Three Top 6 Finishes: My Achievements in the 2025 photoprofessionals Photo Contests

Screenshot of the 2025 Landscape Rankings, featuring Enric Mammen's black-and-white architectural photograph in 4th place

In 2025, I placed 6th, 5th, and 4th in the photoprofessionals photo contests. Three times in the top six—I’m really happy about that. First place would be nice, of course. But these three placements are already a really great achievement for me.

Three Categories, Three Placements

I’m especially pleased that the results come from three different competitions: 6th place in “Painted with Light,” 5th place in the Portrait category, and 4th place in the Landscape category. Three categories that each offer a different perspective on photography.

The top 6 were selected by an international jury: Martina Wärenfeldt from Sweden, Martin Krystynek from Slovakia, and Natalie Licini from the U.S. It means a lot to me that my work is included in this selection.

Painted with Light: 6th Place

Light makes a subject visible—and can itself become a creative tool. In the “Painted with Light” category, my work took 6th place. The image thrives on its dark atmosphere, the bright streaks, and a figure whose contours are partially dissolving.

Screenshot of the "Painted with Light" leaderboard featuring a dark, moving shot of a figure and bright trails of light — My work ranked 6th – View of the published rankings from photoprofessionals.

You can watch the discussion in the video starting at about 7:54.

Painted with Light – Discussion starting at 7:54

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Auf YouTube ansehen

Portrait: 5th Place

In the portrait competition, my photograph took 5th place. The black-and-white portrait shows a woman resting her head on her folded arms and looking directly into the camera. For me, the focus here is on the encounter with the person: the gaze, the expression, and the tranquility of the image.

Screenshot of the portrait rankings featuring a black-and-white portrait of a woman resting her head on her arms and looking at the camera — 5th place in the 2025 Open Portrait Contest – View of the published rankings from photoprofessionals.

The discussion of my portrait begins in the video at about 25:18 minutes.

Auf YouTube ansehen

Landscape: 4th Place

My best result in this year’s competition was 4th place in the landscape category. The black-and-white photograph combines buildings, rooftops, and a staircase into an interplay of lines and planes. What appeals to me about such subjects is how a familiar place can be reinterpreted through perspective and composition.

The photograph can be seen at the top of the post in the published rankings view. In the landscape video, the discussion begins at approximately 18:46 minutes.

Landscape – Discussion starting at 6:46 p.m.

Auf YouTube ansehen

A Good Year, Even Without First Place

For me, competitions are an opportunity to subject my own work to an outside perspective. I take three top-6 placements in different subject areas as a wonderful recognition—and as an incentive to remain curious and continue working on my images.

Thanks to the jury and to photoprofessionals for the competitions and the image reviews. And congratulations to the other winners!