Heather Smith, Between Sand and Surf (SINGLE SHOT 2026)

Shot on an iPhone 13 Pro (RAW), this was one of those 'the best camera you have is the one in your hand' moments. This young surfer, practising for the Bells Beach Pro surf competition, descended the stairs to the beach below. I turned to look down at the beach, this is what I saw. A surfer appearing deep in thought, creating this dividing line between the sand and surf with their footprints. In editing, I was initially annoyed by the lack of clarity in the image, but as I zoomed out, it had an impressionistic feel to it, and I loved it even more.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.