Big medal haul for Kerikeri 'shooters'

This landscape Wait for it by Kerikeri photographer Chris Pegman recently picked up two gold and one bronze medal in three different photography awards. It was taken at Lake Matheson in South-Westland looking towards Aoraki/Mt Cook.

Far North photographers have captured numerous top prizes at New Zealand's only professional photography competition.

Four Kerikeri "shooters" entered the Iris Awards, organised by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) and came home with 20 medals between them.

Rachel Jordan won two golds, one was for an 'anti-fur' message image The Wardrobe and the other for a classic portrait. She was also made a Fellow of the NZIPP, obtained after a photographer has gained a Masters certificate and is awarded golds.

"There are only a few who are recognised like that within the Auckland region, so I'm pretty happy to have gotten that this year," she said.

Chris Pegman won a gold for his image of a supermoon. The shot has received considerable international attention and went viral on the internet when it was first published. He also won two silver and four bronze medals.

One of his NZIPP bronze medal wins was for a landscape entitled Wait For It. This image also recently captured first place in both the Viewbug "Discover Oceania" awards and in Gurushots "Big Nature" awards. For Mr Pegman it was literally a rewarding experience. He won a Canon DSLR and a GoPro camera for his efforts.

"Judges must have seen this iconic landscape a thousand times but perhaps because I walked in before daylight I was able to capture something out of the ordinary," he said.

An exhibition of his photography - All Things Bright and Beautiful - is on display at Kerikeri's Turner Centre until the end of this month.

Jess Burgess won a silver and three bronze medals at the awards and was recognised with a Masters certificate. Dean Wright picked up three bronze medals.