London Camera Exchange (LCE) has announced the winners of the LCE Photographer of the Year 2025 competition, with London-based Capri McPherson-Noel securing the top spot for her striking portrait, Sunkissed Boy.
The contest, now in its second year, attracted thousands of entries from around the world across 14 categories. Notably, women claimed victories in multiple categories, reinforcing the growing presence and influence of female photographers in the industry.
McPherson-Noel’s winning image, Sunkissed Boy, captivated the judges with its beautifully balanced composition and warm, golden hues. Speaking about her inspiration, she explained, “I wanted to create the connection between humans and nature. The way the sunlight bounces off the sunflowers for growth is similar to the way the sun beams off the model’s skin tone. As humans, we gain energy from the sun, just as the flowers do.”
Raised in Ireland before moving to the UK a decade ago, McPherson-Noel works in the television industry but aspires to make photography her full-time career. Her triumph in this prestigious competition is a significant step in that direction. She was awarded £3,000 in LCE vouchers as the overall winner.
Alongside McPherson-Noel’s success in the Portrait category, several other women photographers took home category awards:
Landscape – Close to Heaven by Edyta Rice
Music – Creation of Deadletter by Gracie Hall
Travel – Mundari Women by Lynn Fraser
Wildlife – After the Kill by Caroline English
Emerging Talent – Abigail by Martina Aguirre Torres
Martina Aguirre Torres, who won the Emerging Talent category, introduced this year, is a fashion photography student. Her evocative portrait Abigail, also earned recognition in the Music category. Captured at the Eventim Apollo in October 2024, the image features indie rock singer Abigail Morris of The Last Dinner Party. Torres reflected on the impact of this win, saying, “Editing photos from this gig is what made me find my editing style. I was a bit lost before, but after playing around in Lightroom and Photoshop, I felt like I had found my voice as a photographer.”
In addition to the winners, several women photographers (many of whom are members of SheClicks) were named as runners-up across various categories. Their outstanding work further highlights the depth of female talent in the competition:
Action – Dive by Linda Wride
After Dark – Twilight Serenity by Claire Meadows
Birds – Standing Out from the Crowd by Melanie Sharp
Creative – Swimmer by Shannon Maltbie-Davis
Landscape – Shadow and Light on Snow by Lindsey Munro
Landscape – Last Light at Margate by Paula Wilks
Macro – Seaweed by Julie Spokes
People’s Choice – Zachary Aged Three by Debbie Todd
Portrait – Andy the Thinker by Carol Visser
Street – Football Dreams by Lynn Fraser
Street – Chasing Shadows by Marusa Uranjek
The competition also awarded prizes to other impressive entries, including:
Action – Blowing the Cheeks by Lester Woodward (overall runner-up)
After Dark – Cosmic Gates by Dawid Glawzin
Birds – Backlit Cuckoo by Colin Vanner
Creative – Future Portrait by Gilbert Murray
Macro – Season of Love by Sandip Guha
Music – Creation of Deadletter by Gracie Hall (overall runner-up)
Pets – Muesli Yawn! by Jon Pauling
Street – Platform No. 1 by John Seager
People’s Choice – Steep Hill Lincoln by Andrew Scott
Lester Woodward’s Blowing the Cheeks was named overall runner-up and also won the Action category. The image, taken at the 2023 British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championship, features Dutch Paralympic gold medallist Jiske Griffioen during an intense practice session.
Winners were honoured at a special ceremony at The Photography & Video Show on 9 March 2025 at ExCeL, London, where their images were also showcased in an exhibition. The competition received over 10,000 entries between October 2024 and January 2025, with a total prize fund of £10,000, supported by sponsors Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm and OM System.
Lee Harasyn, Managing Director of LCE, praised the quality of this year’s submissions, saying, “The standard of photography was incredibly high, making it a tough job for our judges. We are particularly excited about the introduction of the Emerging Talent category, which highlights the next generation of photographers. Congratulations to all the winners, and a huge thank you to everyone who entered.”
The judging panel included Chris George (Future Publishing), street photographer Peter Dench, LCE’s own Lee Harasyn and me, Angela Nicholson, founder of SheClicks.
This year’s results underline the incredible talent of female photographers, with McPherson-Noel’s overall victory marking a particularly proud moment. As the competition continues to grow, it promises to be an important platform for recognising and celebrating photographic excellence.
