Photography Tutorial · 2019-09-01

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot!

Thomas Chu Photo

New technologies and equipment are constantly pushing the boundaries of imaging.

In my view, the rise of drone and smartphone photography isn't about challenging professional cameras. Rather, it opens another new door for photographers' creativity through fresh perspectives, convenient functions, and intelligent algorithms.

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 1

Yin Yang

©Roeselien Raimond (Netherlands) | Shot on HUAWEI P30 Pro

Now everyone, anywhere and anytime, can use a phone to capture fleeting light, wild creativity, and emotions of joy and sorrow.

As National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry said:

"Everywhere in the world, people are taking creative photos. Using their own eyes and in their own unique ways, they tell the story of the world."

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 2

Sea Child

©Andrea Brunson (Chile) | Shot on HUAWEI P20

In the article "About Photography Competitions: Here's the Most Detailed Beginner's Guide", Thomas introduced the three major events in the world of smartphone photography.

Among them, the Huawei Next Image Awards is the smartphone photography competition with the strongest panel of judges and the highest prizes.

The results of the 2019 Huawei Next Image Awards were recently announced. World-class photography masters including Magnum photographers Steve McCurry, Alec Soth, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, and Pulitzer Prize winner Liu Heung Shing selected 56 winning photos from over 520,000 entries from around the globe.

Let's appreciate these stunning photos created with phones.

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 3

The Devil's Dwelling

©Qian Chenwei (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P20 Pro

Hello, Life!

The Huawei Next Image Awards is divided into 6 categories: "Hello, Life!", "Nine-Grid", "Geographic Location", "#Emotion Tag", "The Faces of Life", and "Timeline".

The first category is "Hello, Life!", which, as its name suggests, showcases photos of lifestyles and moments of daily life.

In Thomas's view, when it comes to capturing those fleeting moments of life, there's truly no better tool than a small, convenient, and unobtrusive phone.

Category Winner

- Liu Zhiyong (China) -

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 4

Afternoon | Shot on HUAWEI P20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 5

Seeing this photo, Thomas seems to recall his middle school days. Sometimes when spacing out in the classroom, I'd watch the shadows of windows, doors, classmates, and chairs cast by sunlight on the wall.

There is beauty everywhere in life, even in seemingly ordinary moments. Thank you to the photographer for using a phone to capture this moment full of reflection.

Merit Awards (Selected)

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 6

A Glimpse of the Arctic

©Chu Weimin (China) | Shot on HUAWEI Mate 20 X

A photo Thomas submitted this time was also honored with a merit award in the "Hello, Life!" category.

I love using a phone to capture documentary scenes, because shooting with a phone doesn't easily draw the attention of locals, letting me capture the most authentic moments. A phone is also convenient and quick to bring out — by the time you take a camera from your bag and set the parameters, many expressions, events, and moments are long gone.

This photo was taken in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Because it was too cold outside, I observed passersby through the glass window. Just then a child ran over on his way home from school, so I quickly pushed open the blinds with my left hand and operated the Mate 20 X with my right hand in one hand, rapidly capturing the moment of his running.

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 7

In the Rain

©Longbin Li (Canada) | Shot on HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro

From pedestrians in heavy rain to phone-scrolling commuters on the subway, from breakfast carts in the dark to rows upon rows of exam candidates, these merit-winning works full of everyday life also please me greatly.

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 8

Stolen Moment

©Walid Ahmed Orabi (Egypt) | Shot on HUAWEI P20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 9

Breakfast Cart in the Morning Light

©Leshan Ren (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P30 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 10

The Joy of Participation

©Chen Yushi (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P20

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 11

My Way Home

©Anh Nguyen (Germany) | Shot on HUAWEI P30 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 12

Travel Around the World

©Kogtev Oleg (Russia) | Shot on HUAWEI P9 Lite

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 13

The Lasso Herdsman

©Lu Xingsheng (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P9

The Nine-Grid

Social apps like Moments and Weibo have brought a display format unique to phones — the nine-grid.

How to select, arrange, and pair nine photos so they're unified in form and progressive in narrative actually tests the photographer's presentation skills.

Among these photos, Thomas personally likes "Stay-at-Home Wife." The photographer pieced together a self-portrait using the objects a stay-at-home wife uses in a day — very creative and humorous, fully leveraging the nine-grid's display characteristics. The category winner is also an excellent set recording real life states and details.

Merit Awards (Selected)

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 14

Stay-at-Home Wife

©Xu Yingzhe (China) | Shot on HUAWEI Mate 8

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 15

Office Items

©Hong Yixin (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P30 Pro

Category Winner

- Huang Yuehan (China) -

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 16

Behind the Scenes | Shot on HUAWEI P20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 17

Geographic Location

The Geographic Location category is arguably the most competitive, because the common travel photos everyone takes fall into this group.

But besides the same-old tourist check-in shots, can you still use a phone to capture something different?

For example, using photos to show the traces of time?

Using reflections and projections to show a scene from the side?

Using composition, candid capture, and color grading to show the most regionally distinctive side of a landscape?

Using telephoto, wide-angle, or even macro to capture a different perspective?

These winning works may bring us some inspiration.

Category Winner

- Jaylord Plaza (Philippines) -

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 18

Frame of the Past | HUAWEI Mate 20 RS Porsche Design

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 19

Merit Awards (Selected)

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 20

The Iron Lady

©Emanuel Romedea (Romania) | Shot on HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 21

Coloured Way

©Tony Hernández (Spain) | Shot on HUAWEI P9

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 22

Tibetan Antelopes Drinking

©Gimhoy (China) | Shot on HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 23

Penguins, Ice and Snow, and a Cabin

©Liu Sangen (China) | Shot on HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 24

The People of the Three Gorges

©Li Ming (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P30 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 25

Black Rock City / Night at Lengga Lake

©Chen Lei (China) | Shot on HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro

#Emotion Tag

Life is full of joys and sorrows, and also many moments of humor, absurdity, loneliness, and confusion.

Can you read the emotions and expressions hidden behind these winning photos?

Merit Awards (Selected)

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 26

A Tired Mother

©Cui Li (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 27

Picking Up Light

©Ni Buliang (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 28

Horsemen Playing Buzkashi

©Shen Zhenhong (China) | Shot on HUAWEI P10 Plus

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 29

Pointing

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 30

Goodbye, Empty House

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 31

White Collar, Blue Collar

Category Winner

- Zhang Yateng (China) -

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 32

Farewell | Shot on HUAWEI P30 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 33

The Faces of Life

We've finally come to the category everyone cares about most — photographing people.

"The Faces of Life" covers anything related to people: portraits, full-body shots, silhouettes, environmental portraits, multi-person compositions, and more.

A good portrait isn't just about making people look "pretty" — more importantly, it captures the subject's temperament, emotions, story, and experiences, bringing a living person to life and letting viewers step into the inner world behind the portrait.

Category Winner / Overall Winner

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 34

Come to Me | Shot on HUAWEI P20

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 35

Merit Awards (Selected)

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 36

Детство

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 37

Moment

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 38

Double

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 39

The Stranger

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 40

Morning Me

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 41

My Kind of Lifestyle

Timeline

The development of 4G and 5G has brought an explosion of short videos. By adding sound and a timeline beyond the frame, phone videos give us even more creative possibilities.

Category Winner

- Huang Zheng (China) -

Fragments of a Dreamlike Life | Shot on HUAWEI P20 Pro

Can a Phone Produce Stunning Photos? See How These One-in-a-Million Photos Were Shot! · Fig. 42

Today, phones' light sensitivity, zoom, and stabilization keep improving. Combined with AI algorithms that keep pushing boundaries, phone photography is becoming increasingly powerful with ever-better image quality.

The development of photographic equipment and technology has truly liberated photographers' productivity, freeing us from agonizing over gear choices, focus adjustment, and exposure settings. Photographers can devote more energy to the creativity, ideas, and composition of their photos.

The Huawei Next Image Awards has now been held for 3 years, and many of its excellent winning works could stand out even in professional camera competitions. With outstanding entries and an authoritative panel of judges, this phone photography contest is already on par with professional camera competitions.

After all, good cooking isn't because of golden pots and pans, and good writing isn't because of a golden pen — the real skill lies beyond the craft itself.

Only by earnestly discovering life, observing the world, and exploring the unknown can you create new images.

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