Stunning winning images from Digital Photographer's Dark Nights contest

For its competition in association with Photocrowd, Digital Photographer magazine challenged you to submit your best Dark Nights images. After working through all the entries, the winners have been selected. As a prize, the expert winners will receive a licence for Affinity Photo 2 professional editing software.

Congratulations to all of the winners – as usual, the standard of submitted images was extremely high and it was a difficult task to select the best ones.

1st PLACE

Untitled by esraburcun

We love the high contrast of this shot. The choice to keep the colour version adds to the stark difference in tone between the building and the darkness beyond. It almost looks like a tear in a black curtain, revealing a stage behind and the placement of the figure is perfect for drawing the eye to it. Well done!

2nd PLACE

Lost in your phone by John Wakeling

There’s a wonderful contemplative atmosphere about this image. Many people see night-time in the city as intimidating, avoiding shadowy areas like this. However, this image shows off the tranquil side of the darkness – this man is experiencing the city in a way that would be impossible during the day. Nicely spotted.

3rd PLACE

Startrail above Michaelschapel by Helitz_photography

We saw many star trail images in this round, so it was a popular approach to the brief. However, this one stood out for its simplicity and tranquillity. The subject is so small it feels dwarfed by the night sky, while the exposure
is perfectly matched and blended. Well done.

RUNNERS UP

Manhatten Bridge At Night by MartinDuffyPhotography

Nothing makes better use of the night-time than a cityscape, but the detail in this
shot is truly astonishing. From the deepest shadows to the brightest highlights, the exposure is perfectly blended, giving us an all-encompassing view of the New York skyline. A brilliantly shot and edited image.

Night Hunter by Graham Davis

This shot looks far more difficult to take than one might immediately imagine. The timing, lighting and composition all come together to tell a story and give us a glimpse into this bird’s nocturnal life, as it scans the blackness for its next meal. Expertly photographed.

Spring Moon by Tetiana

This is an unusual shot and an exciting interpretation of the brief. The colours are beautiful and we love that the photographer has chosen to focus on the flowers, which contrast warmly against the deep blue of the twilight sky. A lovely night study.

City Night by Ludwig P

Many shots of people walking through dark streets were submitted for this round, but the buildings drew us to this particular example. The lights, colour depth and composition pull the viewer into the frame and make us want to know what is around that corner.

How to enter

Enter at photocrowd.com/digitalphotographer for a chance to win a licence to Affinity Photo editing software (worth £49 for Mac or Windows). Affinity Photo is a toolset for photography professionals. Whether you’re editing and retouching or creating multi-layered compositions, Affinity Photo has the power you need, with non-destructive editing, RAW processing and color management as standard. Winners will be notified by email and can choose between Mac, Windows or iPad versions. Winning images will be revealed in an issue of Digital Photographer.

This article originally appeared in Digital Photographer , a monthly magazine, and the kitbag essential for pros, enthusiasts and amateurs alike!

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