A GP has won the People's Choice Award at the Northland Art Awards for a photograph of one of his patients.
Chris Reid, who lives in Russell and works at the Kerikeri Medical Centre, won the $1500 prize after gaining 62 out of 494 votes cast by visitors to the week-long show at Kerikeri's Turner Centre.
Sixty-four works of art, including paintings, drawings, carvings, glass and ceramics, were selected from the entries submitted by Northland artists.
Dr Reid's portrait of Kerikeri artist Foster Clark, called Reflection, is a part of a larger project in which the GP has so far photographed about 500 patients.
He is hoping the best 150-200 images will be published in a book and said the prize money would go towards the book and an exhibition.
The prize would help tremendously in getting the book published, he said.
"It's blown me away, it's fantastic."
If the book was published, all royalties would go to Kerikeri St John. Since the people in the photos were all local, the proceeds should go to a local charity, he said.
Mr Clark was shot in natural light in Dr Reid's consulting room using a Canon 5D Mark I. He did not use Photoshop or manipulate the photos except for some minor sharpening using Lightbox.
Dr Reid said he never ceased to be surprised by patients' willingness to be photographed and to share their stories. Of the roughly 500 patients he had asked only two had declined, although some possibly found it "a bit eccentric" he had painted one wall of his consulting room black for a portrait backdrop.
The GP said he was careful to explain to patients why he was taking the photos and that they did not have to say yes. They also had to give written consent.
Together the images showed a cross-section of Northland people of all ages, ethnicities and styles of dress.
"The common thread is that they've all sought the advice of their GP, for reasons big or small. I think people will find it interesting. I certainly do," Dr Reid said.
If the book went ahead, some photos would be accompanied only by a caption, others by accounts of the patients' background and what had brought them to the doctor. Some photos, such as the girl with leukaemia and the sister who had donated her bone marrow, did not need words, he said.
"The patients are all part of this. They're on the journey with me," he said.
Reflection is on display at Russell's Just Imagine gallery.
Dr Reid was last month voted onto the Northland District Health Board as one of two new members.
The other art award winners were Hokianga art tutor Glen Hayward for a security camera carved from kauri in the contemporary section; Whangarei's Paul Kim in the traditional section for a painting combining Chinese tradition and New Zealand themes; and Sharn Hodgson, 17, of Mangapai, in the youth section.