Bombs to buses: photographer takes billboard prize

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John Pirtle

From bombs to buses – photographer takes out billboard prize
Media Release by Creative Exposure

A passion for photography sparked while taking pictures of Navy munitions disposal has earned an Auckland amateur his third competition win this year.

John Pirtle, of Blockhouse Bay, has won the Metrolink Bus Pix Competition with a stunning photo of the side line of a bus at the New Lynn bus terminal. The Auckland competition, which was part of the Auckland Festival of Photography’s Photo Blog, challenged photographers to capture a winning image of bus travel in the city.

John’s winning shot will now be turned into a billboard on Karangahape Road. The billboard will go up during the week commencing 6 July and Metrolink passengers will see the winning photograph on board buses from the same time.

Metrolink General Manager, Gavin Cook, says the Metrolink Bus Pix competition was a way of getting Aucklanders to think creatively about the way they travel because for many of them, public transport is a big part of their everyday life.

“Every year, passengers take 18 million rides on Metrolink services alone,” says Mr Cook. “We are a huge part of Auckland. So, we wanted to get involved not only in supporting an important event for the city – the Auckland Festival of Photography – but also to do something exciting and challenging for our customers who travel with us regularly.”

John Pirtle says the bus theme was a challenge. “Buses are something most of us see every day but rarely think about and you really had to look again to be creative.” He says he spent a few days spotting buses around the city, but happened upon the winning shot when he noticed the cloud burst sky while passing the New Lynn bus terminal.

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Carlene Newall

Earlier this year John won Christchurch’s flower show’s The Great Ellerslie Photo Competition and the Net Guide Photo competition. John’s interest in photography started while working with the Navy in Devonport where he was tasked with documenting munitions disposal. “You certainly learned to be quick to get the shot as the explosions went off,” says John.

Now recently retired he says he’d love to use his prize of three months free bus travel to ride around the region gathering a photographic record before the era of the super-city begins.

Due to the number and quality of entries received in the Bus Pix Competition, Metrolink has also awarded a runner-up prize of one month’s free travel to Carlene Newall. Carlene’s design displayed a high level of participation with a Noah’s ark image created out of Metrolink bus tickets.

The Auckland Photo Blog provides an online meeting place for photographers to share their digital work or be challenged to shoot to a theme. All the photos from the Metrollink Bus Pix Competition can be viewed on the web site www.photographyfestival.org.nz

ENDS

Creative Exposure 2009 Festival is supported by key sponsors-
Gravity "Official Coffee Sponsor", Heart of the City, Metrolink, North Shore City Council, Olympus, Waitakere City Council with funding support from COGS, Auckland City Creative Communities, Franklin District Creative Communities, Lion Foundation, The Trusts Charitable Foundation. Creative New Zealand, Asia NZ Foundation and significant support from The ASB Community Trust. Media sponsor: Newstalk ZB Product sponsors: PCL, D-Photo, Fullers, Mini, NZ Post, I-Site.

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