That proved a wise move because Ms Gill (58) has just won the People’s Choice award at the Otago Wildlife Photography Competition, topping the show’s 1685 entries.
Her work, titled Connection, captured an affectionate moment between two playful sea lion pups at Hoopers Inlet, on the Otago Peninsula, and was taken on May 24.
Max Levitt-Campbell, of the Otago Museum, yesterday said the image was "beautiful"—"I love it".
The winning image will be presented to Ms Gill next week, in a canvas-mounted format, to mark her success.
A former professional embroiderer who has owned a camera since she was 12, Ms Gill had once previously entered the wildlife contest, about 2002.
Having "given it some thought" she initially planned not to enter.
However, having challenged participants in her Monday afternoon art class to have a go, she had little option but to do the same.
Earlier, during the Covid-19 lockdown, she set her art class students various tasks, dropped off a camera for one, and strongly encouraged them to enter the contest.
She remained impressed with the high level of talent among the art class participants, and one student had three images displayed at the museum show.
Ms Gill loved nature photography and often photographed birds at Hoopers Inlet, but switched to the sea lion pups after being tipped off about their presence by a motorist.
Reticent about entering, she also found it hard to believe the phone call advising she had won.
"It’s a real compliment.
"When I got the news I was like, ‘Wow!’.
"It was far out."
