Students impress world-class photographer

Manaia View School pupil Jordan Henare, left, turns the focus back on Delazad Deghati. Photo / John Stone

Students at Manaia View School have impressed a world-class photojournalist, prompting him and his son to donate 12 new high-quality digital cameras to the school.

Delazad Deghati is the son of Reza Deghati, a famous National Geographic photographer, and has been an intern at Channel North for the past five months.

Delazad has been working at the local television station which is based at Manaia View School, where the pupils also get involved in the station's activities. While there he met students from the Pukeko Echo film crew, and showed them examples of his father's photos. Their enthusiasm and insightful feedback impressed Delazad and his father so much that each of the 12 students received a Nikon Coolpix L330 yesterday.

Delazad told the students: "The idea is that you will be able to take pictures at home and show your story."

Marilyn Small, deputy principal of Manaia View School, said the cameras would help students develop photographic skills and "for many of them, it will be a pathway for the future".

The 12 donated cameras will be kept at school and the students will have to book them in order to take them home.

Delazad said he had "a lot of hope with all the pictures" and found importance in using images as a tool to spread an idea.

Although his father had accomplished many firsts, Delazad was the first of the family to visit New Zealand, and said he was organising a way for his father to also visit.

Delazad hopes to become a film director one day and will continue his masters degree at the Kedge business school in Marseille, France. His father has won many awards world-wide for his work, and also founded the NGO Aina in Afghanistan to encourage media training around the world.