While 18-year-old Dom Riddell is "terrified" by the prospect of school life ending, two recent achievements bode well for his future.
Last week, he was named Southland regional champion in the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme for his business, Whenua Photography.
His aim is to find and photograph the best landscapes New Zealand has to offer, to create evocative and humanising images which will promote guardianship of the land and mental wellbeing.
"When I was 13 it was a sad time of my life and I went to Mt Cook for a trip.
"I really loved it there, so I decided to purchase a camera and have been taking pictures for the last four years.
"Photos have a quite cool effect on you — it is very special."
When the scheme was introduced at his school in March, he decided it was a great opportunity to start his business.
"I want to get some profit from my photography and share it with a wider audience."
To win the regional title, Dom completed a variety of business milestones, including concept validation, pitching, promotion and sales challenges.
"It actually teaches how you can manage a business. I’m very proud and very grateful with all the help I received from all people."
Since March, he had sold about 1000 prints, which was a "good milestone" for his business.
But the win was not his only achievement over the past few weeks. Dom also won a scholarship to pursue a bachelor of science degree at the University of Otago next year.
"It will make everything a lot easier for me."
However, he would still pursue his passion for photography and keep selling his pictures.
"Photography is going to be with me — it is something I can escape into.
"My plan is work with my two passions — working on the national parks but also taking pictures.
"Fingers crossed, it will work out."
