Smartphone success

What a dynamic image! We love the sense of depth created by the placement of the bird in the foreground and the setting sun - a magnet to the eye - in the background. Perhaps the best aspect is that the sunset and mountains are not the main subject, rather they are a background to further the story of the feathered posers! Inspired idea and well-captured on a phone.

What a great shot! It has tonnes of colour and atmosphere and the angle is dizzying. It really gives the viewer a novel view of the subject and holds our attention very well. It's a very well-thought out composition. Congratulations .

This shot has a fantastic sense of scale - the choice to include the human figure is a highly effective one as it really lends an idea of how large the bridge really is. The widescreen aspect ratio also makes the most of the fading detail as the bridge disappears into the mist. Congratulations!

There a great atmosphere in this shot. It's very theatrical and the contrasty monochrome lighting really does the cinematic style justice. The depth is excellent and we like that the subject is balanced between the figure and the New York skyline beyond.

Many smartphones feature wideangle lenses these days and it's great to see one put to good use here, on the iPhone 11 Pro. The low angle makes the most of the perspective in this scene while the colour and exposure are well handled. Congratulations.

The muted tones really make this shot. The almost monochrome styling allows us to focus on the dizzying perspective and we love how the lines of the building fade into the sky. It's a minimalist frame but one which deserves repeat views. Well done.

This shot makes great use of light to create drama. The lighting and stripped-back composition allow us to focus on the important details and hold our attention in the critical areas of the frame. Another great example of using a phone as the 'camera you have with you'. Well done.

One of the issues with tourist hotspots is that they are very rarely deserted. A great technique is to pitch the camera up to exclude the crowds - which is what the photographer has done here. It's a simple-yet-effective solution. This shot demonstrates one of the big advantages of using a phone for photography - being discreet.

The placement of the human figures serves the overall composition very well in this shot. The splash of red really draws the eye into the frame and the repeating patterns at the bottom of the frame perfectly balance the seamless blue sky in the top half. Nicely spotted and put together.

Shallow depth-of-field can be a challenge to achieve with small imaging sensors, of the type found in most smartphones. The photographer has therefore done well to use DOF artistically in this shot. It helps tell a wider narrative and the composition pushes these themes further. Great shot.

What an engaging shot! Macro and closeup photography did not feature heavily this round, due to the limitations of some phone cameras, so its refreshing to see the short working distance of many devices to good use. The light and colour is spot-on as is the composition. Very nicely done.

This shot makes great use of light to create drama. The lighting and stripped-back composition allow us to focus on the important details and hold our attention in the critical areas of the frame. Another great example of using a phone as the 'camera you have with you'. Well done.

Shooting with a smartphone is very practical but it can be easy to forget to get creative. We love the choice of subject of this image and it really stood out from the crowd. The colour contrast and low perspective give the shot an energetic feel and the composition is balanced and artistic. Very well deserving of its place!

This shot has a great sense of depth and drama. The exposure keeps all of the tones in-range, but the bight highlights show the intensity of the lighting. The sky also has lots of detail to compliment the cornfield. The composition makes the most of the big sky too.

We love the composition here. The sense of scale is very eye-catching and there is some great use of leading lines. The exposure is very well managed too and the choice to convert to monochrome makes the most of the attractive tonal range. Nicely seen and captured.