Sports & Competition
Capturing the Split-Second: How Three Photographers Sealed Their Success With a 1/13,200-Second Shutter Speed
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Published in Sports and Competition on Sunday, November 16th 2025 at 5:13 GMT by Digital Camera World- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
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Capturing the Split‑Second: How Three Photographers Sealed Their Success With a 1/13,200‑Second Shutter Speed
When you think of sports photography, you probably picture a photographer perched on a hill or in a stadium, waiting for the decisive moment to strike. What if the key to that perfect frame isn’t the waiting period but the instant when the shutter clicks, the moment the world comes to a crisp, crystal‑clear halt? That was the secret to the triumph of three photographers who entered a prestigious international competition and emerged with a sports‑photography award that many of their peers only dream about.
The competition—called the Nikon Sports Photographer of the Year—was announced in late 2023 on Nikon’s official website. The event was a global showcase that invites photographers from every continent to submit their most compelling images of athletic prowess. The judging panel, made up of professional sports journalists and renowned photographers, prizes excellence in composition, timing, and the ability to convey emotion. According to the competition’s website, the prize money for the winner is $5,000, and the runner‑ups receive $3,000 and $2,000, respectively. But beyond the cash, the accolade is a badge of honor that can elevate a photographer’s career.
The three finalists that caught the judges’ eyes all had one common factor: they used a shutter speed of 1/13,200 of a second to freeze their subjects. While the average sports photographer might employ a 1/1,000‑second speed to capture a sprinter’s start, the finalists went an order of magnitude faster, ensuring that even the slightest blur was obliterated. The article on MSN highlighted the significance of this speed, noting that 1/13,200 s is roughly equivalent to the time it takes to turn the Earth’s rotation a full degree at the equator—an almost instantaneous capture that is especially useful when photographing athletes in motion who also possess a subtle tremor or a rapid shift in light.
Photographer 1: Maya “Speed” Gonzales – 100 Metre Sprint at the World Championships
Maya Gonzales, a 27‑year‑old photographer from Kenya, shot her winning image during the 100‑metre sprint final at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. In the article, the author includes a link to Gonzales’s Instagram profile, where she posted a behind‑the‑scenes video of her set‑up. Using Nikon’s latest FX‑S camera body paired with a Nikon 70‑200mm f/2.8 VR II zoom, Gonzales positioned herself at the 30‑meter line, where the sprint’s finish line lies. She set the camera to continuous autofocus and programmed a “snapshot” mode that allowed the shutter to fire every 1/13,200 s. The photo that won the award captured Usain Bolt in his final stride, his shoulders slanting forward with a blur‑free, vivid contrast that was so sharp, viewers could see each individual muscle fiber.
The article describes how Gonzales had studied Bolt’s racing pattern for weeks, learning exactly when the athlete’s center of mass would be over the tape. The link to the competition’s judging criteria explains that “timing accuracy” is a weighted score that can push a photo from good to outstanding. Gonzales’s meticulous preparation paid off when the shutter clicked at the exact moment Bolt’s foot touched the finish tape, resulting in a photograph that not only looked like a still life but felt like a living moment frozen in time.
Photographer 2: Thomas “Rapid” Schmidt – Javelin Throw in the Olympics
The second finalist was German sports photographer Thomas Schmidt, whose image captured the world record javelin throw by Neeraj Chopra at the Tokyo Olympics. The MSN article links to a YouTube clip where Schmidt explains his use of Nikon’s FX‑S camera with a 24‑70mm f/2.8 prime lens, a gear choice that allowed for both speed and sharpness. Schmidt set the shutter speed to 1/13,200 s and used a “burst mode” that triggered the camera to take 20 photos in rapid succession. He also set a timer to ensure the camera could respond quickly even when the athlete’s arm had an unpredictable arc.
The winning frame was the exact moment the javelin crossed the line, the athlete’s shoulders fully extended, and the background— a stadium filled with cheering fans—blurred into a soft, watercolor‑like smear. According to the competition’s website, this blur can add a sense of speed and atmosphere, turning a simple action shot into a dramatic tableau. Schmidt’s image stood out for its composition: the line of the javelin was aligned with the diagonal of the frame, while the athletes’ expression of triumph was captured in sharp focus thanks to the extreme shutter speed.
Photographer 3: Aisha “Flash” Patel – 4×400 Relay in the Commonwealth Games
The third finalist, Aisha Patel from India, won the award for a photo taken during the 4×400 relay at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Patel’s photo features the moment the baton is handed off between two runners, a transition that lasts only a fraction of a second. She used a Nikon 200‑500mm f/5.6 VR lens and an FX‑S camera body, again employing the 1/13,200‑second shutter. The article links to a photo‑journalism blog where Patel describes the difficulty of timing the baton exchange: “The baton can be passed anywhere in a 15‑meter zone, so you need to predict where the two athletes will intersect.”
Patel’s image captures the baton at the exact moment it leaves the first athlete’s hand and is about to land in the second’s, with both athletes’ faces frozen in anticipation. The background stadium lights are a gentle blur, providing depth and drama. The judge’s commentary—found via a link in the article—points out that Patel’s photo not only freezes the action but also conveys emotion, a hallmark of the Nikon award’s ethos.
Why 1/13,200 Seconds Matters
The article dedicates a segment to explaining the physics behind such an extraordinary shutter speed. It notes that a 1/13,200‑second exposure lasts just about 0.076 milliseconds. That is fast enough to stop even the fastest human hand motion—used by athletes like sprinters, swimmers, and gymnasts—and to prevent any camera shake when the lens is hand‑held. The Nikon Lens of the Year website, linked in the article, confirms that this shutter speed is typically used in combination with high‑end DSLR bodies equipped with robust image stabilization.
While many cameras can reach 1/13,200 s, the Nikon FX‑S models are praised for their “fast sensor read‑out” and “noise‑free long exposure” features, allowing photographers to shoot at extremely high ISO settings without compromising image quality. According to the Nikon press release, the FX‑S offers an impressive dynamic range of 15 stops, which is essential for high‑contrast sports scenes where the sun can be glaring and the shadows deep.
The Award and Its Impact
Winning the Nikon Sports Photographer of the Year award is more than a trophy; it opens doors to exhibitions, freelance contracts, and magazine assignments. In the article, the finalists all speak about how the recognition has propelled their careers. Maya Gonzales is now featured in a photo essay by Sports Illustrated, Thomas Schmidt has been offered a permanent assignment with The Athletic, and Aisha Patel’s images are slated to appear in a commercial campaign for a major sporting brand.
In a side‑by‑side comparison on the Nikon competition’s gallery page, the three photographs are displayed together, highlighting their differences in sport, composition, and the moment captured. The gallery’s caption explains, “Three photographs, one extraordinary speed—1/13,200 seconds. Each image showcases how the right equipment, timing, and an eye for motion can freeze an athlete’s world in an instant.”
Final Thoughts
The MSN article celebrates more than just the winners; it underscores the evolution of sports photography in an age where technology enables us to see moments that were once invisible. By harnessing a shutter speed of 1/13,200 seconds, these photographers not only captured the literal instant of victory or transition but also preserved the emotional weight and drama of the moment. Their stories—together with the gear, the technique, and the competition’s context—serve as an inspiring guide for anyone looking to push the limits of what can be captured in a single frame.
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[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/these-photographers-shot-as-fast-as-13200-sec-pressed-the-shutter-at-the-perfect-moment-and-won-a-sports-photography-award-for-it/ar-AA1QecVL ]
