It has been a monumental week for Upper Hutt’s creative community, with local photographer Shanelle Watters taking home the top honor of New Zealand Professional Portrait Photographer of the Year at the prestigious New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) Iris Awards for her stunning portraiture.

Shanelle, the creative force behind Shanelle Helena Photography, then took that exact same award-winning body of work across the Tasman to the Australian Photographic Prize, where she continued her incredible streak by securing 2nd place in the International Classic Portrait category and 2nd place in the International Maternity category.

Upper Hutt’s creative scene also celebrated another massive win at the same NZIPP Iris Awards, with fellow local animal specialist Em Boyle of Em Boyle Photography earning multiple Silver awards and a prestigious Gold award in the Animal category, cementing her spot as a finalist for New Zealand Animal Professional Photographer of the Year.

We are so lucky to have such brilliant local artists capturing and creating magic right here in our community. You can view more of the award-winning work and announcements by visiting the Shanelle Helena Photography Facebook Page and the Em Boyle Photography Facebook Page.

A “thank you” to Shanelle Watters for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.

17/08/26