In a world obsessed with speed, the 2025 Minimalist Photography Awards remind us of the quiet power of slowing down. This year’s long-exposure winners prove that patience, stillness, and intentional vision can turn ordinary scenes into something deeply poetic. These images don’t shout for attention — they whisper. They ask you to pause, breathe, and truly look. Through soft motion blur, gentle light trails, and carefully framed simplicity, each photograph strips the world down to its emotional core.
Leading the collection is Nick Green’s stunning first-place image “The Shy Fishermen.” Captured somewhere along the Italian coast, the photograph transforms humble fishing huts into a dreamlike scene. The subtle movement of water and the quiet glow of lamps create a peaceful tension — a moment that feels both fleeting and eternal.
Second place goes to Carsten Velten for “Misty Venice,” a moody long exposure taken near San Giorgio Maggiore. Wrapped in fog, the iconic city becomes almost unrecognizable, floating between reality and imagination. The softness of the mist erases distractions, letting minimalism take center stage.
Rounding out the top three is Richie Johns with “Branching Out.” Shot during a perfectly dull, overcast day, the long exposure smooths the scene into a painterly dream. The gentle blur transforms ordinary branches into abstract poetry, proving that magic often hides in the quietest moments.
Together, these award-winning photographs show how long exposure isn’t just a technique — it’s a mindset. A way of seeing less, feeling more, and discovering beauty in stillness.
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#1. 1st Place Winner: "The Shy Fishermen" by Nick Green
"These fishing huts with their wonky lamps made for a wonderful set of images ,and taken from a different perspective still show the nets ,taken somewhere in Italy."
#2. 2nd Place Winner: "Misty Venice" by Carsten Velten
"Mist in Venice, 2024, San Giorgio Maggiore."
#3. 3rd Place Winner: "Branching Out" by Richie Johns
"Conditions were almost perfect for this 30sec long exposure, a dull, overcast day with light drizzle in the air gave the background a nice soft look."
Honorable Mentions
#4. "Lighthousing" by Martin Annand
"Selection of lighthouses round the coast of the UK WSING long exposure photography"
#5. "Weightless Silence" by Yukio Nodo
"A solitary tree drifts in a sea of stillness, cradled by the fading hues of dusk. The world around it seems to vanish—sky, water, and mountains dissolving into a quiet void. It is a place without time, where memory softens and the present slips away. The tree does not stand, it floats—anchored not to earth, but to silence itself. In this suspended moment, the familiar becomes distant, and what remains is a breath between worlds, a whisper of something just beyond reach."
#6. "Transience" by Tomasz Dunajski
"Dead trees, taken by the sea, come back to life in the landscape. Waves wrap them in seaweed like a memory of existence. A landscape where life and death intertwine. The photo was taken in Poland, on the Baltic coast – on a beach with a cliff and trees falling into the water."
#7. "Softly softly" by Sue Trower
"Extending the exposure time to a 1/4 second and tilting the camera slightly, gave this dreamy effect to a breaking wave"
#8. "Whispers of the Wave" by Yuyang Jiang
"I was walking along a black sand beach at a raining and gloomy day. The delicate patterns left behind by the retreating waves caught my eye. The way the water carved soft, fleeting lines into the dark sand felt almost like nature’s handwriting—temporary yet expressive. I decided to use a slow shutter speed to capture that motion and texture, hoping to preserve the ghostly trails of the waves and the calm, surreal mood of the scene. This was also inspired by a popular video game at the time, “Death Stranding”, where there is a famous quote, My Body May Be Present But My Soul Is On The Beach."
#9. "Sacred Calm" by Judy N Adhitianto
"Sanur Beach, Bali, Indonesia is always a great place for minimalist photography."
#10. "The Edges of Morning" by Emma Steele
"Before the world rounds into waking, I watch the edges of morning."
#11. "Echoes Of Light" by Brian Roberts
"Captured in the final quiet moments of morning at Shingle Street, Suffolk, this image reflects the profound stillness of the coastal landscape. The lone cottage and its perfect reflection sit suspended between sky and water."
#12. "Seaweed Nets" by Rachel Wei
"Seaweed Farms in Japan"
#13. "Turtle Island" by Rene Columbus
"Made on Zakynthos Island, Greece. The shown little Island is Marathonisi, a small, uninhabited island, also known as a turtle island, because of its shape and because turtles breed there. The photo was made in 2023 with an exposure time of 183 seconds."
#14. "Fleeting Light" by Hilary Basing
"Watching the sea and the weather is part of the joy of just being out there to photograph the landscape and this was two minutes to catch a fleeting patch of light moving on the horizon out in the English Channel. A delight to watch and a pleasure catch a record of it too."
#15. "Groyne" by Wojciech Nawrocki
"The sea and a groyne. I can hear the sound of waves in a storm, but you can see just peace. Captured with medium format pinhole camera. Simple tool, film hand developed by me."
#16. "Lighthouse – Stawa Mlyny" by Ivo Matějů
"This photo was taken during a very windy morning at the Polish Baltic Sea coast, in the town of Swinoujscie. The lighthouse in the photo is called Stawa Młyny, it was built between 1873 and 1874 and its appearance resembles a windmill. The lighthouse stands at the end of a long stone pier that leads deep into the sea. A long exposure lasting approximately nine minutes creates the effect of a softly blurred sky and a smooth, calm sea surface. This iconic lighthouse is not only a navigational point for ships, but its unique architecture and beautiful location also make it an important feature of the local landscape."
#17. "Escaping" by Stephen Hayes
"This image was captured on a beautiful moody day at one of my favourite locations."
#18. "Meuro" by Sebastian Raabe
"The Meuro open-cast mine in eastern Germany carved deep scars into the earth for decades, feeding the region’s energy demands and shaping the lives of thousands. But as the coal industry declined, the mine fell silent. What remained was a vast, barren landscape – a reminder of the price paid for progress. Over many years, the mine slowly filled with water, transforming into the Großräschener See. At the heart of this transformation stands the Seebrücke, a striking pier that stretches proudly into the lake. Built where coal once dominated, it symbolizes connection – between past and future, nature and people."
#19. "Boelcheflue" by René Schaedler
"The waves of Boelcheflue."
#20. "Birchington Promenade" by Ralf Dreier
"A bend in the Birchington promenade."
#21. "Quiet Marker" by John Threlfall
"Taken on Lytham Jetty on the Fylde Coast. The most common shot at this location is to centre the structure at the end, however I purposefully moved it to the left and gave the sky more dominance in the image, with the long exposure smoothing the water and giving a soft movement to the clouds. I liked the strong diagonal lines of the Jetty edges contrasting with the softness of the water and sky."
#22. "Blowin’ in the wind" by Brigitte Bourger
"This photograph not only showcases the aesthetic allure of the maritime scenes in Africa but also serves as windows into the soul of the coastal communities."
#23. "Mariner" by Martin Annand
"A series of abstract shots from a marine pool in the south west of England taken at some of the highest tides when the Bristol Channel floods that pool."
#24. "Lucky Pebble" by Annette Cuthbertson
"Northumberland coast, on the “Death Rocks” as they are known locally, however no ankles were hurt in taking this shot, perhaps because I found myself a lucky pebble. Looking out to sea, a slow receding tide helped lean me towards a longer exposure."
#25. "Beyond the Tetrapods" by Jana Hoffmann
"A stormy day is coming to an end at the coast of winterly Hokkaido. Despite the high waves and rising temperatures there was still a layer of fresh snow left on the tetrapods from a late snowstorm and to my surprise a hint of sunset color managed to cut through the thick cloud layer."
#26. "Suffolk – Pin Mill" by Eliza Majewska
#27. "Otto" by Sebastian Raabe
"Otto is a visual study in balance and symmetry, named after the Italian word for “eight” and reflecting the rhythm of the repeating mooring numbers along the Venetian quay. The lone lamppost stands as a quiet sentinel over calm waters, bridging the elements of architecture and environment."
#28. "Echoes of Stillness" by Michael McCafferty
"As a fine art landscape photographer rooted in the ever-changing elements of the Irish coast, I am drawn to time as both a visual and emotional medium. This series explores the poetic tension between permanence and impermanence through long exposure — a technique that softens motion, stretches moments, and reveals stillness where there is flux."
#29. "Anchored in Stillness" by Marco Maljaars
"This work is not just about what is seen, but what is felt in the absence: silence, time, and the elemental connection between human constructs and nature. It is minimalist photography distilled to its purest essence—where less reveals more."
#30. "Coastal Contrasts" by Mark Stevens
"This is a series of images captured at various locations along the UK coast. These man-made structures, encompassing both artistic and functional forms, provide a stark contrast to the smooth, calming appearance of the surrounding ocean."
In Summary
What is long exposure photography?
- A technique that uses slow shutter speeds to capture movement over time, creating smooth, dreamlike visuals.
Why is minimalism important in long exposure photography?
- Minimalism removes distractions, allowing light, motion, and emotion to become the focus.
Who won the 2025 Minimalist Photography Award for long exposure?
- Nick Green won first place with “The Shy Fishermen.”
Where were the winning photos taken?
- Locations include Italy and Venice, with atmospheric natural and urban settings.
Why are long exposure photos so impactful?
- They turn time into texture, revealing beauty that the human eye usually misses.
