by Michele McPherson michele.mcpherson@bopp.co.nz After shooting just one season of weddings, a double gold at the New Zealand Professional Photography awards this weekend was a surreal feeling for Tauranga photographer Sarah Beaufoy. "When I got the first one, one of the judges come out and hugged me and she said, `Sarah, Ihope you realise getting a gold is like hen's teeth'." By the end of the day Ms Beaufoy had claimed the second of only three golds awarded among the 219 entries in the Weddings category. She also claimed a bronze in the same category, making her a hot contender for the Wedding Photographer of the Year award, to be announced at an awards dinner tonight. "The photographer I'm up against has won Photographer of the Year several times over, it would be awesome if I did, but what I've got this weekend I'm pretty happy with," Ms Beaufoy said. "I've just been on another planet actually, since winning those golds." The ``golden' prints depicted a bride praying in an historic Katikati church and a series of five shots incorporating an heirloom leather Bible, significant to the couple on their wedding day. Ms Beaufoy also won four bronzes in the People category for portraits, mainly of children. Ms Beaufoy moved to Tauranga in 2002 and taught art, photography and design at Tauranga Girls' College before starting her own business, Sarah Beaufoy Photography. The awards coincided with the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers' (NZIPP) conference, Infocus 2008, being held at the Sebel Trinity Wharf Hotel. The conference and awards were last held in Tauranga in 1985 and organisers said a strong turn-out by the public over the weekend dispelled concerns the awards would not attract a strong crowd, outside of a main centre. Each year the awards attract more than 1000 entries from about 200 photographers throughout New Zealand and overseas.
