Shutter speed can make all the difference between getting the shot and getting a disappointingly blurry rendition of the same scene.
And by opting for a 1/1,400 sec, Sydney-based photographer Emma Parker captured the precise moment an opportunistic Australian pelican caught a fishy treat in crisp clarity.
“Whilst I was photographing this scene, out of nowhere a fisherman tossed a rejected fish and I captured the moment in an almost perfect freeze frame and a classic Australian coastal scene,” she told the event organizers.
"Fishermen's Friend" by Emma Parker (honorable mention at the APA 2026)
Parker used a Nikon Z9 paired with a Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena lens. Her settings were: 1/1,400 sec, f/2.8, and ISO 1,600.
Parker shot the freeze frame in 2025 and it became a standout wildlife image in her home country, going on to be commended at this year’s Australian Photography Awards (APA), where she received an honorable mention in the “Open” category.
2026 marked the 10th edition of the awards and the first time an “Open” category was included, with a view of creating a category which did not limit entries to specific labels, broadening the range of visual narratives.
Along with the effective use of shutter speed, I think the judges would’ve been impressed with the angle of the frame as well as the use of textures.
Parker captured the pelican “under a stormy sky on an almost moonscape rock face” and, the way she’s enhanced the crater-ridden surface and the moody clouds in post-production almost helps you feel these textures. She also brought out the detail in the pelican’s feathers, no doubt helped by the Nikon Z9’s 45MP sensor.
The low-down angle of the image also creates a dramatic effect, in my view. By putting the subject smack bang in the middle of the frame and angling the camera up toward it, to me, Parker creates a greater sense of action.
While the fast shutter speed was the key ingredient to this image’s success, it’s a fantastic frame all round, and definitely deserved an honorable mention at APA 2026.
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