MEDIA RELEASE                               10 March 2009

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Auckland photographer wins The Great Ellerslie Photo Competition
 

Amateur Auckland photographer John Pirtle is on a winning streak having been named the winner of two national photographic competitions in just three months.

Mr Pirtle is the winner of this year’s The Great Ellerslie Photo Competition, with his image Lest We Forge which he created for a friend on the anniversary of her husband’s death.  The image also won the Macro Shot category.

In January, he also won a national technology magazine’s photographic competition.

Mr Pirtle says he was “absolutely chuffed” to win The Great Ellerslie Photo Competition.

His interest in photography evolved when working for the navy in Auckland. Part of his job was to photograph the disposal of munitions, the images being used to assist in training with the handling and disposal of munitions.

From this work, he joined a photography club, discovered digital cameras and the “world’s now my oyster”.

His award-winning The Great Ellerslie Photo Competition is a vase of red poppies which he shot, then using the computer stripped away the colour from all but one of the poppies.

The judges said Mr Pirtle’s entry had artistic flair, was technically well executed and had great composition.

The Favourite New Zealand Landscape category was won by Ryan Isherwood from Christchurch; Your Favourite Garden Scene by Amy Brown, from Christchurch; and Child Photographers 12 years and Under by Toby Strange, aged 10, from Christchurch.
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