WA photographer takes home $20k in Merrell Photo Competition

© Jarrad Parker.
© Jarrad Parker. "Nature's Window". Kalbarri, Western Australia.

Western Australian photographer, Jarrad Parker has been named winner of the inaugural Merrell Photo Competition, taking home the grand prize of $20,000. Parker’s winning image captures the sun rising over the Murchison River in Kalbarri, Western Australia, taken through the iconic rock formation known as Nature’s Window.

While Parker (38) only took up landscape photography three years ago, his passion for shooting the great outdoors has grown quickly as his list of accolades. In 2017, he was Runner-up in Australia’s Top Emerging Photographers, and equal 4th in 2018, in a very hotly contested outcome. “I love the details and colours of the land, the power and presence of the weather and the beauty of movement in the natural light,” Parker says.

Of the winning image, Jodi Woodford, Merrell’s marketing manager commented: “We’ve been overwhelmed with the response of local photographers and have loved seeing so many diverse and stunning parts of Australia! Jarrad’s photograph is a deserving winner and certainly embodies the Merrell spirit of Adventure”.