processors and camera technology, has reached the level unthinkable before.
“It's like a movie 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,” says another judge, Brooks Kraft, a professional photographer and worked in editorial and commercial photography prior to joining Apple.
Composition factor
Another winner, also from Moscow, Andrei Manuilov (IG @houdini_logic), shot a photo of an old flat at night with clothes hanging across the two sides of the building with his iPhone 11 Pro Max.
What's interesting about this shot that made it a winning shot is the well-balanced composition that throws so many questions back at the viewers — ‘Where is this? Who lives here?’ — and perhaps the most important — ‘Why is laundry hanging out to dry at night?’
"As an architectural photographer, I am drawn by the image’s one point perspective that leads the viewer into the frame, right smack into the hanging pieces of clothing," says Darren Soh, a full-time independent photographer who specialises in architecture and landscape from Singapore, who is also one of the judges.
Meanwhile, another judge Sarah Lee, an official BAFTA photographer, 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. This work reminds me of Michael Wolf's ‘Architecture of Density’ in its theme, but compositionally the photographer has their own take, which is really interesting.”
Meanwhile, Mitsun Soni (IG: @mitsun) from Mumbai, India, with his unique reddish-colured tree shot captures the heart of the judges.
“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,” says Brooklyn-based photographer and filmmaker Tyler Mitchell.
Soni took the shot with his iPhone 11 Pro.
“The rich red colour 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,” comments Arem Duplessis, a former design director of The New York Times Magazine.
What made phones like the iPhone 11 series capable of shooting good low-light photos is because of the usage of a new Wide sensor with 100 percent Focus Pixels that enables low-light photos to be captured in indoor and outdoor environments. This is in addition to the Ultra Wide camera, next-generation Smart HDR and upgraded Portrait mode experience.
Silhoutte technique
For Rubén P. Bescós (IG: @rubenpb) from Pamplona, Navarra, Spain, sent a silhouette photo of a group of pilgrims against a bright orange sunset, shot with an iPhone 11 Pro Max
“Photography is the art of light, and Bescós' photo magically uses light to bring this art installation in Spain to life. The colour in this Night mode image is a captivating orange, beautifully framing the band of pilgrims in sharp silhouette. The crackly details on the foreground rocks add to the story of the long and difficult journey ahead for these pilgrims before they reach their holy site,” says Schiller.
Another judge 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 ground in the photo reveals beautiful texture when shooting against the light. The simple composition quickly draws viewers into a story, while delivering good image quality.”
Another Russian photographer, Rustam Shagimordanov (IG: @tomrus), using his iPhone 11, shot a photo of a dramatic winter village by a sea.
“This is 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,” says Kaiann Drance, who is also one of the judges.
“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,” comments New York-based photographer and visual reporter, Malin Fezehai.
Finally, a photo of a busy alley with people buying street food at night, was also chosen as one of the winning entries.
It was shot by Yu “Eric” Zhang (Weibo: ericube_23) from Beijing, China, with his iPhone 11 Pro Max.
“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,” says Apple's vice president of Camera and Photos, Jon McCormack.
Meanwhile, 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.”