“Night Lights” photo challenge
The theme for our March Editor’s photo challenge was “Night Lights.”
We asked you to share your best photos featuring artificial light sources, and you lit up the board with brilliant entries. In addition to great photos, we were impressed by the variety of geographic locations represented in this month’s submissions, featuring locations from around the world.
As always, we received many more great photos than we can feature here. Our favorites, showcasing a diverse range of vision and talent, are presented in random order.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this photo challenge. If you’d like to participate in other photo challenges, you can visit our Challenges page to see currently open or upcoming challenges, or to vote in a recently closed challenge.
Breskens Lighthouse
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Photographer: Phantogram
Photographer’s statement: The Breskens Lighthouse was built in 1867 to guide ships safely through the mouth of the Western Scheldt. The tower was designed by Dutch engineer Quirinus Harder, who was responsible for several lighthouses in the Netherlands. It stands about 28 meters tall and is constructed from cast-iron plates, a modern building technique in the 19th century. The light helped vessels heading to the important port of Antwerp.
During World War II, the lighthouse was damaged by wartime actions but ultimately survived. After the war, it was restored and returned to service for maritime navigation. In the second half of the 20th century, the lighting system was modernized and later fully automated, eliminating the need for lighthouse keepers. Today, the lighthouse is no longer active as a navigational aid but remains an iconic symbol of Breskens. It is a national monument and commemorates the region’s maritime history. Many visitors still come to admire the view over the Western Scheldt.
Equipment: Sony a7 III + Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art
Midnight heron
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Photographer: Deutsch
Photographer’s statement: Walking past the pond fountain in our community around midnight, I saw the Blue Heron standing calmly there with a lot of Canadian Geese. I said, “Don’t move, I’ve got to get my camera.” I came back, and the Herron was still there, but I didn’t want the geese in the photo. I’ve learned shooting wildlife, Herrons don’t scare off easily, but the geese do. I walked closer and said, “Hello, Geese”, and they all flew away, but the Herron stayed put. I couldn’t resist the night light fountain glow, silhouetting the Blue Herron. Peaceful.
Equipment: Nikon Z7 + Nikon AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm F4.5-5.6E ED VR
The last days of Eden
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Photographer: Electro35
Photographer’s statement: This photo shows the last days of the cinema Eden Palast in Aachen in its former glory, with its beautiful entrance area and neon signs from the 50s, before they did a renovation. Now the original neon signs are unfortunately gone, but the new sign mimics the old ones, and they built a nice lounge-style waiting area. But, of course, I miss the old look, which I particularly loved on rainy nights.
Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II + Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm 1:3.5-6.3 EZ
Baohua Road, Guangzhou, China
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Photographer: olli thomson
Photographer’s statement: I spotted this alleyway off Guangzhou’s Baohua Road. The bright red lights of the signs created vivid reflections on the wet streets. The red glow of the signs was complemented by the red taillight of the scooter, and even the tiny red spot of the glowing cigarette in the hand of the guy edging into the photograph.
Equipment: Fujifilm X-S10 + Rokinon 75mm 1.8 AF-FX
Time for ice skating
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Photographer: Kuzmabrik
Photographer’s statement: In December, I decided to try out my new Fujifilm X-E5 camera by capturing some photos of a newly opened ice rink. The rink, illuminated by thousands of lights, is located on the riverbank and is about 1.7 km long. On that day, it was also the first snowfall of the winter, so the flakes of snow added a festive atmosphere to the scene.
Equipment: Fujifilm X-E5 + Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR
Soho Odaiba
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Photographer: Barry Bloom
Photographer’s statement: I always look for nighttime shots in Tokyo. I found this recommendation. This is an office building with a small center courtyard – very hard to include all – I shot it with my fisheye lens from the 2nd floor.
Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II + Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO
Lamp and fog
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Photographer: PuneetSood
Photographer’s statement: Jersey City, NJ, USA. Taken while walking late at night in my neighborhood in March. It had almost finished raining, but there was still fog in the air, and the steam exhaust from the parking lot next to the lamp looked interesting.
Equipment: iPhone 13
Light show at Niagara Falls
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Photographer: yfan
Photographer’s statement: Visiting Niagara Falls in winter has become more and more popular these days. As a photographer, you will enjoy the less crowded season. The light-painted wintery falls are just so magnificent.
Equipment: OM System OM-5 + OM System M.Zuiko Digital 14-150mm f4-5.6 II
Streamers
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Photographer: DrummerJim
Photographer’s statement: Streamers of lights from different modes of transport illuminate the streets of Poznan, Poland. Trams, cars and bikes contribute to this ever-changing scene. Taken from my hotel window using Live-Composite mode on my camera.
Equipment: OM System OM-1 + OM System 40-150mm F4.0 PRO
Lantern exhibition at Basel Carnival
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Photographer: Andreas Graf
Photographer’s statement: The Basel Carnival or Fasnacht is a major cultural event in the Swiss city of Basel. After being paraded in a procession in the early morning hours of day 1 of the 3-day festival, the lanterns are then exhibited on the central square in front of Basel Minster for everybody to see. So I went there with my camera ready, and as every year, people came flocking in to take a closer look.
Equipment: Nikon Z6III + Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm F4 S
Finding treasure
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Photographer: knulp
Photographer’s statement: During winter, you can see glass eel fishing boats from a bridge in Tokushima, Japan. They hunt for valuable baby eels using strong light. The price of glass eel was recorded at more than 2.5 million JPY (~$15,000) per kg in the 2024 season.
Equipment: Sony a7R III + Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD
Walking down the street
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Photographer: Michel Jarry
Photographer’s statement: During a 2022 road trip across the United States in our motorhome, we captured thousands of images along the way. This one quickly became a favorite, taken on the vibrant Fremont Street in old Vegas under its dazzling night lights. And judging by the glance from the man on the right, she was definitely turning heads.
Equipment: Nikon Z7 + Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm F1.8 S
Main Street Turkey at midnight
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Photographer: sprucemesa
Photographer’s statement: I took this photo of Main Street in Turkey, Texas, after an evening photographing the Milky Way at Caprock Canyons State Park nearby. I was in the middle of the street for about 30 minutes and never saw another auto, not even the sheriff.
Equipment: Nikon D850 + Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD
Winter wedding photo with kimono, snow and gas lamps
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Photographer: Kaz Tsurudome
Photographer’s statement: Couple’s dream winter wedding photoshoot in Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata, Japan. There are winter destinations in Japan, and then there’s Ginzan Onsen, where fresh snow settles on wooden ryokan rooftops, gas lamps glow at dusk, and the entire riverside street feels like a scene from another era.
Equipment: Leica SL2-S + Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm F2.8 ASPH
The protected view
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Photographer: Ouroboros66
Photographer’s statement: Guy de Maupassant preferred eating in the Eiffel Tower as it was the only place where he couldn’t see the darned thing. I only had a short bit of free time when I was in Paris, so I decided not to visit the tower but to find a place where I could see it.
Equipment: Olympus OM-D E-M1 + Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4-5.6 R
At the drive-in
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Photographer: kitagata_kara
Photographer’s statement: Taken in Universal Studios Orlando on a Halloween Horror Night, down the path from the Terminator 2 3D attraction outside of the faux 50s diner. This vacation goes down as the final one before my parents separated!
Equipment: Sony a7R II + Sony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T*
Welcoming beacon
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Photographer: JeffryzPhoto
Photographer’s statement: At the end of a dirty, muddy road, the neon lights of a hotel beckon to weary travelers in the Mustang Valley in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal. A portion of the road was washed out by rain just after we drove through on our way back down the mountains. Hotel Karnali in the town of Kagbeni.
Equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 + Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR II
Devil’s Bridge at night
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Photographer: arizonaphotoadventures
Photographer’s statement: Sedona’s iconic Devil’s Bridge seen far from its usual social-media moment. Instead of the daytime line of photographers waiting their turn, I captured this image during a night hike with my daughter, when the desert finally grows quiet. Using light painting, I briefly illuminated the massive natural arch against the darkness.
Equipment: Canon EOS R5 + Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM
Lighting up the polar night
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Photographer: eric87
Photographer’s statement: When it’s dark all day long for several months, even a single small light brings undeniable comfort to those around it. In this white winter landscape of the Lofoten Islands (Norway), lights are everywhere in the windows, providing warmth.
Equipment: Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS
Ride the big wheel!
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Photographer: DavidAMWA
Photographer’s statement: Every year, our family goes to the Royal Show in Perth, Western Australia. The children’s favorite is the side show alley with all the stalls and outrageous rides. The rotating machinery provides an excellent photographic challenge.
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark III