There’s something magical about watching a Ridgefield kid take flight—and Iris Yaun has just gone cosmic. A 2019 graduate of Ridgefield High School and the daughter of longtime locals David and Julie Yaun, Iris earned first place in the panoramic category for professional photographers in the global 2025 Fine Arts Photography Awards. Yes, professional—even though she’s still a student at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
Her winning work, titled "Fled is the night, do I wake or sleep?" -- seen here is a breathtaking panoramic photograph taken atop a towering bridge in Maine during a recent solar flare-up. Captured freehand—without the safety net of a tripod or studio—her image unspools like a ribbon of light suspended between sky and sea, echoing with movement, risk, and revelation.
Set over the Gulf of Maine during an aurora borealis event, Iris’s work transforms a high-stakes climb into something mythic. The cables of the bridge become tightropes, the aurora becomes a veil. It’s not just beautiful—it’s alive.
According to the artist, this piece documents “a singular, transcendent night where risk, revelation, and beauty blur the boundaries of time.” Her lens captures more than a moment—it captures a feeling. One that many of us know, if only fleetingly: the feeling of being suspended between fear and awe, earth and sky, control and surrender.
Even among seasoned pros, Iris stood out. The Fine Arts Photography Awards draw submissions from thousands of professional photographers across the world. To win top honors in the panoramic category at such a young age—and as a student, no less—is rare. But for those who’ve followed her work since her RHS days, it’s not surprising.
She’s always had a curious eye and a fearless spirit. Ridgefield has watched her grow from curious teenager to accomplished artist—and now, the world is watching too.
If you’re headed out on a summer road trip—maybe up to Litchfield or the coast—keep your eyes open. Somewhere between the horizon and the stars, you might just catch a glimpse of the kind of beauty Iris Yaun has taught us to look for. More of her work, including unique local landscapes, can be found at irisyaun.com.