Pasifika style wins photo award

Herald photographer Dean Purcell’s award winning image from the Pasifika Festival.
A colourfully playful photograph from last March’s Pasifika festival has won Herald photographer Dean Purcell the Portrait section of the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year awards.
The image was taken as part of a street-style shoot for Viva at Western Springs.
Winners in eight categories were announced at a ceremony in central Auckland on Thursday night, selected from 69 finalists and more than 6000 submissions in categories ranging from Society to Wildlife, and Landscapes to Built Environment, covering all aspects of nature and humanity.
NZ Geographic publisher and judges convenor James Frankham explained that photographers have many choices behind the lens – how to interpret a scene and how to engage with it technically, aesthetically, and personally.
Image 1 of 13: Street Style for VIVA at Pasifika 2024 netted Dean Purcell the Portrait category.Photo / Dean Purcell

“Each portfolio is a study of an individual’s settings, and the settings of those in front of the camera,” Frankham said.
“In the judging room we engage in technical discussions, but interestingly, final decisions often come down to questions of what function photography has in our environment and society.
“Each frame is a photographer’s attempt to describe the world in front of them — a real image of Aotearoa, and a reflection of who we are as a nation.”
The overall winner, crowned NZ Geo Photographer of the Year went to Joe Harrison, a part-time photographer and freshwater specialist at Christchurch City Council.
“Photographs can be high-impact and make a point emphatically, or they can act upon us in a more subtle and poetic way,” said Frankham.
“Joe’s images fall into that second category. They’re quiet. They benefit from the soft Canterbury light, the big spaces and an intimate connection with his subjects.”
Harrison’s photo story on duck shooting on Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere is a testament to patience, care and ‘slow’ story telling. His efforts, in addition to the prestigious title, netted him $1000 cash.
Every category winner showed skill and tenacity in achieving their result, all recognised by the judges.
The New Zealand public had their say too, voting on the finalists for the Ockham Residential People’s Choice award, won this year by Te Rawhitiroa Bosch for his portrait of Māori Land Court Judge Alan Thomas.
All the winners are reproduced in the November/December issue of New Zealand Geographic magazine, on sale now, and at www.nzgeo.com/photo/

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