A day in the life
A photograph of waka racing at Takapuna Beach has won this year’s 2017 Nikon Auckland Photo Day.
Three judges, photographers Chris Traill and Sylvie Whinray and Nikon’s Andrew Graham, looked at hundreds of entries to choose four prize-winners and the top 30 pictures taken on Saturday, June 10.
They described Sora Joseph Waningsinggel’s Waka Races at Takapuna Beach as an image that took them back in time because it referenced history but also reflected contemporary society. The graphic designer from Onehunga says photography is a hobby and Takapuna Beach a favoured location.
“Takapuna is a familiar place for us because sometimes we walk there in the morning to watch the sunrise. There was a . . . waka race, on June 10, so it was a good opportunity to get something different.”
Winter Swim, by University of Auckland student Brooke Waterson, won second prize. Judges said it had great energy and was a playful depiction of suburbia. Waterson said she wanted to follow a “crazy idea” for taking an underwater picture.
“It’s a picture of my friend, taken through a fish tank — with me holding the fish tank between my feet, then reaching my hand down to take the shot. The water was freezing cold; my friend suffered through it for the art.”
Third prize went to Dustin McNeilage for a “powerful, engaging portrait, perfectly executed” of a man called Victor whom McNeilage met in Lorne St on Auckland Photo Day.
The moving image winner was Michelle Vergel de Dios’ Morning with the Chans which the judges described as an authentic celebration of a family at home in Auckland which found beauty in everyday life.
Held annually since 2004, Auckland Photo Day attracts amateur and professional photographers who are asked to capture an image they believe best sums up life in Auckland. All photos are archived with the collection now numbering around 12,000 images.
The judges’ shortlist of the top 30 entries for this year’s competition are on display in the Auckland Museum Atrium until June 30, with online voting for the People’s Choice category opening at the same time at photographyfestival.org.nz
— Dionne Christian