RAF Photographers Reach For The Skies In High-Octane Photo Contest

Nov 22, 2024

Matty Graham

A fighter jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier under a vivid display of the Northern Lights. The sky is filled with green and purple auroras, creating a stunning backdrop against the night sky. — An F-35 Lightning Jet of 617 Squadron under the Northern Lights in the Vest Fjorden, during Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER. Photo by AS1 Mayall / RAF Photographer of the Year

The winning images from the annual Royal Air Force (RAF) Photographic Competition have gone live and reveal a varied and often awe-inspiring amount of entries from service personnel within the high-octane submissions.

Aerial view of a cityscape with a military helicopter flying over a river. Notable landmarks include the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. Skyscrapers are visible in the distance under a cloudy sky. — Aircraft from across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force take part in a flypast as part of the King’s Birthday Parade. Photo by AS2 Coulston / RAF Photographer of the Year

Supported by UK-based photo retailer WEX, 2024’s photo contest attracted thousands of entries from service personnel and photos vary greatly from scenes of intense military action to lesser-seen moments from the life of the service, such as ceremonies and sporting events.

Silhouette of a military jet and three people on the ground during sunset. The sky is vibrant with orange and yellow hues, creating an atmospheric backdrop. One person walks near the jet, and another appears to be inspecting it. — Typhoon FGR4s from 11 Squadron at RAF Coningsby as they prepare to fly their first sortie as part of Exercise Pitch Black in Darwin, Australia. Photo by AS1 Russell / RAF Photographer of the Year

According to official release information, the annual RAF Photographic Competition was established to promote the image and reputation of the RAF, Britain’s air and space force, through the medium of photography and video and to encourage and develop high standards in all styles and disciplines of military photography and video.

Soldiers in camouflage uniforms assist a person on a stretcher in a dusty landscape. A helicopter hovers in the background, kicking up dust. The scene suggests a military rescue operation. — A Royal Air Force Medical Emergency Response Team prepare to EVAC a simulated casualty supported by an RAF Chinook from RAF Odiham. Photo by AS1 Barnard. / RAF Photographer of the Year

Images and video could be entered into a choice of 11 submission categories consisting of: RAF Photographer of the year, RAF Feature, RAF Sports, Technical/Engineering Photography, Personnel, The Mallet Student Trophy, Photographic Section Portfolio, RAF Operations and Exercises, Current RAF Equipment, Video and Amateur. A ‘Peoples’ Choice’ category is selected from the best of the winners and is judged online by public vote.

A large airplane with four propellers is stationary on a runway at night. The propellers are spinning, creating a circular light pattern. The runway is illuminated with red and white lights, and the sky is dark. — An A400M sits on the threshold at RAF Brize Norton before departing on a three-stage Non Permissive Air Transport (NPAT) training mission over the UK. Photo by Sgt Matthews / RAF Photographer of the Year

One of the competition judges, Aviation photographer Sławek Hesja Krajniewski, commented “When I first saw the submitted images, it immediately told me that it would not be easy to choose the best ones. Some photographers had phenomenal opportunities to make their works, others had better equipment, others with greater technique or creative ideas. When choosing the best imagery, I had to take into account the composition, technique of both photography and processing and probably the most important – the wow effect!’

A man in a yellow vest and white helmet pushing a jet. — An F-35B launching from the HMS Prince of Wales. Photo by AS1 Mayall / RAF Photographer of the Year

Scenes from winning and commended images included fighter jets parked under aurora skies, helicopters landing among sandstorms and parachute specialists leaping into the skies, along with flyovers past iconic London landmarks and aircraft being prepared in golden morning light.

A skydiver in a red helmet and gear is mid-jump, making a joyful expression as they descend towards a landscape of fields and an airfield below. Another skydiver is visible in the background against the vast scenery. — Sgt Collins of the RAF Falcons jumps from the ramp of a C17 over the Royal International Air Tattoo in RAF Fairford. Photo by Sgt Matthews / RAF Photographer of the Year

Along with the category winners, the competition features an overall winner and this year it was claimed by Andrew Wheeler, who took the top RAF Photographers of the Year award for his portfolio of six images that included a striking mono frame of RAF service personnel cheering in tribute to the King.