10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Photo in exhibition a source of pride
Living with cerebral palsy and profound deafness means Callum Flett does not have the luxury of easy communication.
So the 27-year-old uses photography to express himself — an art form that speaks louder than any words.
And one of those images spoke loudly and clearly to the judges in this year's Tūhura Otago Museum Wildlife Photographic Competition.
His photo — Amongst the Lillies — made it to the finals of the competition, and it now hangs in the museum's Wildlife Photographic Exhibition.
Speaking through his mother Barb, using New Zealand sign language, Mr Flett said he had a great team of support workers who assisted him to get out in his community every day and lead an adventurous and active life.
And everywhere he goes his camera goes, too.
He has always had an eye for views that should be appreciated and since he was a toddler he has pointed out aspects he wants others to see.
Mr Flett said it was only when he did a photography elective at Dunedin North Intermediate that he realised he could capture shots that spoke of his perspective of the world.
He was encouraged to pursue photography at Bayfield High School and his skills went from strength to strength.
Mr Flett said he captured his images in two ways.
One was to indicate by a finger point or an eye point that something had caught his eye.
An assistant would get out the camera and together they would line up the shot and take it.
"Because Callum does not have the luxury of easy communication, it is hard to know exactly what it is he wants to capture in an image," Mrs Flett said.
"So they will usually take three different aspects of the same thing.
"When he edits his photos on the computer at home, he will quickly delete all the ones that are wrong and then work very hard at getting his image right.
"He has very high standards."
Mr Flett said he also took photos using an iPad, which connected remotely to his camera on a tripod.
He could zoom in and out on an image and take a shot.
It was a great way for him to take photos when he was not moving around a lot, he said.
His favourite things to photograph were trees, nature, landscapes and also unique things in urban areas.
Mr Flett said he was thrilled to have one of his photos selected for the Wildlife Photography Exhibition at Tūhura Otago Museum, which closes in mid-October.
There were 4500 entries this year, so to be selected was a real honour.
It was the third time in eight years that one of his photos had been selected for the exhibition.
He said he was really proud others appreciated his photography and followed it on his Facebook page.
Each year, he collates his top images of the year and puts them together in a calendar, which he sells.
The proceeds go towards supporting local charities and making a difference in his community.
Over the past five years, he has donated close to $10,000 to local charities — something he is also very proud of.
