Touching image of twins earns shot at global prize

Tayah now lives with her father in Australia and James has moved to Rotorua with his mother.

The last photo of her 8-year-old twin niece and nephew before they were separated to live with different parents has placed a Kiwi woman amongst finalists of a global photography competition.

Auckland University master of fine arts student Chloe Riddell's image of Tayah and James lying top-to-tail on a sofa was snapped as they watched television in their grandmother's lounge in Hastings.

"They just woke up and started watching TV and they looked so cute and together that I thought it was a nice photo," the 26-year-old said.

Chloe Riddell is studying towards a master of fine arts degree at Auckland University. Photo / Dean Purcell

Ms Riddell was visiting her hometown in Hawkes Bay when she captured the image that has earned her a place among the top 10 finalists of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Student Focus competition.

"It was part of my series taking photos of my family. I was back home for about two weeks and just taking a bunch of photos when I saw the opportunity, so they were kind of natural moments," she said.

The theme of the competition was for photos to fit the heading "Tomorrow's News".

"It was about the context of the image, my project centred around my sister who has had an up-and-down time as a mother and my niece and nephew don't live together at the moment so it was the last time I saw them together before they went their separate ways. So the heading was about their separation."

Tayah now lives with her father in Australia and James has moved to Rotorua with his mother.

Competition prizes include a trip to the awards ceremony in London on April 30 and a Sony a7 camera. The winner will receive more than $51,000 of equipment for their school.