The winning photo: Lear Miller captures Hanna Bergemann in a psychedelic glow

The image is from the filming of the movie “Mountains of the Moon,” which depicts skiing, snowboarding, surfing, climbing, and mountain biking in a hallucinatory, surreal style, accompanied by the music of The Grateful Dead. The photographer says of his image: “We shot the biking segment of Chris Benchetler’s “Mountains of the Moon” over four nights, each from around 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., in pretty heavy rain. The bikers rode in the dark while we constantly battled the water on our lenses and equipment. I was in charge of the still photography for the biking segment and worked with a fantastic lighting and production team to create a psychedelic forest atmosphere that matched his vision, inspired by The Grateful Dead. Since I’m a biker myself, I wanted the images to capture the feeling of seeing the landscape as something you can ride through, explore, and play with.”

The Godfather of Big Mountain Freeriding

“Brett is the Godfather of big mountain riding on scree slopes. He’s been riding this terrain since the early 1990s. When we discovered this spot near the Rocky Mountains in 2014, with its perfectly rideable scree slopes, we knew right away that it was something special. We’ve returned there almost every year since then, and every visit has yielded at least one outstanding photo.
The classic shot we’ve always tried to capture is a close-up of a high-speed turn with rocks flying in every direction.
Over the years, we’ve captured some great variations of this moment, but the instant I saw this frame, I knew it was the best one yet.»

All or Nothing Among the Cacti

“At the All or Nothing event in Pyts Park, you’re always meeting new athletes who are pushing the sport forward with fresh ideas, and this photo fits perfectly because it captures exactly the same jump that I’ve photographed countless times—it’s all about finding new perspectives and being innovative.”

Street scene in Moscow

“The BMX scene in Saint Petersburg is really small. We don’t have many riders here, and there are hardly any good spots. Moscow is much better in that regard, so every trip to Moscow is a great opportunity to take some photos and meet cool people. The Sokolniki Metro station, where this photo was taken, has been known in the bike community for years for its numerous bike shops. My first sponsor, who kitted me out with some cool gear in the early 2000s, also had his shop there. A few years ago, this place was completely renovated, and these cool quarterpipes were built. We spent the whole day there and landed a lot of tricks. This shot of Igor in mid-air and the guys sitting in the foreground perfectly captures the vibe of the moment. And the black-and-white film was just the right choice.»

Close to the Rear Wheel

“Flat Out Days” is the largest bike festival in Slovenia and one of the most important stops on the Fest Series. I love photographing events like this because you get up close to the athletes, witness their raw talent, and have countless opportunities to get creative. One of the absolute classics: a wide-angle shot of a proper whip. What’s always hard to grasp, though, is just how uncomfortably close you actually have to get to an athlete’s spinning rear wheel when shooting with a 16mm lens. In this case, during the Whip-Off competition, my face missed Peter’s tire by just a few inches, which made the photo even more unforgettable. When I later asked him about that maneuver—which nearly blew my head off—he just grinned and said that on the next try, he could probably get even a little closer. I usually shoot these kinds of photos backlit to give them more drama, and occasionally use a soft black-mist filter to tone down the harsh sunlight a bit. When you place the MC in the foreground as the context, you get an image that tells a real story: action, atmosphere, risk, and the scale of the event—all in one picture.”

The Family Photo

“My brother Lee had been dreaming for several years of jumping over his son Van at our local spot in the woods. The place is called ‘068,’ and we’ve been digging BMX jumps there by hand for about 20 years. One particular jump had been built many years ago and hadn’t been ridden until this season. With perfect timing and courage, it’s possible to jump over the old line. I was lucky enough to be there just as the sun was beginning to set behind the hills. Lee and Van only tried it twice, since it was pretty scary for everyone. It turned out to be a very special afternoon for the family.”

Only from a distance does the scale become apparent

“With some riders, it can take years before a collaboration comes together. We’d been talking to Matt for nearly a decade about shooting together before it finally happened. In the meantime, Matt had established himself as one of the very best in the sport and built a progressive big-air park on his property in Kamloops, British Columbia. This session was also the first real attempt to land a front flip on this particular jump. I knew that a telephoto lens was essential, not only to emphasize the size of the jump but also to capture the unique landscape and surroundings of this remarkable part of Canada. Fortunately, another one of those gentle, sandy hills was at the perfect distance for shooting with the 200-mm lens.”

The Commercial as a Work of Art

“Ten minutes earlier, Alex Jumelin was still standing on the podium, having placed third in the flatland final at Cycle Week Zurich. Kio Hayakawa had won, and Viki Gomez had come in second. Then all three of them were sitting in the car with us. We’d already talked about the location before the competition, and when I said, ‘It’s now or never,’ the worst-case scenario was a ‘no.’ After a short drive, we found ourselves on the covered ground floor of the Construction Trade Vocational School, which was completed in 2025 by Mathias Gunz of Gunz & Künzle Architects. In this ceiling is a large oval light fixture that, when viewed from below, looks like a pure white circle.

Then the clock started ticking. No one could tell me whether this light was run by a timer, and if it went out, we’d be left with nothing. Thirty minutes with three of the world’s best flatland riders and a light that might go out. I positioned Alex Jumelin underneath it and moved in with a 10-mm lens almost right up to the bike, so that the circle was behind his head. No flash, ISO 3,200. If I’d lit him properly, it would have looked like an advertising shot in a parking lot. Alex Jumelin has been riding flatland since the early ’90s and still stands on the podium against riders half his age. This photo was taken at the end of that half-hour, when he had stopped doing tricks and was simply balancing, arms outstretched, breathing heavily.”

Endless Golden Hour

“By the time we were finally ready to start filming, it was already after dinner. But since we were just before the longest day of the year, we still had a few hours until the sun was low enough and the wind had died down. Conor took a little nap, and I explored some other potential vantage points. The wind never quite settled down as much as we would have liked, and since the conditions were so unpredictable, we had only a few opportunities—this one is one of my favorite shots. This image is part of a larger project that Conor and I have been working on together for years.”

Walltap in St. Petersburg

“The street season here is really short, so we started filming right after the snow melted, when it was warm enough to ride without gloves. April 2026, St. Petersburg, Russia. Loading docks aren’t very common here, so we didn’t want to miss the chance to ride there. When I saw this green trash container and had an Ektar 100 film in my camera—which is known for its green and blue tones—I couldn’t resist pressing the shutter button. That day, I’d left my zoom lens at home and only had wide-angle lenses with me. I was lucky that my friend Denis had his 50-mm lens with him, so I borrowed it to take a shot. Roman Klooshs had to do the wall tap several times so I’d have different shots to choose from. This one was the best.”

Perfection on the Ground and in the Air

“This feature—or rather, this line—built by Ollie Hindley is a work of art in its own right—all the dirt was shoveled by hand, and every rock was carefully placed. I shot this scene in a slightly more relaxed style because I wanted to highlight the line and how harmoniously it blends into the surroundings: an incredibly artfully designed feature amidst tall cedars. Brandon’s style fits this scene perfectly.”

Is the ice strong enough?

“Since temperatures in January 2026 dropped well below zero degrees Celsius for several weeks, many lakes in Austria were completely covered with thick ice. This hadn’t happened in years and not only created a huge playground for various sports but also provided a visually striking backdrop.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of drone photography, but I wanted to show this vast expanse of ice from a bird’s-eye view and place an athlete within it to illustrate the scale of this seasonal ice surface. In the end, the drone was the right choice. When I first had the idea to photograph a biker here, I didn’t know if it was even possible to ride on such a smooth surface, or if the ice would be able to support such heavy loads and withstand falls from the bike.

Fortunately, I found an extremely talented and motivated local trials rider who was immediately enthusiastic about the idea when I told him about it. We screwed about 200 spikes into his tires and carried out a few successful crash tests. Once everything was ready, it took us about 1.5 days to shoot an entire photo story on the ice. The only downside was the weather: I’d imagined sunshine and long shadows on the ice, but all we got were clouds and fog. In the end, though, it still turned out fantastic.»

A Biker Falls from the Sky

“This photo was taken during the Red Bull District Ride 2026 in Groningen. With this shot, I wanted to capture the unusual sight of a rider jumping off a roof right in front of the windows of the surrounding buildings. At the end of a street, I spotted a café with historic windows that offered a perfect view of the first obstacle in the Big Air District. So I ordered a coffee, went upstairs, and waited for the right moment until one of the riders jumped into the obstacle. The photo shows Tim Bringer performing a flat-drop backflip, which later that day helped him secure the overall victory at the event.»

Afterburner at Sunset

“It had been a while since I’d last taken photos at the Afterburner Jumps, but toward the end of the day, I managed to drive out there. Jimmy McGuire was having a laid-back session among the trees as the sun was setting.
It was already getting pretty dark under the trees, so I was totally stoked that Jimmy was still going strong. I had to shoot at an aperture of f/1.2 to capture enough light and freeze the action. Jimmy is a local from the Whakarewarewa Forest who rides his bike purely for the joy of it. He loves hanging out at the jumps with his friends—just riding, having fun, and enjoying the session.”

French Fever Dream

“We’d all been battling fevers for several weeks during our mountain biking trip, so I wasn’t really at my best. When we arrived in Terres Noires, I knew right away that this place was something special. The landscape, the trails, and the place’s unique atmosphere made me want to break out my camera again. I joined my friends for a sunset session, and we all set off to ride there. After a few tries, Chris finally nailed the line, and I managed to capture the moment from above with my drone.

For me, this shot became much more than just another photo. It was my first real outdoor experience after being sick for weeks, and it felt like a small step back toward normal life. We stayed outside, kept driving, and took photos until the sun had set. On the way back after sunset, I already had the feeling that I’d captured something special: a photo worth submitting to the Illume Awards. But more importantly, my heart was full. The day reminded me why I’d started photography in the first place: to get outside, have fun, explore new places, and create beautiful memories with my best friends.”

Pool Party

“A few times a year, I try to set aside time for photo shoots—just for fun—and work with friends to create images I’ve had in mind for a while. In 2024, Sergio and I had several opportunities to do just that. On one of those occasions, we spent two days in the Málaga area, and I suggested we visit a newly opened skatepark in Marbella. “Play in Colours” had painted it, and its shapes and colors made me think it could make for a special bird’s-eye-view photo.

We drove there without the pressure of a commissioned shoot. I flew my drone about 20 meters high and looked for the right composition: I wanted the three circles in the design to form an upside-down triangle, with Sergio in the upper left corner. This placement would draw the eye to him. The only complication was a flock of seagulls that kept flying toward the drone. At first, we tried a “tabletop” shot, but his body looked too compact and his silhouette was lost against the painted background. We switched to a “tuck no-hander,” which made his form stand out more clearly from above. Working with Sergio usually feels effortless: I took two shots, and we decided on the first one. The result was a photo that, at least for us, deserves a spot on the wall at home.”