A picture of a young bird, unaware that it has been targeted and shot by a Dunedin photographer, has been commended in the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year awards.
Juvenile Pied Stilt, Hoopers Inlet, by Craig McKenzie, was highly commended in the wildlife category of the awards.
"It was a bit of a surprise. To be honest, I thought it probably wasn't of good enough quality to win anything," Mr McKenzie said, after learning of his win last week.
The Anderson Bay computer software engineer took the photo last Christmas with a Nikon D200 digital camera.
"I was lying on a bank waiting for the birds to come in. What I liked about the photo was the way the low light reflected all the green off the surrounding grass and bush," he said.
"I've been photographing birds for about seven years now. It became my new thing. It's good to get out there and photograph any nature, though.
"When you first start out, you're trying to get closer and closer. But the real achievement is to fill the frame with the bird. It's good to step back and wait till the bird does something interesting."
More than 3100 photographs were entered in four award categories; society and culture, wildlife, landscape and photo story.
An image of storm clouds over Glenorchy won Australian-based photographer Kah Kit Yoong the inaugural people's choice award.
"There was a massive variety of entries, from people shooting on smartphones to professionals shooting on the latest digital SLRs. It's a competition that's open to everyone," New Zealand Geographic editor and convener of judges James Frankham said.
"The emphasis is on reality. But, the photographer is also required to interpret what they are seeing in front of the camera. The photographer is not just a dispassionate observer; they are also a journalist with a critical eye on revealing reality."
Entries had to be photographed after September 30, 2010, within New Zealand, or New Zealand-administered Pacific and Antarctic dependencies.
The winning images will be published in a 24-page feature in the November-December issue of New Zealand Geographic.
The works can also be viewed online at www.nzgeographic.co.nz/photographynigel.benson@odt.co.nz
