It might take a moment for you to notice the kayaker in the picture above. What your eye will focus on first will be a vast wall of blue-white ice, running the full width of the frame, with a flat white sky above it and dark, churning water below.
Eventually, though, you'll spot a tiny figure in a boat tipped steeply downward, plummeting down a waterfall that streams through a notch in the glacier's edge.
Chilean photographer Gonzalo Robert Parraguez's photo of kayaker Aniol Serrasolses was taken in Svalbard, Norway, and it won him the Adventure Category at The Illume Awards 2026.
The panorama is breathtaking; the stunt is extraordinary. But what photographers might find even more interesting is what was used to take the picture. Not the pro body and long lens you might expect, but a DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone.
What makes it work
The settings were 1/1000 sec, f/2.8 and ISO100, with a focal length of 24mm. The shutter speed renders the fast-moving subject beautifully sharp, while the low ISO helps preserve the fine texture of the ice.
To my mind, though, it's the viewpoint that's the real winner. Hovering out over the water, the Mavic 3 Pro is able to take in the entire space on the ice wall, with the curve of the undercut sweeping across the frame.
Parraguez keeps his subject small and off-center, to provide a real sense of how tiny a person appears in this vast landscape.
Parraguez describes it as "One of my favourite photos, featuring a great friend.
"We always talk about the photo, but we rarely talk about the athletes, and I dedicate this 100% to him: he was the one who pushed for this whole project to happen, so that we could be taking these incredible photos and videos in the middle of the Arctic, on a glacier in the middle of nowhere."
The judging panel comprised photographer and author Chris Burkard, creative director and photographer Tim Kemple, photographer and filmmaker Savannah Cummins, Sidetracked Magazine founder John Summerton and publisher Christian Bugnon. Digital Camera World's Editor in Chief, James Artaius, was also part of the judging process.
Bugnon praises the photo's "perfect harmony between the raw majesty of the icy landscape, the extraordinary light, and the athlete's total commitment".
Burkard, meanwhile, focuses on timing. "It all came down to a single critical moment," he notes, "which, in my opinion, makes for an epic action shot. It's something where you really get one chance."
The Illume Awards recognises the best adventure and action sports photography. You can view all the 2026 winners in the Illume Gallery.
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