A cutting edge photography exhibition by award-winning New Zealand photographers has landed at Rotorua International Airport.

The exhibition has 170 pieces from about 100 talented Kiwi professional photographers, curated from more than 600 award-winning images from the 2013 Iris Professional Photography Awards.

Tracy Stamatakos, Anna Rodgers and Kerry Grant enjoy the photography exhibition on display at Rotorua Airport.

The touring exhibition, which has been on display in the airport's domestic terminal since last Friday, represents a snapshot of last year's gold, silver and bronze winners across 11 different categories, from travel and portrait, to landscape and photojournalism.

The touring exhibition has stopped over in a number of public spaces throughout the country, including Tauranga and Auckland, before touching down in Rotorua.

Airport business development manager Anna Rodgers says the airport is a fantastic location for such an exhibition.

'The airport is a great place to have a photography exhibition, as there are always lots of people with time to ‘kill' and who really enjoy exploring the airport while they are waiting for flights or whanau and friends to come.

'It's also a great opportunity for people that aren't necessarily flying in or out of the airport to make the most of our new one-hour free visitor parking.

'We invite everyone to come along, have a coffee and enjoy the exhibition – it won't cost you anything.”

The Iris photography awards are run by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers and this year the awards are being held in Rotorua from July 31 to August 2.

During three days members of the public are invited to watch judging take place at the Energy Events Centre, along with the images from this year on display.

NZIPP Bay of Plenty/Waikato chair Tracy Stamatakos says the opportunity to watch the judges in action is a fantastic chance for budding or experienced photographers to learn and take their photography to the next level.

'Watching and listening to the judges' comment and critique on submitted work has huge potential benefit for people wanting to learn more about photography.

'It's also a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the stunning imagery from this year's awards before they too go on tour.”

For more information on the awards, visit the airport's website, and www.nzipp.org.nz

The airport exhibition runs until early September.