Ohauiti photographer 'chuffed' to be finalist

Jeanette Nee is a finalist in the NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year awards.

The usual subjects for keen nature photographer Jeanette Nee are New Zealand falcons and hawks at her Ohauiti farm.

But a last-minute decision to enter an image of a monarch butterfly has seen her named a finalist in the wildlife section of the NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year Awards.

Mrs Nee, 72, said when a friend mentioned that monarch butterflies were gathering at Te Puna Quarry Park during the Christmas break, she had grabbed her camera and rushed to the park.

A snap by nature photographer Jeanette Nee of a monarch butterfly sitting on datura plant has made the finals of the NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year Awards. Photo / Andrew Warner

Mrs Nee said it was a cloudy backlit day when she photographed a monarch sitting on a datura plant, which has trumpet-shaped flowers, and using a shallow depth-of-field it enabled her to produce a neutral backdrop to the minimalist image.

"I still can't believe my photograph of a silly little butterfly was chosen as a finalist. I didn't really expect I would have even had a chance with the image but put it in anyway. I'm quite chuffed," she said.

Mrs Nee also entered an aerial shot of a hawk taken from her farm that did not make the final cut.

The retired nurse said she first became interested in photography about 20 years ago.

As well as nature shots Mrs Nee said she also used to take photographs of children at Waitangi Family Practice to help distract them during their immunisation visits.

Mrs Nee said it was her fellow members of the Tauranga Photographic Society who encouraged her to enter the competition -- she is a first-time entrant.

Finalists spanning 29 images were selected from 5800 entries across five categories: society and culture, wildlife, landscape, photo story and a new timelapse section.

The 29 images are being displayed in a free outdoor exhibition in Christchurch before moving to Auckland in October.

Tauranga-based NZ Herald photographer Alan Gibson has also made it into the finals of the Society and Culture category of the competition, with his photo of sand artists on the beach at the base of Mauao.

NZ National Geographic Photographer of the Year

* 29 finalist images chosen from 5800 images
* Competition winners announced late October
* To vote visit www.nzgeographic.co.nz/poty/photocomp-voting