Launched by Amateur Photographer in 2024, the UK Film Photographer of the Year competition returned this year in partnership with Analogue Wonderland, Kodak Alaris and Ricoh Imaging. UK-based film photographers were invited to share their portfolio of 5-8 film photographs taken during 2025, showcasing their creativity, expertise, personal vision, and ability to shoot fantastic film images across a range of different situations and styles.
The judging panel comprised of Paul McKay of Analogue Wonderland, Andrew Church of Kodak Alaris, Adrian Uden of Ricoh, & Nigel Atherton and Jessica Miller from Amateur Photographer
Mavis CW is our UK Film Photographer of the Year 2026 winner, with a black and white portfolio of street photographs taken in London which includes celebrations of the VE 80th anniversary and the football Championship Final. She wins over £4k of prizing, including a brand new Pentax 17 film camera, a year’s supply of Kodak film, a year’s supply of film developing and scanning with the Analogue Wonderland lab, and a limited edition Pentax t-shirt and baseball cap! Two runners-up win £1000 worth of film, £1000 worth of developing and scanning, and a limited edition Pentax t-shirt.
Mavis CW
Mavis CW is a British-Taiwanese photographer based in London, UK. Her work captures the ebb and flow of daily life, using the streets as an ever-changing canvas. She primarily shoots with Leica MP and M6 cameras, favouring a 35mm focal length and Kodak Tri-X film. Through her lens, fleeting moments are preserved, transforming everyday scenes into timeless narratives. Committed to traditional photographic techniques, she develops her own film in the darkroom. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, Vogue, Tatler, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her monograph Somewhere Between Living and Dreaming (2023) was published by Setanta Books. She has exhibited internationally, including a solo exhibition at Leica Gallery Taipei in 2025.
How does it feel to win the competition?
It felt surreal at first. When it truly sank in, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement. It’s an amazing feeling to have the work seen and appreciated by brands I’ve long admired. All the tens of thousands of steps I take in order to make photographs suddenly feel entirely worthwhile.
How did you get into photography?
While I was working in scientific research, I discovered my passion for photography. My journey began with a fascination for architecture and interior design, where I taught myself visual composition through structured forms, symmetry, and spatial awareness. A pivotal moment occurred when I encountered The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson. I was deeply moved by the power of photography to convey profound emotions and narratives. I wanted to pursue street photography and challenge myself further by shooting on film.
Film photography resonated with me because of its pace and process. There’s something special about not seeing the image instantly. It forces you to slow down, to be present, to trust your instincts and to embrace imperfections. The most magical moment is pulling the negatives out of the development tank and holding them up to the light, you realise you have captured “the shot” – it’s incredibly rewarding. For me, the process is like selecting canvases, paintbrushes and different types of paint. From choosing film stock to developing and scanning, I’m able to take full control of my work, making each image feel intentional and deeply personal.
Can you tell us more about your winning portfolio?
I wanted to present a selection of glimpses into life and culture in London: moments that range from the quietly unnoticed to the collectively celebrated. My work features everyday scenes that might otherwise pass us by, occasions when people dress their best to honour history or to come together and cheer for their football club before a tournament.
At its core, the portfolio reflects the way tradition and modernity coexist. Even as we navigate contemporary life, we still carry our traditions and rituals in our hearts. I’m interested in these dynamics – how heritage, pride and community continue to shape our identities within an ever-evolving city. My work explores themes of stillness and connection, whether between individuals, within a crowd, or between a subject and their environment. Through these moments, I hope to convey both the intimacy and the collective spirit that define life in London.
What are your favourite subjects to shoot?
I’m often drawn to scenes, people or objects that suggest a story or evoke a feeling. My work is deeply introspective and personal – it’s like photographing a memory or an experience. I aspire to carry a unique feeling and understanding of the place that I’m in, and that perspective hopefully reveals itself in the images. The emotions I feel while shooting reflect stories that have unfolded throughout my life. Photography becomes a way of communicating what I’m feeling at the moment in time and in my life. Things that have influenced me shape the mood and narrative of my work. I hope that when viewers look at my photographs they see a part of me coming through the images. I primarily work in black and white as I love that timeless and cinematic look.
Anything else you want to tell us?
My debut photobook “Somewhere Between Living and Dreaming”, which features a series of photographs I made in New York over several years, is available signed from maviscw.com. I’m now focussed on expanding my body of work into longer-term projects. My hope is to continue shaping these into future publications. Beyond that, I’m excited to keep experimenting, collaborating, and allowing the process to evolve organically. Thank you again to all the judges and AP Magazine for the support and recognition.
Instagram: @onechapter
UK Film Photographer of the Year 2026 Runners-Up
Louis Francis
Louis Francis is a 30yo London‑based amateur photographer originally from Jersey. He began photographing less than three years ago and is developing a style that blends impressionism and surrealism, creating images that sit between abstraction and reality. He gravitates toward film for its slower, more deliberate process and the sense of permanence it brings, an alternative to the technological speed of the digital era.
ICM, long exposures, and the use of ND filters on his Nikon F6 and Hasselblad H1 form the core of his technique, guiding the viewer away from technical exactness and toward atmosphere and feeling. Film photography acts as escapism and meditation, offering both space and a quiet critique of the constant clarity and consumption that shape the modern world. Louis develops his work with the cime.lab community, where affordable processing and creative dialogue are invaluable. His images favour art over documentation, presenting an abstract, personal interpretation of the world around him.
Instagram: @louis.francis.s
Ted Smith
Ted Smith is a UK (Derby) based film photographer specialising in dark, high-contrast black-and-white portraiture often featuring bespoke designer creations. Working only with medium-format film (usually Kodak Tri-X) and Hasselblad, his practice is rooted in a deliberate process that treats light as a sculptural tool rather than simple illumination.
Ted is drawn to gothic, cinematic and psychologically charged imagery, often exploring identity, power and elegance through shadow. His methodology favours minimal one-light setups, but powerfully lit, along with careful direction and an emphasis on mood over perfection, allowing subjects to reveal something quietly arresting. With a background in both creative and technical disciplines, Ted’s work balances precision with atmosphere — creating images that feel timeless, intimate and unapologetically bold. All his work is home developed, digitised, and often darkroom printed.
Methodology that’s worth sharing : stop changing variables. Choose a developer you like, a film that you like, and a camera that you like. Master those variables, then spend time harnessing the craft of your own photographic style. For me, those combinations are Ilford Ilfotec DD-X developer, Kodak Tri-X 400 film (mostly), and a Hasselblad V-System camera, applied to fashion and portrait based studio photography.
Website: www.tedsmithphotography.co.uk
Instagram: @tedsmith_photography
