A colourfully playful photograph from last March’s Pasifika festival has won Herald photographer Dean Purcell the Portrait section of the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year awards. The image was taken as part of a street-style shoot for Viva at Western Springs. Winners in eight categories were announced at a ceremony in central Auckland on Thursday night, selected from 69 finalists and more than 6000 submissions in categories ranging from Society to Wildlife, and Landscapes to Built Environment, covering all aspects of nature and humanity.
NZ Geographic publisher and judges convenor James Frankham explained that photographers have many choices behind the lens - how to interpret a scene and how to engage with it technically, aesthetically, and personally..