Ben Jae is normally "as cool as a cucumber''.
Last week at Jacks Point it was a different story.
As about 85 people gathered in the golf course's club house, he waited in an office upstairs battling nerves as guests perused the 13 pieces forming his "Pony Mountain'' fine art photography exhibition.
For Mr Jae, a cinematographer and director who has worked primarily on commercial photography and music videos, it was a completely foreign experience.
"It's so confronting to put personal work up on a wall - it's the first time I've done it, so it was a really strange experience.
"I don't get nervous - I ... shoot huge commercial jobs, massive jobs, and I'm cool as a cucumber.
"[On Wednesday] night, I couldn't talk.
"It's so personal and you're so tied to it emotionally - you're not tied to a commercial project that emotionally.''
Mr Jae's deep connection with horses stemmed from his childhood summers playing in the Central Otago hills.
Some of his best memories are those spent on horseback with his father, or on a pony on his aunt and uncle's farm in Athol.
Of his first exhibition, he said it was an organic process that "just kind of happened''.
He was photographing horses at Cardrona "just for giggles'' and later mentioned to a friend who worked at Jacks Point he wanted to do an exhibition.
"[I was told] ‘We'll host it'.''
Over a three-month period Mr Jae spent "really long periods of time'' in the Cardrona Valley mountains photographing trekking horses and in a paddock with horses owned by Kristin and John Darby, culminating in the exhibition images.
However, when it came time to print them, Mr Jae decided to think outside the square.
"I love texture, I'm really obsessed with texture.
"I was playing around with different mediums. I didn't want to print on canvas [and] I fell into [linen].
"I'm a director full-time and I was in an old theatre space sorting out costumes for a music video.
"There was a piece of old, rolled up linen there and I was instantly inspired.''
But finding someone to print on the fabric was no mean feat.
Eventually Jae located a business in Melbourne - the only one in Australasia which could turn his dream into reality - and had his work framed in Invercargill.
"If you're going to do it, you're going to do it right.''
Despite his nerves at the opening of the exhibition - where six of his pieces sold - said he was thrilled with the end result.
"It's wonderful to be able to sit artwork ... where it fits [and] it's so lovely to have your work seen [by the public].''
Jae said while his next exhibition would probably be in Australia, he planned to hold another one at Jack's Point next year.
● "Pony Mountain'' will be on display at Jacks Point Clubhouse & Restaurant until March 23.
