Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2018 winners announced

The Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards are an annual highlight for anyone with an interest in all things gastronomic.

Each year, the winning images display the best of the best when it comes to food photography. This year more than 8,000 entries were received from all over the world.

Amateur Photographer is proud to be a media partner, and both the magazine’s editor, Nigel Atherton, and Depity Editor, Geoff Harris are on the judging panel, which this year is chaired by renowned food photographer David Loftus. Best known for his work with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, David Loftus is one of the UK’s most prolific food photographers.

Diversity

Although obviously concentrated on the food genre, Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year is a surprisingly eclectic photo contest. There is a wide range of categories covering everything from studio still lifes to travel reportage.

The overall winner, for the second year running, comes from Bangladesh and is taken by Noor Ahmed Gelal. Noor’s image comes from the Food for Celebration category and depicts a section of the Hindu community preparing to break a day-long fast in one of the local temples in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Here’s all the winning images from this year’s fantastic competition.

Overall Winner and Food for Celebration Winner

Noor Ahmed Gelal, Bangladesh
Praying with Food

Noor created an unusual composition by shooting from directly above. The single empty space adds an intriguing element. “I took this from the rooftop of a seven-storied building,” explains Noor. “I took it using an 85mm lens, which offered a perfect composition of the scene. No crop was necessary – this is 100% of the image.”

Canon EOS-1DX and EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, 1/125 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1600

The Philip Harben Award for Food in Action

John Carey, United Kingdom
Calum in his Pie Room

A master of his craft, the inimitable Calum Franklin, Executive Head Chef and Pie Creator Extraordinaire in his wonderful Pie Room at Holborn Dining Rooms in the Rosewood Hotel, London. “Pie-making is quite a traditional craft and one that I know Calum has put a significant amount of effort into researching and testing,’ says John. “I wanted to show his dedication, some might say obsession, with the craft and highlight the attention to detail that he puts into his work.” The post-production treatment of the image is a nod to traditional portraits of master craftsmen.

Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/125 sec at f/13, ISO 320

Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture

Linda Taylor, USA
Pastry and Pears

“My small, imperfect pears from my tree were gifted to my local baker and they were transformed into these perfect little brioche and ricotta pastries.”

Canon 5D Mark III, EF 50mm, 1/100 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

Pink Lady Apple a Day

Michael Meisen, Germany
The Art of Being an Apple

“Still life of apples as a homage to a most common but also absolutely inspiring fruit.”

Sinar camera with a digital back

Food Bloggers

Aniko Lueff, United Kingdom
Honeycomb

“Runny lavender honey is being drizzled with a honey dipper over broken pieces of honeycomb decorated with dried lavender buds.”

Canon EOS 6D, Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, 1/10 sec at f/1.8, ISO 400

Politics of Food

Grzegorz Tomasz, Poland
Dog Shower

This picture was taken in the North of Vietnam. “The dogs are kept alive by being showered during the transport to slaughter houses,” explains Grzegorz. It is around 45 degrees out there.”

Fujifilm X-T2, Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8R LM WR

Production Paradise Food off the Press

Oliver Hauser, Germany
Schnitzelberg

Out of the series, “Adam’s cooking for Eve.” Basic Recipes, Lesson One ‘Wiener Schnitzel’.

Phase One IQ3

Food for the Family

Guillaume Flandre, United Kingdom
Family Dinner

“This picture was taken at my grandparent’s apartment,” explains Guillaume. “It’s a tradition in my family to go there on Christmas Eve for dinner. Like every year, my father and grandfather gather in the kitchen and cook for the rest of the family. I happened to be walking by and noticed how both them were framed by that door. I didn’t have my camera on me, so I rushed to the bedroom to grab it, went back to that spot and waited for the perfect moment. It happened very quickly, and that’s the only shoot I took of that scene.

“The lighting wasn’t optimal, so I had to go down all the way to f/1.4. Including the drapes in the frame made the scene all the more theatrical, even though this moment was quite ordinary. This was the last time we would celebrate dinner here together. Sadly, my grandfather passed away the next year.”

Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4R

Bring Home the Harvest

Debdatta Chakraborty, India
The Fishermen

“Silabati is a perennial river, only getting inundated when water is released from nearby dam, Medinipur, West Bengal. Villagers trying their luck for the silver catch on one such occasion.”

Nikon D90, 1/150 sec at f/4.0, ISO 2000

Food in the Field

Guillaume Flandre, United Kingdom
Sheep in Dakar

“Dakar is a busy and unexpected city. In the numerous street markets of the capital, one can find anything they need. Thanks to a local, I was able to go behind the shops, where they keep animals that usually can’t be seen from the outside.”

Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF23mm f/1.4R

InterContinental Food at the Table

Tom Parker, United Kingdom
Colombian Chef

“A chef at a hotel in Cartegnena in Colombia with his dish.”

World Food Programme Food for Life

Probal Rashid, USA
A Fisherman’s Life

Canon 5D Mark III, EF24mm f/1.4L II USM, 1/80 sec at f/2.5, ISO 2500

One Vision Imaging Cream of the Crop

Andy Grimshaw, United Kingdom
Green Beans

Shot with a Phase One IQ280 and Broncolor Flash

Food for Sale

Jade Nina Sarkhel, United Kingdom
Rex Bakery

“Straddling a gutter, I captured the bullet-stricken walls of one of Mumbai’s oldest bakers,” recalls Jade. “The bakery turns out 18,000 paos (baps) a day, operating 24/7 and selling bread through the keyhole counter overnight. Bread is given for free to those who can’t afford it. It’s places like this that knit communities together in India.”

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM, 1/80 sec at f/2.8, ISO 160

Marks & Spencer Food Adventures (British Food Festivals)

Derek Snee, United Kingdom
Tapas Upon Tyne

On a chilly winter evening in Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s International Christmas Market, an enthusiastic chef prepares warming Catalan tapas. “It’s a great place for street photography,” enthuses Derek. “I went there looking for potential entries to the competition. This Catalan tapas stall had a great combination of ingredients: a busy chef hard at work on a rustic wooden stall, a foreground of steaming tapas pans, and a backdrop of vibrant and contrasting colours that I felt would convert well to black and white. The natural light had gone so I set my ISO to 2000 and aperture to f/4, to give just enough depth of field. With my exposure metering set to spot, I quickly focused on and metered off the brightly lit right side of the chef’s face. This gave a shutter speed of 150^th and produced strong contrast. I found an empty space in the crowd directly in front of the tapas pans and took a couple of shots while the chef was busy. Then she looked up, turned her head in my direction and beamed a terrific smile.”

On the Phone

Paul Steven, United Kingdom
Exmoor Beasts

“Three curious and majestic Highland Cows on Exmoor in Somerset.”

iPhone 8 Plus

Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – Produce

Victor Pugatschew, Australia
Spinning the Chardonnay

“Here we have chardonnay being pressed at Champagne Veuve Fourny and the juice flowing into the Belon tanks for splitting of the fractions.”

Sony A6000, Sigma 19mm, 1/6 sec at f/4.5, ISO 400

Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – People

Thierry Gaudillere, France
Worker at Maison Champy, Beaune, Burgundy

“Champy is the oldest negociant of wines, settled in Beaune in 1726. It still makes wines in the very centre of the town.

Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – Places

George Rose, United States
Vineyard Flooding, Sonoma County

“A Russian River Valley vineyard is flooded during record rains in January 2017 (photographed from a helicopter).

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Student Photographer of the Year

Becci Hutchings, United Kingdom
Honeycomb and Wax

Nikon D750, 50mm f/1.8 lens

Young 10 and under

Ruby Smend, United Kingdom
Raining Pasta

“Homemade pasta in our kitchen.”

Young 11-14

Stefan Dedu, Romania
Fresh Chicken Eggs

“These are our own eggs. There are three different colours: cream, brown and green. The colour is determined by the genetics of the hens.”

Canon EOS 60D, EF50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro, 1/60 sec at f/4.0, ISO 200

Young 15-17

William Lindsay-Perez, United Kingdom
Finishing Touches

“A sprinkle of cocoa powder over raspberry meringue with a white chocolate rocky road. In this image, I wanted to combine rich colour and movement to create an image that looks as good as the dessert tasted.”

Canon EOS 70D, Sigma 50-100 f/1.8HSM, 1/250 sec at f/9, ISO 320