Mr Venz said landscape photography had always been a passion of his because of his interest in the outdoors.
"I guess landscape was the first love because my interest in photography started when I was in school as a result of tramping and hunting and then climbing," he said.
"I’ve always been interested in hills and mountains but I so like black and white. That’s a first choice for me because I think it highlights more of the soul or essence of a place or person because we’re not distracted by colour."
Explaining the background to his award-winning photo, he said it was taken in the mountainous area of Ha Giang in northern Vietnam on recent travels.
"Low cloud and mist provided the opportunity to capture the receding shapes of the steep terrain and emphasise the distance and sense of scale.
"Travelling in a motorbike group on narrow roads and tracks, it was lucky that a decision was made to stop partway between the valley floor and the top of the road. This provided the mid-elevation perspective that is helpful in accentuating the topography of this landscape," he said.
He often created black and white images and hoped to take a photo to highlight the dramatic mountain shapes.
"The choice of monochrome helps to emphasise these shapes and add to the sense of depth, plus a moderately wide-angled lens also helps," he said.
Being in the print category Venz had the photograph printed on a lustre, cotton rag paper using a profile that he had created.
He said he was happy with the outcome of his photographic decisions and resulting photo.
"It’s nice to win but it’s also I think to grow as a photographer you need to be able to do what you believe in rather than rely on the opinions or admirations of others."
However, it was nice to have one’s work validated by others as it provided a positive effect on one’s "brand image".
The national exhibition called for entries from members of the society throughout New Zealand and overseas earlier in the year. Three panels of selectors viewed over 1200 images, of which almost 330 were selected for the exhibition.
