Taranaki view places second in 'New Zealand's most beautiful views' competition

This picture of a proposal against the backdrop of the Pouakai Tarns, has placed second in a national photography competition. Photo / Delwyn Barnett

It's not just the view captured by Taranaki photographer Delwyn Barnett that is beautiful, the memory it captures is a beautiful moment too.

This week Delwyn's photograph of the Pouakai Tarns was named number two in a national photography competition to uncover '"New Zealand's most beautiful view".

The competition was organised by the charity, Macular Degeneration New Zealand, and the results have been announced this week ahead of Macular Degeneration Awareness Week which begins on November 2. The competition received more than 500 nominations of beautiful views across the country and entries were shortlisted by a judging panel consisting of actress and TV presenter, Shavaughn Ruakere, nutritionist Claire Turnbull and landscape photographer, Rach Stewart. All three judges have a close family member that suffers from vision loss caused by macular degeneration. The shortlisted entries were also put to a public vote, resulting in Delwyn's image making the number two spot.

This image shows how a person living with macular degeneration would see the image. Photo / Supplied

For Delwyn herself, the photo is more than just a pretty scene, it also captures a very special moment in her daughter Lacey's life.

'The people in my photograph are my daughter Lacey and her husband Ashton. I had no idea that Ashton was going to propose. I has said to Lacey and Ashton I would be happy to take photos of them in such a beautiful setting. The next thing Ashton was down on one knee proposing to Lacey."

Delwyn says she got into photography about six years ago, when her husband gave her a camera for Christmas. It was on that camera, a Fujifilm X-T1 with a 18-135 mm lens that Delwyn captured the magical moment on film.

Delwyn says any her advice to any aspiring photographers is simple.

"Practise, practise, practise. Always keep an open mind and try new ideas and techniques. Even really experienced photographers have told me they are still learning."

Delwyn herself has gone on two photography tours with Mike Langford and Jackie Ranken, something she says is a great way to learn new things.

"I really admire their photography skills and I feel I have learned a huge amount from them."

Delwyn isn't the only Taranaki photographer with an image to feature in the top 10, she is joined by Dee Hockly whose image of Mt Taranaki topped with a rainbow came in eighth place.

Dee Hockly's image of Mt Taranaki came in 8th place in the competition. Photo / Dee Hockly

Dee, who lives on a dairy farm in Hāwera, says her winning image was captured from her deck, using her iPhone8. The image was not edited at all, and she says while she knew it was a beautiful image, she didn't expect it to place in a national competition.

She says if people want to take great pictures, the best way to is to keep taking photos.

"You only get the good shot if you keep clicking."

While she is obviously pleased with the result of the competition, Dee entered because she liked the concept, not because she thought she had a winning shot.

"I feel that being able to see the mountain everyday right from my deck is a luxury that not everyone has so this competition is a great way of bringing awareness to Macular Degeneration Awareness week so that help can be given to those not so lucky."