[imagesource: Joyjit Das]

Whenever I have had to endure a particularly difficult phase in life, food has always acted as a kind of saviour.

I have little doubt that most people can say the same thing.

Unless you’re one of those “I eat because I have to” kinds who shovels ProNutro down for breakfast, lunch, and dinner like it’s nobody’s business.

Doesn’t matter, eating is still central to life.

That’s why the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year competition is such a joyous occasion.

This year’s competition has announced the winning images from professionals and nonprofessionals across 96 countries who submitted more than 80 000 photos.

The images are in categories that cover the full range of food in various cultures and societies.

There are styled food shoots for glossy magazines, humble images of families eating together in celebration or at religious festivals, depictions of the realities of food production, and shots of food growing in its natural setting, reported PetaPixel:

“As Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year enters its second decade, never has the importance of photography and food been so great,” Phil Turnbull, CEO of APAL, owner of Pink Lady®, and headline sponsor of the Awards since 2011 says.

“Huge global events — war, famine, the end of lockdowns, the revival of the hospitality industry, the chance to celebrate with friends and family again — all these are recorded in the Awards, which show so vividly how food touches every aspect of our lives. The competition continues to be a truly global celebration of the art of food photography.”

Let’s get into it.

Taking the competition’s top honour is “Kebabiyana” by Debdatta Chakraborty from India showing a street vendor enveloped by the smoke of grilled wazwan kebabs:

“Khayyam Chowk is an alleyway in Sri Nagar, which is no different from other streets during daytime. But, in the evening, numerous charcoal ovens are lit up by vendors and the aroma and smoke of wazwan kebabs turn this street into a food-lovers’ paradise,” the photo’s caption reads.

Then, there’s “Traditional Skill” by Chen Ying:

“Flower girl with a packet of Simba chippies” by Marguerite Oelofse:

“Lemon Cake” by Isabelle Hattink:

“Central Park” by Yuliy Vasilev:

“Home Box Office” by Sriram Rajmohan:

“Banana Blossom” by Manju Jisto:

All the winning shots will be displayed in an exhibition at The Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, one of the world’s oldest photographic societies.

Otherwise, you can peruse more from the winners and finalists on the competition’s website.

[source:petapixel]