The Pelican by Kristel Sturrus

Captured during an adventurous trek to a secluded Caribbean beach, this image freezes a fleeting moment of natural wonder. After navigating a small plane journey and a challenging hike under the intense tropical sun, the photographer encountered the graceful movement of a pelican overhead. The shot, taken at a long focal length of 300mm, isolates the subject against the vast, sun-drenched landscape. This photograph is award-worthy for its ability to transform a spontaneous encounter into a compelling visual narrative, showcasing the photographer's keen eye for wildlife amidst the rugged beauty of the Caribbean coast.

The Pelican by Kristel SturrusThe Pelican by Kristel Sturrus
Canon EOS 2000D with Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Exposure 1/500sec @ f/5.6 | ISO 160 | Focal Length 300mm
Copyright Β© Kristel Sturrus
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Kristel Sturrus

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Kristel Sturrus is an emerging photographer whose passion for the craft blossomed during her time living in Malawi and later in St. Maarten. Her work is deeply influenced by her travels and her experiences living in diverse international environments, which have shaped her unique perspective on the natural world. Currently based in Philipsburg, she continues to refine her technical skills and artistic vision, striving to transition her dedicated hobby into a professional career in photography.

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7.0/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
56/500
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Award Reach | Reviews
2,509 views | 6 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date March 20, 2024
64.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 16.0
Style 12.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Philipsburg, St Maarten

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Kristel Sturrus Photography
Wildlife Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (6.7/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
1.1/5 points
226/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
2,509/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
0.6/5 points
56/500 Submission
Jury Score: 64.0/80
Resonance Score: 6.7/20
Total Award Score: 70.7/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 6

Priya Sharma Negative Space, Minimalism & the Japanese Aesthetic Expert Review
A single bird. Suspended in the blue. It’s a quiet geometry. I’ve spent minutes watching the way the pelican cuts through the void. The vastness isn't just sky; it’s a breath held. I feel a sudden, sharp ache for that stillness. The frame doesn't crowd the subject. It lets the silence expand. Nothing here is accidental. The empty corner is not empty. It is the weight of the air itself. A rare, necessary pause.
Julian Rowe Experimental Photography, Motion & Alternative Visual Languages Expert Review
It’s technically competent, sure, but that’s exactly the problem. By freezing the pelican at 1/500sec, Sturrus has opted for the most conservative path imaginable. I’m bored by this clinical isolation. Why not let the bird’s flight path bleed into the Caribbean haze? I’d trade this entire sharp frame for a single, smeared wingbeat. It’s closer to a taxidermy specimen than a living creature. Why choose to resolve everything when the motion is the point?
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The pelican’s plumage, a dusty, sun-bleached ochre, vibrates against the Caribbean’s impossible turquoise, a hue reminiscent of the shallow tidal waters Turner once captured in his most fevered dreams. It’s a chromatic collision that makes my heart ache with the sheer, salt-crusted brilliance of it all. One finds the light here doesn't merely illuminate; it saturates, turning the bird into a living brushstroke against an infinite, shimmering expanse of heat-hazed, cerulean silence.
Kofi Asante Intimate Portraiture, Reportage & Lives Told Truthfully Expert Review
There’s a distance here that feels inevitable with wildlife, yet I find myself wanting more. It’s a sharp capture of a pelican, sure, but it lacks the intimacy I look for. When I’m out in the field, I’m hunting for that shared breath between subject and lens. This bird is just passing through, unaware and unbothered. It’s technically sound, but it doesn’t move me. I’m left looking at a bird, not a life.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most wildlife shots are just trophies, but this pelican caught me off guard. It’s the tension between the bird’s heavy, prehistoric silhouette and that vast, bleached Caribbean light that makes it endure. I’ve seen thousands of telephoto captures, yet this one avoids the usual clutter. It’s a clean, lonely geometry that’ll still feel relevant in thirty years. I’d hang this in my own home; it’s a rare, quiet reminder of how small we really are.
James Rokeby Camera Craft & Technical Execution Expert Review
1/500sec at f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 160. The Canon 75-300mm is notoriously soft at the long end, and it shows here. You’ve traded resolution for reach, leaving the pelican’s plumage lacking the necessary bite. It’s a compromise I’ve made myself, but it rarely pays off in print. The shutter speed is adequate, yet the optics fail the subject. I’m frustrated by the lack of sharpness; the intent is clear, but the glass simply didn't deliver.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Gabriel Ndidi

The Weight of the Sky

When I was seven, my uncle took me to the docks in Port Harcourt to watch the gulls. I remember being struck by how they didn't seem to fly so much as they simply existed in the air, as if the wind were a solid thing they could lean against.

Read the reflection →
By Margaret Holt

The Weight of the Wing

There is a peculiar physics to the act of hovering. We often mistake stillness for an absence of effort, assuming that to remain suspended is to be at rest. Yet, if you watch a bird holding its place against a restless wind, you see the truth: it is a frantic, invisible labor.

Read the reflection →

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