Redline Challenge 2021: the prizewinning photo

"What I really like is that this is not a shot you can plan. You cannot predict that fog, those clouds, or how much of the viaduct would be visible, so it's all about being in the right place at the right time. That's what makes it fresh for me."

Those are the words used by Canon Ambassador, action sports photographer and multiple Red Bull Illume finalist Lorenz Holder to describe the image that beat tens of thousands of entries to win Canon's first ever Redline Challenge.

From Piotr's position on a hillside overlooking the viaduct, its tall concrete pillars were almost completely covered by the fog, creating a surreal, dreamlike effect. "When fog happens only a few times per year, it's very hard to get there at the right moment," he continues. "In those conditions, it was really amazing to see. I was lucky enough to take this picture, and I was very happy with it."

Canon's Redline Challenge invited enthusiast photographers to send in their best shots on the theme of Light in the Dark. A total of 36,000 images poured in and a team of industry experts met in London with the difficult task of choosing the winner from the 20-strong shortlist.

Lorenz was joined on the judging panel by fellow Canon Ambassador and documentary photographer Laura El-Tantawy; artistic director, curator and educator Monica Allende; Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson, Editor of multimedia imprint The Wider Image; and Susie Donaldson, Canon EMEA's European Marketing Director. Overseeing the judges was photography YouTuber Kai Wong.

Lorenz adds: "The exposure is perfect; the image is sharp; I think the picture really reflects the theme. From the point of view of composition, I love how the road comes into the picture."

Piotr, who has been a Canon user since 2003, used his Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens at the 40mm setting to capture his winning shot – impressively, one of three of his photos to make the shortlist. The sky at the top of the frame was brighter than the fog, so he attached a 0.9 Neutral Density (ND) hard graduated filter to his lens to balance the tonality across the frame. Due to the low light, the exposure was 30 seconds at f/8, using ISO800.

He was amazed and delighted when told he had won. "It's hard to describe how I felt – it was a big surprise, and I lost my words and forgot about speaking English," Piotr says. "It's a huge achievement." His prize is more than €14,000 worth of cutting-edge Canon kit, including a Canon EOS R5, three RF lenses, a powerful Canon Speedlite EL-1 flash and a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 professional printer. He also receives a unique one-to-one mentoring session with Lorenz.

Piotr is looking forward to the personal photography assignment with Lorenz and to receiving his Canon kit. "The Canon EOS R5 looks like the perfect tool for the kind of photography I do, such as landscapes, wildlife and macro," he says. "As a Canon user, the prize is the best set of equipment that I could imagine. I can't wait to get it!"