25 Winning Photographers Who Masterfully Captured the Art of Shadows

Shadows are more than just the absence of light — they are a powerful visual language. In AAP Magazine #47: Shadows, we set out to discover the most compelling photography that uses shadow as a key compositional and emotional element. The result? A stunning collection of 25 winning images that explore contrast, depth, mood, and mystery.

From dramatic black-and-white compositions to colorful plays of light and form, these international photographers use shadow to evoke emotion, tell stories, and create atmosphere. Whether captured on the street, in nature, or in the studio, each winning image is a testament to the creative possibilities that emerge when darkness meets light.

Discover the talented photographers who stood out in this global photography competition, and see how they turned fleeting shadows into unforgettable works of art.

The Winner is Harvey Stein (United States) with the series 'Coney Island People 50 Years'

This is the cover image of my 2022 book Coney Island People 50 Years and my third published book about Coney Island. The young lady is standing on the famous Coney pier. As we spoke, I noticed the shadows made from the sunlight coming through a metal canopy above us that cast shadows. I placed her so the shadows were on her face and shoulders but not distracting or obtrusive. Shooting close to her with a 21mm lens on my Leica, I wanted her in an environment that revealed aspects of Coney Island besides the pier. I was well aware of the iconic Parachute Jump on the left that is a historic monument (inoperative) and that shouts Coney Island. Also shown is the beach and the housing beyond the beach. I don't remember noticing the fisherman on the pier, but I'm happy that he is there as another element in the photograph that both adds a layer of interest and shows one of the many uses for the pier. I took advantage of the beautiful sunlight and shadows to make an image that for me is timeless.

Being in Coney Island is like stepping into another society, rather than just experiencing a day’s entertainment. These photographs, from my book CONEY ISLAND PEOPLE 50 YEARS hopefully bring the viewer a sense of excitement, the adventure and the thrills of escape from daily worries, whether strolling the boardwalk, viewing the mind-bending Mermaid Parade, or just sunbathing on the beach. Coney Island is an American icon celebrated worldwide, a fantasyland of the past with an evolving present and an irrepressible optimism about its future. It is a democratic entertainment where people of all walks of life and places are brought together. There isn’t anywhere else like it and that is much of its appeal.

The photographs in the book, taken from 1970 through 2020, simultaneously look back in time while giving a current view to the people and activities of this “poor man’s Riviera”. The images attempt to capture the wonder and intimacy of Coney Island. Their close observations sweep the reader into the feel and fun of Coney Island while providing insight and surprise. It is very rare that one person has documented one place over a 50-year time period. The photographs are made in a documentary style; black and white film helps to impart a feeling of the past and history. The images are mostly taken very near the subjects, employing wide angle views, that make them intimate and direct; the aim is to involve the viewer, often with an evocative and surreal edge.
www.harveysteinphoto.com
@stein.harvey
All about Harvey Stein


The Second Place Winner is Fabien Dendiével (France) with the series 'Winter Sleep''

The photo of the street corner in Minnesota was taken in the winter of 2024 during a long road trip in the Midwest. I drove through small towns in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota. It was a dangerous trip, as the blizzard blew very hard and the temperatures were extremely cold. Alone in the car, I stopped when I saw something I liked. The cold was so intense that I only had a few minutes to take a photo. Once I arrived at the Badlands National Park I went back to Chicago where the last step was to preserve the film from the X-rays at the airport.
www.fabiendendievel.com
@fabien_dendievel
All about Fabien Dendiével


The Third Place Winner is Hugo Thomassen (The Netherlands) with the series 'Shapes of significance'

In his search for shadow, Hugo Thomassen found light. It is not the play of light that intrigues, but the richness of shadow. The bottles are what they are, yet they inadvertently evoke associations. Are we looking at a nocturnal cityscape with figures? Are we witnessing a chance encounter, a moment frozen in time, or simply an elegant composition with one or more bottles as the photographic subject? The bottle as a shape. The image is meticulously constructed, layer upon layer. Although the associations may suggest coincidence, the composition itself makes no such assumption. It is rich in its simplicity. Each line is deliberate, considered. So much is expressed through so Little. The photograph distils the bottle to its purest form. It lays bare its essence. An idea. Is it truth that we see? Reality being exposed? Or are these simply shadows created by shapes? It is this that Thomassen plays with. Is it a single photograph or a picture composed of several images, a multitude of shots? In a sense, the photographic image is attempting to transcend the flatness of the paper. Photography is the means by which Thomassen explores the world. He exposes order in chaos or reveals an event through an ordering. He is the author of a visual story. His work is a narrative without words. It is exciting without incident, an ode to emptiness, stillness, and shape. The bottle as the bearer of meaning.
hugothomassen.eu
@hugo_thomassen_photographer
All about Hugo Thomassen


MERIT AWARD GALLERY
John Francis (United States)

I had driven by this building with an interesting, shaped tree on many occasions and felt compelled to bring my camera to photograph it. I just happened to have returned there at a time when the sun cast a shadow resembling a human or not so human form. It wasn’t until I started to compose the image that I recognized that the shadow took on a human like form. If I had been there a half hour earlier or later would the shadow even appeared as it did. It was like a scene from a David Lynch film, where everything seems to conform to a rational normalcy, until it doesn’t.
johnfrancisphotography.com
@john.m.francis.photography
All about John Francis


Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro (Portugal)

This striking image captures a summer moment in the historic center of Macau, at Travessa do Soriano. The silhouette of a person holding an umbrella is sharply contrasted against the vibrant yellow colonial wall, bathed in sunlight. The play of light and shadow highlights the region’s unique blend of Portuguese architectural heritage and everyday urban life. The photo reflects the intensity of the summer heat, a common reason why umbrellas are widely used for sun protection in Macau.
www.goncalolobopinheiro.com
@glp1979


Francesco Pace Rizzi (Italy)

Some cities tell their stories in full light; others reveal themselves only through their shadows. Urban Shadows arises from that in-between space: a thin threshold between presence and absence, between a gesture and its echo. It is not the figure that speaks, but its trace—the shadow stretching, distorting, merging with the color of the wall, the rhythm of architecture, the stillness of the scene. Each photograph is a fleeting encounter with what escapes. The shadow becomes the subject, a silent narrator of faceless stories. It challenges the gaze, blurs meaning, evokes a presence that isn’t there—or perhaps has just been. It is a play of appearances, where every form has its counterform, and every absence carries the weight of a suspended presence.


Costas Delhas (Greece)

Photography is not just the recording of everyday life. It is the search for the invisible in the ordinary; it is the art of seeing not just what is seen, but what emerges between things. Light and shadow are the two opposing states that define this photographic language. The camera becomes the means by which the photographer stands between light and darkness, observing the world. The light reveals, the shadow implies. Between them there is a space of transition. It is there that In Between photography is born.
costasdelhas.com
@costas_delhas
All about Costas Delhas


Jet Long (United States)

Contemporary Buildings in An Artistic Form is deeply rooted in my childhood perception of an urban environment. Born in one of the most highly populated cities in the world, Hong Kong, high-rise residential and modern commercial buildings were common sights. The architectural features of these buildings fascinated me, and I was awestruck by their beauty. Decades later, now living in the metropolis Los Angeles, my admiration for these modern marvels has only grown. This series reimagines contemporary buildings as the blueprints of my youth.
www.jetflong.com
All about Jet Long


Anna Biret (Poland/France)

Light and shadow dominate our daily lives, often giving rise to images imbued with mystery. Sometimes, a silhouette emerges from the depths of shadow, while other times it seeks refuge in the protective embrace of darkness. The interplay of sunlight and shade, mingling with a palette of colors, creates theatrical scenes that captivate the eye. I am drawn to capturing these fleeting moments that infuse everyday life with beauty. My photography focuses on people amidst their natural surroundings, capturing their authentic behavior and unveiling the hidden mysteries and beauties within.
www.annabiret.com
@annabiret
All about Anna Biret


B McCormick (United States)

It was a day of blinding heat—still and intense.
As I stepped from shade into sun, a flash of light fractured the street, shaping the world in violent brilliance. In that moment, whether from heat stroke or inspiration, I reached for my Holga.
What followed was a slow unfolding—a series of images capturing the sensation of that moment. Stark light carved dynamic shapes through deep shadow. The graphic contrast reduced clarity yet revealed essence: movement, mystery, shelter. The shadows became both frame and refuge.
This series explores the tension between exposure and concealment, the play of form and ambiguity. A heat-born vision, or a fevered hallucination—either way, it revealed - interesting possibilities.
www.bmccormick-artist.com
@bmccormick_artist
All about B McCormick


Junxian Wang (China)

This photo I took in November 2024 in Havana, Cuba. It was a chaotic morning in the Chinatown of Havana, which is a transportation center of the city. At the time there was perfect lighting and an interesting shadow cast on the wall, so I waited for another silhouette to make the composition happen.
@photos_by_matthew_
All about Junxian Wang


Maxine Harraway (United Kingdom)

The image ‘Roller’ is from a recent series called ’Paper Shadows (Things Are Not Always What They Seem’) which I created for a local exhibition making use of natural lighting and limited resources. The use of simple resources and strong sunlight were specifically chosen to create an illusion that would encourage the viewer to stop, to look closer and to wonder what the images were and how they were created and therefore highlight the reality in life that things aren't always what they seem.
Maxine Harraway on Flickr
@maxharr.photo
All about Maxine Harraway


Saurabh Sirohiya (India)

This evocative photograph captures a fleeting moment where art, architecture, and nature converge. A pigeon takes flight against a vibrant blue wall adorned with intricately carved niches, likely serving as birdhouses. Above the bird, the shadows of other pigeons perched on a wire fall crisply against the textured surface, creating a compelling juxtaposition between form and silhouette. I tried many shots, but all without freezing a bird. I waited and got captured it after around 15 minutes in shooting position in perfect placement, and I was finally relieved. The image speaks of freedom, perspective, and the quiet stories cast in shadow.
@sauraabh_sirohiya_photography
All about Saurabh Sirohiya


Peter Harlow (Australia)

As a photographer, I have always been fascinated by the interplay of light, shadows and shapes that exist in both the natural and human-made world. With the advent of drone technology, which enables the camera platform to remain static and fly much closer to the surface, I can explore the landscape from new angles and perspectives, capturing images that would be impossible from an aeroplane. ‘Concentric seven’ was captured in early autumn over a tiny area of sandy beach at the sea baths, Brighton, Victoria, Australia. In particular, I love the flock of seagulls, made visible by their shadows, and the small discarded kayak paddle lying by the receding waterline as the tide goes out.
www.altitudephoto.com.au
@altitudephoto.ph
All about Peter Harlow


Divyanshu Verma (India)

I showcased the power of vibrant colours using my iPhone. This photo was captured in Sangam using red fabric saree to demonstrate creativity and an eye for details. I created depth using a mobile phone that highlights my ability to find perfect angle and lighting. I love the combination of red and rustic backgrounds that make this image visually striking.
www.divyanshuverma.net
@street_ashh


Klemen Razinger (Slovenia)

At 3 AM on a chill autumn night, a large group of men, women and children are being led from their drop off point at the Croatian-Slovenian border to a refugee shelter kilometers away. Marching in a row across corn fields they drop off or lose some of their clothing, bags and other belongings. They are exhausted, hunrgy and completely in the dark in every sense of the word. Many do not know where they are, where they are going – but they know what they are walking away from.
Finding a way towards them, having just finished a shift as a volunteer at the pitch stop where they are headed, I use my camera to find my way in the dark. Technology sees more than the naked eye. Soon enough the approaching sounds reveal shadows into which I am able to infiltrate and capture these photographs.
In the dark I see these people have no faces. They have no religion. They have no nationality. They have no age and no gender. In the dark they are all equal on their road to freedom. Wherever and whatever that might be. Walking for days towards the light, they are welcomed into a world of deep darkness. Into a world that does not know how to deal with them, into a world which is afraid and hopeful at the same time.
In the dark we are all the same. In the dark we have no name. In the dark these were our ancestors fleeing away from their war. In the dark history repeats itself step after step. In the dark this could be us. In the dark – this is us.
klemenrazinger.com
@klemen_razinger


Sabrina Caramanico (Italy)

This journey starts in the past when as a child I was fascinated to see the “great creature” to get life and where strange and controversial things happen inside. The Circus is a magical, mysterious and strange world where light and darkness alternate to give life to the great show. A microcosm where elusive and disturbing figures move frantically in the shade of the tent as in a daydream.
www.sabrinacaramanico.com
@sabrinacaramanico


Gudula Röttger (Germany)

Captured on the road to Ouarzazate, Morocco, this image frames a fleeting moment of everyday life. Flowing fabrics ripple in the wind, their vibrant colors contrasting with the earthy tones of the clay walls in the background. Figures pass casually through the scene — a woman with a child, a man on a scooter — adding a sense of movement to the quiet setting. Light and shadow draw sharp, geometric patterns on the ground, as if echoing the story of the place. Curtains & Clay reflects the idea of transition — between inside and outside, stillness and motion, fabric and earth.
www.gudularoettger.eu
@gudivaa


Denise Pensky (United States)

Meet Pablo, 71 years young and a worker at a limestone quarry near Matanzas, Cuba. I visited his home and was greeted by a flock of roosters. Roosters are a significant part of Cuban culture and history, associated with strength, power, and good luck. During the visit, he cradled one particular rooster. The sun was high in the sky. The intense sunlight created the rooster shadow on his chest, highlighting his weathered skin, so wrinkled and tanned, from his 30+ years on the job.
denisepenskyphoto.com
@denisepensky


Hüseyin Karahan (Turkey)

This photograph was taken while the athletes were waiting on the beach at the beginning of the swimming competition before the Izmit Gulf Swimming Competition held every year in the Gölcük district of Kocaeli province, Türkiye.
@hsynkrhn73
All about Hüseyin Karahan


Lev L Spiro (Turkey)

The primordial landscapes of Iceland and Patagonia overwhelm with their sheer scale and volcanic, glacial wildness. Elemental and untouched, they radiate a fierce, rugged beauty which feels both menacing and enlivening. Amidst this unspoiled, ancient terrain, I am captivated by the darkness and mystery of these landscapes, and entranced by their unexpected textures and shadows. Here, the natural world appears both as a sacred space - where beauty offers moments of solace - and as a starkly indifferent universe in which humans are left to seek meaning on their own.
The images venture to reconcile these paradoxes, finding grace in shadow and disquiet in the sublime.
levlspiro.com
@llspiro


Patrick Cicalo (United States)

Due to my recent relocation to Northern Vermont in the summer of 2023, after decades of living in New York City, an unexpected creative block took hold, and “the wall” was hit. It was less about moving to Vermont and more about leaving New York. The void it created forced me to revisit old work in hopes of rekindling the creative spark. While some possibilities emerged from the dust of this task, it was the solitude of freshly fallen snow and the shadows cast upon its surface by the sun that broke down the wall. The resulting images in this ongoing series were all captured within 50 feet of my front door, proving that you don’t always have to go far to find inspiration.
www.patrickcicalo.com
@patrickcicalo


Dominic Dähncke (Spain)

What a strange being! I think he comes from Plato's cave. Does he pay rent there or does he live for free? He always wears black. Is he in permanent mourning? Who died? I'm not interested. I'm alive, and very happy to be, even if it means I pay rent. I have another doubt: does my ego pay rent to live in me? I have never seen a penny of him. It is clear that he is a squatter. What do I do with him? Fuck! I didn't want to talk about him and I end up doing it. It's always the same with me. What's in it for me? I don't know. What's in him for me? A lot. Every day I find myself in a battle between him and my inner child, and fuck!, I just want to have fun, to have a good time, and he wants recognition and approval from others. Oh wait, I'm often looking for the same thing myself. So I think it's normal that there are days when I realize that, really, I'm him. I mean, I'm not me; I'm just a shadow of myself. This may sound nice, but it's a bitch, because it means that he and I make a permutation in the physical world: he is who he pretends to be and I'm not. I'm a fake Dominic. Mind you, I pay rent. During the COVID confinement I discovered a previously unknown paradise: the rooftop of my building. There I spent much of the day walking in a circle, like a hamster, while listening to podcasts and enjoying what little fresh air we could. Sunny days followed one after another and with them my shadow caught my attention more and more. I don't remember the exact moment, but when I wanted to realize it, one day I found myself taking my cell phone to take a picture of my shadow “sitting” on an old plastic chair that had always been there but that, until that moment, had never caught my attention. “The presence of absence”, I thought as the title of that photo at that very moment. As a result of that photo, many others followed. Many on my rooftop and others in the street, later, when COVID allowed us to go out. To this day I continue to capture images of my shadow. I don't know if it has become an obsession, or if it is simply a stage in my photographic career. The fact is that I enjoy it very much. For these photos I still use my cell phone, with a neck mount that allows me to place the phone and, with the remote shutter release, have both arms free to play with them and the elements of the scene. Starting from pure fun, I seek to embrace photographs that evoke sarcasm, irony, conceptualism or poetry, for example.
www.dodake.com
@dodafoto


Lotte Ekkel (Dutch)

Mexican Fragments is a photographic exploration of subtle moments and hidden spaces illuminated by natural light. Through intuitive compositions and a focus on the ephemeral qualities of light, I try to reveal a world suspended between time and memory. This series invites you to pause and discover beauty in the overlooked — fragments that speak of presence, absence, and the passage of time.
lottelisaekkel.com
@lotte.ekkel
All about Lotte Ekkel


Carol Isaak (United States)

Beneath an ornate haveli arch in India, a man passes unseen—his shadow stretches long across sunlit stone, a fleeting echo of presence etched in light and time.
carolisaakphoto.com
@meijiqueen1