\u201cWhilst 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,\u201d she told the event organizers.<\/p>\n
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(Image credit: Emma Parker)<\/p>\n “Fishermen’s Friend” by Emma Parker (honorable mention at the APA 2026) <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Parker used a Nikon Z9<\/a> paired with a Nikkor Z 135mm f\/1.8 S Plena<\/a> lens. Her settings were: 1\/1,400 sec, f\/2.8, and ISO 1,600.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Australian Photography Awards<\/a> (APA), where she received an honorable mention in the \u201cOpen\u201d category.<\/p>\n 2026 marked the 10th edition of the awards and the first time an \u201cOpen\u201d category was included, with a view of creating a category which did not limit entries to specific labels, broadening the range of visual narratives.<\/p>\n Along with the effective use of shutter speed, I think the judges would\u2019ve been impressed with the angle of the frame as well as the use of textures.<\/p>\n Parker captured the pelican \u201cunder a stormy sky on an almost moonscape rock face\u201d and, the way she\u2019s 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\u2019s feathers, no doubt helped by the Nikon Z9<\/a>\u2019s 45MP sensor.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n While the fast shutter speed was the key ingredient to this image\u2019s success, it\u2019s a fantastic frame all round, and definitely deserved an honorable mention at APA 2026.<\/p>\n![\"Pelican](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UMJB8ttLRgLVsqrfG5WkbR.jpg\")
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