Central Otago photographer Nick Farrelly was named winner of the wildlife category at the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year Awards in Auckland after an image he captured on a hunting trip to Stewart Island last year caught the eye of judges.
The shot of a kiwi in the wild was a combination of patience, dedication and skill.
"We could hear the kiwi and I decided I’d come back and get a better look," Mr Farrelly said.
"I spotted it before it spotted me. As soon as it knew I was there, it was gone — it was faster than I thought."
A psychologist for the Department of Corrections, Mr Farrelly took up photography as a creative outlet while at university.
"I couldn’t really draw but I wanted to do something creative, and I saw some astrophotography and thought ‘cool, how do I do that?’."
He invested in a camera thinking he would be shooting motocross and sport, but discovered a love for landscape photography.
"It’s a nice break from psychology because the job I had working in prisons is pretty intense, so it’s helped me to get out and appreciate what we have here in New Zealand," he said.
A move to Wellington inspired him to shift to wildlife as the city landscape "didn’t offer much at all".
He had entered the awards two or three years ago without any luck, but thought his image may have a shot — until he saw the work of the other finalists.
"I saw the other shots and I got photo envy big time."
He did not expect to come away with the win.
"I was surprised — the guy who got runner up and highly commended, I’ve heard him speak before, and got tips from him."
While he has no plans for a career change yet, he was open to seeing where his photography took him.
"I love my job so will stick with that but I am going to see what doors [the win] does open, whether I can get to more remote areas to keep shooting lots of other kinds of wildlife, set myself up at the local market.
"Photography is a bit of a side hustle, so will see what comes out of it really."
