RTF Drone Photo Challenge 18th to 31st January - Lights - Winners Announced

You have chosen the subject for this, the round of RTF that takes us neatly to the end of January. Good Luck!

RULES

The usual rules apply, reproduced here as we know you love checking them every round of RTF.

The requirement is to submit a single still image created using a drone to illustrate the subject of the competition. This round will run from 00:01 Sunday 18th January until 23:00 Saturday January 31st 2026; the subject is Lights

The image must be captured while the competition is open. It is a Reason To Fly Challenge so please show that the image is created by a flying camera!

Editing is confined to colour and exposure adjustments and crop only. There must be no removal or pasting of an object. Stacked images, HDR images and non-spherical panoramas are considered single images for the purposes of this competition.

Images must be posted with the following information as a minimum:

In Capitals as the first line of your post:

THIS IS MY ENTRY

If this is not done at the time of posting the picture will be ignored. Should it be necessary to change your picture then delete the previous picture and add “This is my entry” - as above - as the first line of your new post. If in any doubt contact the Challenges Committee
(@Challenges_Committee)

Further Information is required

  • Location
  • Time and date
  • Aircraft/camera used
  • Feel free to add any further information that you think will be of interest

Voting

The members of GADC will judge images. They may vote for any number of pictures through an anonymous poll open for two days after the closing date for competition entries.

Voting in the poll is open to all GADC members, whether they have entered the competition or not.

The Challenge Committee may request the original media in case of a dispute.

Schedule

The competition subject will be announced every second Saturday around 22:30. The subject will be chosen by a poll of GADC members selecting from three that have been picked at random from the subject list. You may make additions to the list at any time.

The competition will run from Sunday 00.01 to Saturday 23.00 fourteen days later. Voting by poll will be open for a further two days until Monday 22:00

The winner (and second and third-placed competitors if there are sufficient entries) will be announced shortly after the vote is closed

Have Fun! Be Safe!

All flights are the sole responsibility of the individual conducting them. Each competitor must abide by the drone code and adhere to the limitations and restrictions imposed upon them by aviation law, the aircraft being used and the qualifications they hold. Support your local farmers.. If a flight is undertaken in a restricted zone proof of permission having been granted is required.

E&OE

@group-challenges

1 Like

Bugger, just as they have turned off Blackpool lights.:grinning_cat_with_smiling_eyes:

4 Likes

The Tower is still lit I think

1 Like

Good thinking.:+1:. You get so familiar with stuff you no longer notice them.:person_with_white_cane:t2:

1 Like

Worry not, give it another week people will have their Christmas trees back up :rofl::christmas_tree:

5 Likes

You mean they take them down. :scream:

2 Likes

I was actually going to say that :joy:

2 Likes

I know I live in Blackpool, but sometimes walking local streets near Christmas it’s like walking in a Disney “Santas Grotto” (when I say near Christmas, I mean September).

4 Likes

THIS IS MY ENTRY

Saltcoats, Ayrshire

20:56, 19.1.26

DJI Mini 4 Pro

The northern lights above the streetlights of Saltcoats and Ardrossan on a somewhat cloudy evening. I took this photo with the wide-angle lens attached. The problem with the aurora is that it can be too big to fit into the frame, but I think the additional lens is why the image is slightly blurry. I had set off initially with my SLR camera but was unable to dodge the bright streetlights. I’ve always been a bit wary about loss of GPS signal during solar storms and therefore I’m not keen to fly. I had no idea what the Kp was on the 19th, but I decided to risk sending the drone up. It was exciting to see the aurora from a better vantage point. Mission accomplished, the drone made it back down without any problem. I did eventually find the pano button on the RC, which would probably have given a better quality image, but by that time the red colour had disappeared. That’s what makes this hobby so enjoyable – there is always something new to discover. Next time!

20 Likes

I went out tonight to attempt some pics for the current challenge - lined up the shots I wanted but all the pics are blurred due to wind gusts :frowning:

Try again if/when the wind subsides a bit - maybe next Wednesday :roll_eyes:

1 Like

Blowing a hoolie here too

I took my drone with me to Haddington in East Lothian ( wee trip to meet up with a few cousins) on Wednesday , Thursday. Hoping to get a twilight shot or two of St Mary’s Church ( the longest church in Scotland). Beautifully lit up from twilight to dawn. Checked the weather on Monday, said there may be a few showers. We arrived to torrential rain and 20-30 mph winds.. It was bloody cold too. Drone stayed in its case both days. Back home today, whit a dreich three days it’s been. :wink:

1 Like

THIS IS MY ENTRY

Red Light Spells Danger

Transporter Bridge, Middlesbrough
Saturday 24th Jan - 8:41pm
DJI Mini 4 Pro

17 Likes

Nice pic, love the Transporter bridge. Just wish they’d re-commission it.

1 Like

Alas a lost cause I fear :face_with_diagonal_mouth:

Sad.

1 Like

Love Arizona.

1 Like

THIS IS MY ENTRY

  • M6 Junction 23 (Haydock intersection)
  • 19 January 2026 20:30
  • DJI Mini 5 Pro

18 Likes

THIS IS MY ENTRY

The Mount pavilion, Fleetwood

19:24 28/01/26 DJI Mini 2

15 Likes

THIS IS MY ENTRY

Can’t fly at night in Australia, only up until the end of civil twilight so this pic is, ahem barely legal (ooh-err).

This is Mudgee NSW, famous for its vineyards, wineries and cellar doors. Although I go mainly for the two breweries in town.

Comparing to the pic in the orignal post, I got the streets, the street lights, the mountains and the bruised sky. Just missed out on the snow!

Being a pano it has distorted the street curving through the foreground, this is Church St which is actually straight as a die, as are most streets in Mudgee.

10 Likes