Left to right: Dylan de Haas, Marcin Zajac, and Azim Khan Ronnie.
The winners of the second International Aerial Photographer of the Year have been revealed, and Azim Khan Ronnie from Bangladesh has been crowned champion.
Fighting off 1,587 entries from across the world, Ronnie won Photographer of the Year, which is based on a portfolio submission of at least four images.
An aerial view of a rowing team gliding through the pristine waters of Lake Zurich in Switzerland. | Photo by Azim Khan Ronnie
For a few months of the year, a large number of Siberian seagulls migrate to various parts of India. One of them is Yamuna Ghat in Delhi. The birds start coming in here in November and move out in mid-March. The activity continues all morning. | Photo by Azim Khan Ronnie
“I use a combination of mirrorless cameras, action cameras, drones and professional lighting equipment that gives me the flexibility to work across photojournalism, documentary, sports, wildlife, and aerial photography,” says Ronnie.
“For aerial photography, I use the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and DJI Mavic 3 Classic, allowing me to create images that reveal scale, patterns and perspectives impossible to capture from the ground. I always shoot exclusively in raw to capture the maximum amount of image data, giving me greater flexibility during post-processing while preserving image quality.”
For editing, Ronnie says he tries to enhance rather than manipulate. “I use Adobe Photoshop for all of my post-production work,” he adds. “My workflow typically includes RAW processing, exposure and white balance adjustments, contrast and tonal corrections, colour refinement, sharpening, noise reduction and selective local adjustments.”
Thousands of bright red chilli peppers are harvested in the hot sun before being sorted ready to be delivered to spice companies in the Sariakandi, Bogura, Bangladesh. More than 2,000 people work in almost 100 chilli farms in Bogura. | Photo by Azim Khan Ronnie
Hindu devotees gather in Dhaka for Rakher Upobash, fasting and praying with incense and oil lamps to honour Baba Lokenath. Thousands seek blessings for health and protection, recalling the 18th century saint’s life of asceticism and spiritual devotion. | Photo by Azim Khan Ronnie
Photographer Chin Leong Teo from Singapore came second overall.
Chin Leong
Of all the entries, the top 101 photographs were picked by the three judges: Tom Hegen, Isabella Tabacchi, and Joanna Steidle. PetaPixel has selected some of the best.
At sunset in Cappadocia, Yilki horses surge across the dusty plateau. Raised by villagers and released to roam free, they embody resilience and tradition, moving like a river of fire beneath the fading Anatolian sky. | Photo by Kah-Wai Lin
‘While shooting the amazing seas off the north eastern coast of Sardinia I was suddenly caught in a rainshower at sunset and magic happened in front my disbelieving eyes.’ | Photo by Paolo Lazzarotti
The Golden Gate Bridge framed by its own iconic steel and suspension cables, overlooking the San Francisco Bay at dawn. | Photo by Marcin Zajac
Titled ‘The World’s Largest Gathering,’ this photo appears to be from the Hindu pilgrimage Kumbh Mela | Photo by Savadmon Avalachamveetil
‘Each night in Varanasi several thousand people gather to attend the Ganga Aarti, an ancient ceremony.’ | Photo by Thibault Gerbaldi
In this aerial panorama of Iceland, a gentle rainbow arcs across the sky, casting soft hues over dark slopes and deep-blue waters. A lone road winds toward distant shores in perfect, breathless harmony. | Photo by Abhijeet Sawant
View of Cono de Arita at sunset, Puna de Atacama, Argentina. The perfectly shaped volcanic cone casts a long, geometric shadow across the vast salt flat, as warm light reveals its radial textures and the stark solitude of the high-altitude desert. | Photo by Daniel Vine
Taiwan bathed in dramatic light. | Photo by Max Horng
A polar bear balances on the edge of an iceberg in East Greenland, using the height to scan the sea ice and test the wind. | Photo by Rhiannon Lawler
Taken from a helicopter in the Namib Desert, Namibia. It was late afternoon and sunset was beautiful, illuminating dunes with golden colour and amazing shadow lines. This single oryx was walking on the dunes with its shadow and footprints. | Photo by Zhengze Xu
I was riding in North East Italy and catching some stills of a wonderful white horse, when suddenly he rolled over to scratch his back, raising the dust. | Photo by Fabio Pappalettera
Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. A tiger shark carries a Green Turtle in its jaws, revealing a rarely witnessed moment of predation. Predator and prey meet at the surface, exposing the raw tension and ecological reality that sustains ocean balance. | Photo by Dylan De Haas
Dolphins in the Bahamas. | Photo by Dylan De Haas
Sami reindeer migration. | Photo by Michiko Kimura
Sunset light over Southern Utah’s iconic Butte. | Photo by Kevin Nyun
A deadly fire in Hong Kong. | Photo by Yau Tat Hui