Papamoa photographer Colleen Kiddie has walked away with a slew of honours at the 2016 New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers Iris Awards in Wellington recently.

More than 1000 images entered in several categories this year were judged by a panel made up of some of the most qualified and renowned local and international photographers.

'To be judged by your peers and to know you're going in the right direction just feels awesome,” says Colleen.

'The awards give photographers the opportunity to push boundaries; and as a result, the bar keeps getting raised higher and higher each year.”

In the Landscape category Colleen picked up a Silver with Distinction, Silver and a Bronze, as well as a Bronze in the Portrait Classic category and another Bronze in the Illustrative category.

She explains her Silver with Distinction was for a photo titled ‘Snow Trees' shot in Queenstown, which she captured using a multiple-exposure technique.

'I really enjoy creating landscapes as it's not my usual everyday work, and the judges described the image as poetic and something they'd not seen before, while the printing of the image was quoted as being 'exquisite'."

Colleen's photo that won Bronze in the Illustrative category is designed to raise awareness of the need for children to wear helmets while on their bikes.

The image shows what can happen if your children have an accident without wearing a helmet and shows a helmet hanging on the bikes bars.

'As a mum of teenage boys, I see some kids biking with their bike helmet hanging off the bike's bars because maybe they think it is not cool to wear a bike helmet. For the shot I used a smoke machine and a make-up artist to make it look realistic.”

Along with her awards, Colleen was also awarded a bar to her Masters Honours by the NZIPP.

There are four levels of distinctions that are earned by merit points – Associate, Master, Fellow and Grand Master. Only seven people have attained the Grand Master level, says Colleen.

'Some people never reach that level but they are really, really awesome photographers. I don't if I'd ever get there, it'd be pretty amazing. But you never really know,” says Colleen.