Coromandel man snaps up top international photography prize

James Muir's image called Fresh Ice, Liquid Salt. Photo / Supplied

A Coromandel man's perfectly shot image of a drifting iceberg has taken out the grand prize at an Australasian photography competition.

The Sony Alpha Awards is an annual competition that showcases the greatest in Australian and New Zealand photography using the Sony Alpha camera range.

More than 4000 stunning images were submitted from professional and amateur photographers across both countries.

James Muir from the Coromandel took the top award as the overall Grand Prize Winner for his image called Fresh Ice, Liquid Salt.

A producer and cinematographer who specialises in natural history and environmental documentary, Muir was the third consecutive New Zealander to win the Grand Prize.

He said the image was of a drifting iceberg in the Southern Ocean somewhere near the polar circle.

"This was the first iceberg I had ever seen, and I was for a moment stunned by the majesty of this natural phenomenon. After taking a few photos I put my camera down and tears filled my eyes."

His prize was more than $10,000 in Sony camera gear.

The winners across each category were carefully selected by notable photographers and each winner received more than $2000 worth of gear.