This shot of Doug McConnell was taken in the Grampians National Park in Australia just before a huge storm came from the west. From the photography perspective most of the day was rather uninspiring. It was one of those flat cloudy days with not much sun or contrast which would do this amazing place justice. Towards the end of the day I could not wait any more and decided to jumar up the fixed line. I took a few shots and found the desired frame which showed the always psyched Doug McConnell, who was attempting the first ascent of the line called Orbital Drift, as well as the vast Victorian farmlands in the background which are so typical for this part of the world. It turn out, getting up on the rope was a lucky choice as for a brief few moments the clouds opened up a bit and let a few sun rays through which illuminated the spectacular scenery in a quite surprising fashion.
Kamil Sustiak

About the shot

Biography
I am an adventure photographer based in the Blue Mountains, Australia, but I was born in the Czech Republic.
From an early age I was drawn to the mountains and one day a friend put some weird ballet shoes on me, pointed at a cliff and said, ‘Climb up!’ I fell immediately and uncontrollably in love with climbing; the movements, the fear, the camaraderie, the lifestyle and the beautiful natural settings were irresistible.
Then in 2005, I spent a few months in New Zealand with no rope, no climbing gear and no climbing mates, but I did have a camera and for the second time in my life I became addicted, immersing myself in the technical and creative aspects of photography. Naturally I combined my two loves and quickly began to shoot climbing before branching out into highlining, base jumping, trail running and other adventure sports.
My style is to find the powerfully human in beautiful natural landscapes. I love that with photography you can freeze these little moments of pain and fear, elation and grandeur in a creative way that can tell a story that is so much bigger than a single frame.