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Award judge Natalia Ekelund describes the award-winning image as “an explosion of precision, energy, and beauty”, praising its perfect focus, composition, and timing . | Credit: Felipe Esteban Toledo Alarcon\/Audubon Photography Awards<\/p>\n
The Ringed Kingfisher can perch up to 30 feet above the water before plunging headfirst toward its prey \u2013 creating a split-second burst of motion that is notoriously difficult to photograph.<\/p>\n
But photographer Felipe Esteban Toledo Alarc\u00f3 <\/a>captured the moment perfectly.<\/p>\n His dramatic image of a Ringed Kingfisher explosively rising from the water, frozen at 1\/3200 sec, has now won the Grand Prize in the Chile and Colombia competition at the Audubon Photography Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chile and Colombia: Grand Prize Winner When you\u2019re shooting wildlife, birds, aircraft or sporting action and you can\u2019t get as close as you might like, this lens really covers the distance | Credit: Sony<\/p>\n Image info Shot info The story behind the shot<\/p>\n Toledo Alarc\u00f3n explains, “While looking to photograph frogs’ mating rituals at a lagoon in Parque Saval, my friend and I noticed a pair of Ringed Kingfishers hunting fish, completely submerging themselves in the water.<\/p>\n “No one can ignore such a scene. While the female was far away, the male dove unsuccessfully time and time again\u2014and with each try, he moved closer to us.<\/p>\n “Even though the sun was not in the perfect position, I set up my camera in burst mode with a high shutter speed, moderate ISO, and \u201czone\u201d focus.<\/p>\n “I was ready.<\/p>\n “After the bird made six dives, I got the image that I\u2019d been chasing: a kingfisher explosively rising out of the water, displaying its beauty, elegance, and power.”<\/p>\n You might like…<\/p>\n Check out our guides to the best cameras for wildlife photography<\/a> and the best lenses for bird photography and wildlife.<\/a><\/p>\n Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from May to December.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Sony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6a5434e6185daf69739d06e8e3d6ed71.jpeg\"\/)
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Species: Ringed Kingfisher
Image Location: Valdivia, Los R\u00edos, Chile<\/p>\n
Gear: Sony A7 IV<\/a> + Sony FE 200-600mm f\/5.6-6.3 G OSS<\/a>
Exposure: 1\/3200 secs, f\/6.3, ISO 2500<\/p>\n