Jan Moore launched her first photographic exhibition at the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust's stone church premises in Cromwell yesterday, in an effort to draw attention to the beauty of land and historic remains within and around the valley.
Ms Moore (53) said she was inspired to take up photography when she moved to Bannockburn from Dunedin last December, leaving her former career in radiology for a different kind of image making.
"There's a lot of similarities between being a radiographer and a photographer, although I have to use my skills in a slightly different way.
Once I completed a year-long course in photography at Dunedin's Aoraki Polytechnic I was ready to start taking proper photographs," she said.
Ms Moore initially set out to compile a book of photographs, poetry, and writing about the Nevis, although she felt compelled to exhibit the photographs early as the valley had turned into a topical issue.
Submissions have been received from throughout Central Otago on Pioneer Generation's proposal to dam part of the Nevis, and although Ms Moore has not made a formal submission, she hopes her work will bring some additional attention to the issue.
"I love the Nevis.
"It is a magical place, and I would like to see it protected.
"The book was going to be a vehicle for that, so hopefully the exhibition will play the same role," she said.
Her exhibition of prints, titled Ghosts of the Nevis, can be viewed daily between 11am and 4pm over the next two weeks.
