Kaitaia photographer's shots snap up awards

Papatuanuku, one of five winning images and the photographer's favourite. Picture / Adele Krantz

For Adele Krantz, the toughest part of entering the RISE International Photography Awards was deciding what to submit and what to discard. However difficult the decisions were, she obviously chose well.

Adele, owner of White Locket Boutique Photography, is now a multiple award-winner, her six entries garnering five bronzes in a competition where photo-graphers from all over the world offered their best portrait work for judging.

She won two bronzes in the Maternity category, and one apiece in Newborn, Children and Wedding.

"I wanted to enter a range across multiple categories to test my strengths across the board," she said, and, this being the first time she had entered the competition, she was ecstatic with the results.

"The competition is highly regarded by the best in the industry, so to get this kind of result is just fantastic," she said.

"The hardest part was selecting which images to enter; I had taken so many that I loved and just couldn't decide. I left it to the last minute, literally leaving it to the last minute to complete the uploading of my entries."

Every winning image featured a White Locket client, which she regarded as evidence of the consistent quality, attention and care she gave to those who sought her services.

"I give 110 per cent at every photo shoot. My clients will attest to my attention to detail and how much energy I put into making each shot look the best I possibly can make it look."

Her favourite entry was Papatuanuku, the image of Shannon Henry-Yates' baby Nevaeh. "I wanted to create a piece that celebrates our culture and tells that story to the world. Papatuanuku gives birth to all living things, so it felt right to create a newborn image inspired by this atua," she added.

And she had plenty of ideas for next year's RISE awards.

"I will definitely enter again; the ideas have already started flowing.

"It was such a great experience. The feedback I received was fantastic, and will help me develop and grow my skills to become a better photographer."

For the moment, however, her focus had returned to running her business. "Bookings are pretty solid for the spring and summer season, with some months completely booked out; it's a nice feeling being so in demand," she said.