The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the Year 2026

Winners Announced!fl

Sydney, Australia – Tuesday seventh July, 2026

Professional and beginner photographers worldwide had been invited to enter the 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the Year competitors.

From 1587 entries from around the globe, the winner of the 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the Year (primarily based on a folio submission of no less than 4 photos) is Azim Khan Ronnie of Bangladesh. Azim Khan Ronnie is knowledgeable photographer from Bangladesh and at the moment dwelling in France. He has been working in pictures for 11 years, overlaying journey, aerial, documenting information, tradition, sports activities, humanitarian points, and on a regular basis life with a powerful emphasis on visible storytelling. His work has taken him from main sporting occasions to distant communities, capturing moments that replicate each resilience and the human situation. Professionally he was a journalist on many information channels for greater than 19 years.

Azim Khan Ronnie’s journey into pictures started with a fascination for telling actual tales by way of photos. What began as a ardour progressively developed right into a full-time occupation, pushed by a dedication to documenting genuine moments that may in any other case go unnoticed. He believes pictures has the ability to tell, encourage, and protect historical past.

Today, his work focuses on creating compelling visible narratives with each journalistic integrity and creative sensitivity. His images have been recognised in worldwide competitions and printed by media organizations around the globe.

“I take advantage of a mixture of mirrorless cameras, motion cameras, drones {and professional} lighting gear that offers me the flexibleness to work throughout photojournalism, documentary, sports activities, wildlife, and aerial pictures.

“For aerial pictures, I take advantage of the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and DJI Mavic 3 Classic, permitting me to create photos that reveal scale, patterns and views inconceivable to seize from the bottom. I at all times shoot completely in uncooked to seize the utmost quantity of picture knowledge, giving me higher flexibility throughout post-processing whereas preserving picture high quality.

“I take advantage of Adobe Photoshop for all of my post-production work. My workflow usually contains uncooked processing, publicity and white steadiness changes, distinction and tonal corrections, color reflnement, sharpening, noise discount and selective native changes.

“My post-processing philosophy relies on enhancement reasonably than manipulation. I consider modifying ought to strengthen a picture with out altering its reality or narrative. Every adjustment is made with the aim of precisely reflecting the environment, mild and emotion I skilled after I pressed the shutter. Especially in my documentary and photojournalistic work, I’m dedicated to moral modifying practices that protect the integrity of the {photograph}. For me, post-production is the flnal step in realising the picture I envisioned within the fleld, not creating a distinct actuality.

Azim Khan Ronnie says what he enjoys most about aerial pictures is its skill to rework acquainted landscapes into one thing completely new. “From above, on a regular basis scenes reveal patterns, geometry, textures and relationships which might be typically invisible from the bottom. Aerial pictures permits me to inform tales about folks, nature and the atmosphere from a perspective that evokes curiosity and presents a deeper understanding of the world.

“In my images, I search for sturdy composition, lovely mild, significant moments and visible steadiness. Whether I’m photographing landscapes, sporting occasions, humanitarian tales or on a regular basis life, I goal to create photos which might be each aesthetically compelling and emotionally participating. I need viewers to pause, discover the small print and join with the story behind the picture.

“I’m influenced by the work of photographers who mix technical excellence with highly effective storytelling. The photographers of National Geographic, particularly those that doc tradition, nature and the human expertise, have been a continuing supply of inspiration. I additionally admire up to date aerial photographers who use perspective, scale, and geometry to disclose the sweetness and complexity of our world. Their work encourages me to maintain exploring new viewpoints, whereas remaining genuine to the tales I inform.

Azim Khan says he’s drawn to places that reveal one thing surprising when seen from above. Each of the places in his portfolio had a novel story to inform, whether or not it was the quiet simplicity of rowing on the Lake Zurich in Switzerland, the dramatic interplay between folks and birds at Yamuna Ghat in Delhi, India, the colourful geometry of pink chilli peppers drying in Bogura, Bangladesh or the religious environment of the Rakher Upobash ritual in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

“I visited these places whereas engaged on documentary and journey pictures initiatives, and I selected them as a result of I noticed the potential to rework on a regular basis scenes into compelling visible narratives. Behind every {photograph} was persistence, ready for the fitting mild, the proper association of individuals, or a fleeting second when the whole lot got here collectively. Those transient moments are what make aerial pictures so rewarding.

“I entered the International Aerial Photographer of the Year as a result of it celebrates creativity, storytelling and the distinctive perspective that aerial pictures presents. It is a chance to share my work with a world viewers and to be taught from among the world’s greatest aerial photographers.

“I additionally enter chosen worldwide pictures competitions, significantly those who worth documentary storytelling, photojournalism and aerial pictures. For me, competitions will not be solely about successful awards, they’re a option to problem myself, obtain recognition from revered judges and be impressed to proceed exploring new views and telling significant tales by way of pictures.”

www.azimronnie.com