Short winter days got you down? Apple’s latest iPhone photo contest will give you a reason to stay out late and celebrate the dark. The company has put up a call for entries looking for the best Night mode photos shot on iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max.
From now until January 29, submissions can be made via Instagram using the hashtags #ShotoniPhone and #NightmodeChallenge. Contestants are advised to note the model of phone used to produce the photo in the description. Images can also be submitted in high-resolution via email. See the original Apple blog post for details.
Austin Mann
Photos will be reviewed by a panel of 10 judges made up of a mix of working photographers and Apple employees. Five winning photos will be selected, with winners announced on March 4. The images will be displayed on Apple’s Instagram account and may be used online, in print ads, or on billboards, according to the company.
It makes sense that Apple would want to draw specific attention to Night mode, a critical new feature in the latest iPhones that allows for handheld long exposures. Night mode produces dramatically brighter, sharper, and more colorful images when the amount of light is insufficient for a standard exposure, and was a highlight of our iPhone 11 Pro review. In addition to granting exposure to the winning photographers, the photo contest will give Apple more content to advertise Night mode in future “Shot on iPhone” campaigns.
While Night mode comes on automatically when conditions call for it, Apple does offer a few tips for getting the best results. To let even more light in, tap on the yellow Night mode icon to gain access to the exposure time slider. Here, you can set a longer exposure than what the iPhone would select by default. To maintain sharpness for the longest exposures, prop your iPhone up or use a tripod adapter. This will ensure no motion blur gets into your image.
Apple’s isn’t the only iPhone photo contest. The independent iPhone Photography Awards has been running since the time of the original iPhone. If you’re looking for more phone photography tips and tricks, we spoke with a past winner about his techniques for getting award-winning photos.