Lucky shot wins Porirua man photography award

RAY LOVELL

WINNING SHOT: This picture won Ray Lovell the wildlife category in the New Zealand Geographic photographer of the year awards.

A playful bottlenose dolphin and a fast shutter speed have landed Porirua amateur photographer Ray Lovell a prestigious prize.

He has taken out the wildlife category in the New Zealand Geographic photographer of the year awards.

The winning shot – taken while on a tour of Doubtful Sounds with his wife last November – was pure luck, Mr Lovell said. A pod of the rare dolphins started frolicking in the boat's wake – and the passengers reached for their cameras.

He set his Sony R1 digital camera on a fast shutter speed, and started firing off shots. Anyone on board could have got the photo.

"No-one else thought to enter [the competition]."

Mr Lovell, 65, a retired policeman, decided to enter the photo after realising it filled a lot of the criteria. "I knew just a picture of a kingfisher on a power pole, or a tui in a tree wouldn't make it."

Judge Tui deRoy said the picture encapsulated the best aspects of photography – the ability to capture contradictory elements in a balanced way.

"This synergy almost never happens, but when I saw this shot I recognised it instantly. It doesn't get any better."

Other winners included Amos Chapple for the culture section, Alex Wallace for landscape, and overall winner Tobias Bernhard, of Whangarei.

They shared $7000 in cash plus other prizes.