Icy scene melts judges' hearts to win gold

Rotorua photographer Paul Wilson celebrated 25 years in the industry by winning a top award at the national Epson/New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography Awards.
Mr Wilson won a gold medal at the awards in Queenstown for his highest scoring photograph in the colour print and landscape category. This was the first time he had entered a print into the category and is more well known as a portrait photographer.
"Creating a great landscape is not unlike creating a great family portrait, you look for character lines and like any great piece of art, light is so important," he said.
The 47-year-old said he was "pretty rapt" about the award and when he initially heard he had won he thought about all the families he had taken portraits of over the past 25 years.
He said he wanted to dedicate the award to those families as it was due to them that his business had existed.
The award-winning photograph, which largely contributed to Mr Wilson's success at the national awards, was part of a series shot for a hotel chain in Queenstown.
The gold medal print was captured overlooking the Queenstown waterfront park and shows a lone man walking towards the township as if he was walking to work, hence the title "9 to 5".
"The iciness and clarity of the photograph made it stand out from the rest for the judges," head judge Mike Langford said.
"A gold medal is rare as hens' teeth but the decision from the judges was unanimous."
Mr Wilson said he now planned to branch out into selling his landscape photographs.
Among more than 1000 prints which were entered into the awards, the photograph was one of only 21 which received gold medals.
Mr Wilson also received one silver and two bronze medals for other photographs he had entered into the awards.
Mr Wilson became interested in photography as a child when he helped his father in his black and white dark room before his father made the transition to colour processing.
The opportunity to train and eventually run his father's colour laboratory presented itself and to this day Mr Wilson believes printing his own work made him a better photographer.
"You know how good a piece of photography is when you have to go into the darkroom and print it.
"A darkroom technician sees all the photographer's good points and bad."
Mr Wilson operates his business House of Portraits in Rotorua and opened a studio in Christchurch four years ago.
The Epson/NZIPP Iris Professional Photography Awards is the only competition of its kind in New Zealand.
More than 1000 photographs, in 10 categories, were judged over three days by top New Zealand and international photographers.
"The awards challenge our thoughts about photography and showcase the incredible talent in our industry," NZIPP president Craig Robertson said.