Dr Daniel Wong is exhibiting his landscape photography as a tribute to his partner who passed away and as a fundraiser for Nelson Tasman Hospice.

After losing his long-term partner to lung cancer, Nelson doctor Daniel Wong is holding an exhibition honouring the man who helped him develop a passion for landscape photography.

Wong, 24, said the diagnosis for his partner Barry Woods, 85, came out of the blue. Woods died two months ago, after a short battle with the aggressive cancer.

The pair had been engaged before the diagnosis and decided to get married soon after they learnt of the cancer.

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They had been together for six years after meeting in Nelson while Wong was studying in Dunedin."The main reason I came here was to live with my partner," Wong said. "We forged a life together here."

Woods, a professional photographer, was instrumental in Wong developing a passion for landscape photography.

"[Photography] is a big part of my life outside medicine," he said. "Barry had a big role in that."

MARION VAN DIJK Dr Daniel Wong with his photographs on exhibition at the Nelson Hospital cafe as a tribute to his late partner Barry Woods and as a fundraiser for Nelson Tasman Hospice.

The couple travelled extensively, taking photos around the world and Wong said they made an effort to do as many trips as possible.

Woods was diagnosed with cancer eight months ago and Wong had planned to care for him at home. However Woods' condition deteriorated rapidly in the last few weeks and they were referred to the Nelson Tasman Hospice.

Wong said he was deeply impressed by the ongoing support provided by the hospice staff.

"I had never dealt with them from this side of things," he said. "I was blown away by [the service], the efficiency and the care, just everything done so well and so quickly, it was all very sensitive."

Wong knew the Nelson Hospital cafe held monthly exhibitions and he thought of showcasing his work there after learning of Woods' diagnosis.

The couple did a road trip around the South Island after Woods was told he had cancer and many of the photographs in the exhibition were taken during that trip.

Several places from the Nelson region feature in the photos, including Cable Bay, Wharariki Beach in Golden Bay, Tahunanui Beach and the Janie Seddon shipwreck in Motueka.

"I'm getting very much into it and obviously Barry had quite a big role in that as well in terms of development, encouragement and progression," he said.

Woods died in November and he knew of Wong's plan to showcase his work in an exhibition.

"He thought it was a great idea, he was very proud," he said. "It's a sad story."

"It's still awful," he said of losing his partner. "But the support has been amazing."

It was a relief to see the exhibition in place and it had kept him busy over the past few months.

"The hospice rely quite heavily on donations to keep their service going so it just seemed like the perfect thing to do, both as a tribute to my partner and also to fundraise," he said.

The exhibition will run at the Nelson Hospital cafe until the end of the month. Unframed prints start from $50 and framed prints from $250.