April 2026 Competition - Light & Shadow

[Tim Mayo]

Our April monthly competition has now finished. Roll on May!

Please Include Metadata with Images Submitted.

Theme
For this month our theme will be "Light & Shadow".

Competition Dates
Entries start: The date that this post is published.
Entries end: April 21st
Voting starts: April 21st
Voting ends: April 28th

Shot Taken Date
Images can be taken anytime, there is no restriction like we had in 2024 for images to be taken in the current or previous two months.

What Do I Get if I Win?
I'm afraid now it's just the joy of taking part, but I will look into adding a special profile banner to winners profiles. In the past there have been vouchers for 1st and 2nd places, but we want to try and encourage people to enter without dangling a voucher code in front of them.

How to Enter + Rules

1. Post your entries in this thread by scrolling down to the reply box then hitting the 'upload images' button. Insert image as full not thumbnail.
2. Sony cameras only.
3. Camera metadata must be included in the images to verify.
4. Only one photo entry per member.
5. Keep the photos clean and family friendly.
6. Please don't use sky replacements or AI image generation.
7. You are free to change you image during the entry period.
8. Not essential but it would be nice if you added a little background information on your entry.

How to Vote (when voting opens)

1. Use the vote button (up arrow) to the right of the post (below post on mobile) to vote up images that you like
2. You can vote on as many images as you like apart from your own

Themes for 2026
Our themes for the year have already been decided to give you a heads-up on what's coming next.

• Jan: Travel & Places
• Feb: Black & White
• Mar: Life & People
• Apr: Light & Shadow
• May: Nature & Wildlife
• Jun: Motion
• Jul: Close-Up & Macro
• August: Urban & Street
• Sep: After Dark
• Oct: Abstract
• Nov: Long Exposure
• Dec: Your Favourite Shot of 2026

Feedback
I'd really appreciate feedback about how the competition is running but please don't post it in this thread. Instead please post any feedback in this thread in the Feedback Forum.

Thank you for participating and good luck!

Tim

 

[CrankinSteve]

Cliffs and caves at Mount Tom in Sunderland, MA

• ILCE-7CM2
• FE 28-60mm F4-5.6
• 42.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/50 sec
• ISO 2500

 

[MikeWPM]

At a zebra crossing!

• ILCE-7M4
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2)
• 200.0 mm
• ƒ/7.1
• 1/5000 sec
• ISO 800

 

[Slug]

Guiding light

• SLT-A65V
• 28-80mm F3.5-5.6
• 16.0 mm
• ƒ/20
• 1/400 sec
• ISO 800

 

[Paul stuart]

City Roller

• ILCE-7RM5
• TAMRON 25-200mm F2.8-5.6 A075 E
• 25.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/200 sec
• ISO 100

 

[NatureBoyOhio]

_DSC8855.jpg

• NatureBoyOhio
• Dec 6, 2023

 

[Alan Clark]

The Singing Ringing Tree. Sculpture near Burnley.

• FE 12-24mm F4 G
• 12.0 mm
• ƒ/5.5999999046326
• 1/60 sec
• ISO 250

 

[alexpler]

The Cathedral Mosque of Córdoba.

• ILCE-7C
• FE 40mm F2.5 G
• 40.0 mm
• ƒ/4
• 1/10 sec
• ISO 250

 

[AllardR]

A moment of serenity. Basilica di Sant'Andrea, Vercelli, Italy, 2008.09.08

Only adjusted the crop slightly. Otherwise entirely "in camera". Guessed on two stops of underexposure. Before the moment was over. From my first Sony. The older I get, the more I'm living in the past.

• DSC-R1
• 71.5 mm
• ƒ/4.8
• 10/250 sec
• ISO 160

 

[lodbrok]

A backlit crow I took a while ago

• ILCE-7M3
• 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports 021
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/2000 sec
• ISO 2000

 

[Jeffrey]

Mojave Desert Twilight.

A1-2, Sigma 14mm f1.4.

 

[GeffBourke]

• ILCE-1M2
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/400 sec
• ISO 500

 

[reneegw]

• ILCE-6700
• E 35-150mm F2.0-F2.8 A058
• 35.0 mm
• ƒ/2
• 1/125 sec
• ISO 160

 

[spudhead]

Cascais Portugal

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II (SEL2470GM2)
• 30.0 mm
• ƒ/14
• 1/400 sec
• ISO 400

 

[THXGEEK]

Radiometer. I've been fascinated by these since grade school. I'll always remember the lesson that light has a unique, dual nature: it travels as a vector (in straight lines) but also behaves as particles (photons), each carrying discrete energy.

• ILCE-1M2
• FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS
• 100.0 mm
• ƒ/11
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 400

 

[BrianN]

The Fire Worshipper.

• ILCE-7M5
• FE 100mm F2.8 Macro GM OSS
• 100.0 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 1250

 

[Tim Mayo]

A big thanks as always to everyone who entered and voted in our April competition. Some cracking entries yet again!

• 1st place with 7 votes was @NatureBoyOhio who demonstrates a masterclass in light and shadow to transform a simple surface into a striking, minimalist work of art.
• 2nd place with 6 votes was @reneegw who has managed the stark contrast and dramatic lighting beautifully to capture the timeless grace and powerful silhouette of this dancer.
• 3rd place with 5 votes was @Alan Clark who has captured beautifully the monochrome contrast highlighting the twisted, wind-blown silhouette of the Singing Ringing Tree, a 3-metre tall, wind-powered musical sculpture located on Crown Point, overlooking Burnley in Lancashire, England.

The theme for our competition this month will be "Nature & Wildlife" which will be starting soon. Typically one of our more popular themes