Jianhui Liao has won the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2019 competition for his image Cauldron Noodles, organisers have announced.
The Chinese photographer’s image was shot during a celebration of the goddess Nuwa.
As the overall winner, Jianhui received the grand prize of £5000 at a reception hosted by musician and cheesemaker Alex James in the Mall Galleries, London. The presentation was made by Andy Macdonald, head of Pink Lady® in the UK – the Award’s main sponsor.
The 400-hundred strong audience carefully balanced their Taittinger champagne glasses to congratulate Liao with hearty applause.
According to the organisers, over 9000 images were entered from 77 countries. That’s more images from more countries than ever before. And, as Angela observed during the judging process, the standard was fantastically high.
Jianhui’s atmospheric image also won the Food for Celebration category which is sponsored by Champagne Taittinger.
Outstanding Achievement Award
The Outstanding Achievement Award was bestowed upon Pink Lady’s Andy Macdonald in recognition of his contribution to food photography. Macdonald is about to step down as head of Pink Lady® in the UK, which has been the main spoor since the awards began in 2011.
Category Winners
The category winners are as follows:
Food for Celebration sponsored by Champagne Taittinger
PHOTOGRAPHER: Jianhui Liao (China)
IMAGE TITLE: Cauldron Noodles
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Every year from the first to eighteenth day of the lunar calendar, villagers wear Qing Dynasty costumes to celebrate Nvwa’s birthday and eat big pots of noodles at noon. Shexian County, Hebei Province. County, Hebei Province, China.
TECHNICAL: Sony 7RM2, f/8, 1/200, 54mm
The Philip Harben Award for Food in Action
PHOTOGRAPHER: Kazi Mushfiq (Bangladesh)
IMAGE TITLE: Water Collecting From Street Pump
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A woman was collecting water for her daily life from a street pump in the old Dhaka area.
TECHNICAL: Sony ILCE-6000 E 20mm F2.8, ƒ/4.0, 20.0 mm, 1/250, 200 Flash (off, did not fire)
Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture
PHOTOGRAPHER: Nick Millward (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Tarte Tatin with Thyme
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A simple tarte tatin with thyme to give it an extra depth of flavour, by chef Clodagh Mckenna.
TECHNICAL: Panasonic Lumix G9 Camera, 200 ISO, 1/15sec, f5.1 Panasonic FS12060 Lens @ 33mm
Pink Lady® Apple a Day
PHOTOGRAPHER: Tiree Dawson (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: The Girl
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: We have been discussing for years whether Summer is allowed to get her ears pierced. This year, perhaps. The image is also inspired by Vermeer’s work and use of light.
TECHNICAL: Canon 5D Mk4, 50mm f6.3, 1/8 second, ISO 800
Food Bloggers
PHOTOGRAPHER: Aimee Twigger (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Drying Pasta
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Herb-laminated pasta hanging to dry in the window.
Politics of Food
PHOTOGRAPHER: Martin Chamberlain (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Cow Tantrum
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This cow probably knew its destiny. Having just been bought from the market in Nizwa, Oman, the cow proved increasingly reluctant to comply with its new owners’ wishes – resorting in the end to collapsing its front legs, leaving the owners puzzled as to what to do next.
TECHNICAL: Canon EOS 5D MkII. 24-105mm f4L IS @35mm 1/125 @ f8 ISO100
Food for the Family
PHOTOGRAPHER: Sanghamitra Sarkar (India)
IMAGE TITLE: Bonda Tribe
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Odisha has many tribal communities and the Bonda tribe is one of them. They lead a very simple life. Modern society has failed to change them because they have carefully protected their culture and traditions from modern civilisation. In this picture the Bonda ladies are busy preparing food in a clay pot, making fire from wood.
TECHNICAL: NIKON D750,LENSE-NIKON 24-120 mm,ISO-400,FOCAL LENGTH – 24 mm, EXPOSURE TIME – 1/320, APERTURE – 4 MM
Bring Home the Harvest
PHOTOGRAPHER: Kazi Mushfiq (Bangladesh)
IMAGE TITLE: Harvesting Gold
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Farmers were working hard harvesting the rice which is like gold to them.
TECHNICAL: Canon EOS 6D EF17-40mm f/4L USM, ƒ/7.1, 26.0 mm, 1/1000, 125, Flash (off, did not fire)
Food in the Field
PHOTOGRAPHER: Andrew Newey (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Pumpkins at Sunrise
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: On a cold autumn morning, the sun gradually appears through the mist over a pumpkin patch in the New Forest National Park, England.
TECHNICAL: Canon EOS 5D Mark III / 16mm / ISO 50 / 1/5 sec @ f16
InterContinental Food at the Table
PHOTOGRAPHER: Giles Christopher (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Mussels Ready to Eat
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Image taken in the studio of mussels on a napkin, on rustic table for Harry Ramsden’s restaurants.
TECHNICAL: Camera: Sony A7RIII Lens: Canon 90mm TS-E Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec ISO: 200 Aperture: F4.5
World Food Programme Food for Life
PHOTOGRAPHER: Avishek Das (India)
IMAGE TITLE: Food Processing
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A woman is working in a rice processing field of West Bengal, India. They are working in a tough environment as extreme heat is released from the boiled rice grains being separated to dry.
TECHNICAL: Nikon D750 , 1/400 S , ISO 100, F 3.2 , EV –0.7
One Vision Imaging Cream of the Crop
PHOTOGRAPHER: Simon Bajada (Sweden)
IMAGE TITLE: Basque Heirlooms
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: These tomatoes were photographed on a grey morning at Mercado de la Bretxa in San Sebastian, Spain. They were snuggled in a box, protruding just enough to catch the soft light across them.
TECHNICAL: Canon 5d mk 4
Food for Sale
PHOTOGRAPHER: Elise Humphrey (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Ramadan
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A hungry market-stall holder in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, sits among forbidden fruits during Ramadan, whilst dreaming of her next meal.
TECHNICAL: Fujifilm X-T20
On the Phone
PHOTOGRAPHER: Matt Wilson (Chile)
IMAGE TITLE: Rosemary Harvest
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This photograph is of one of my sons cutting rosemary from our garden. He is wearing his Barcelona football shirt and my wife´s Colombian hat. I saw the image and only had my iPhone at hand so grabbed the shot.
TECHNICAL: iPhone 8 plus
Production Paradise Previously Published
PHOTOGRAPHER: Cosimo Barletta (Italy)
IMAGE TITLE: Red Octopus
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: When you “release the kraken” on the table… you never know what will happen!
TECHNICAL: Canon 5Ds R | TS/E 90mm | 5 Profoto multispot and pro head
Street Food
PHOTOGRAPHER: Debdatta Chakraborty (India)
IMAGE TITLE: Rishu Kesarwale
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Rishu Kesarwale has his shack in one of the busiest streets of Allahabad city. Here he sells warm milk, yogurt, cottage cheese and, of course, masala chai – India’s most popular drink. He has inherited his shop from his father and is very proud that in these days of food adulteration, he is still serving his clientele with pure milk, which is considered a great health food by the Indians, particularly so during the winter months.
TECHNICAL: Nikon D750, Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR, Exp.f/7.1, 1/60s ISO 800
Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer
PHOTOGRAPHER: Tiree Dawson (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Preparing for the Nightshift
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: At the end of a magical spring day in the English Lake District, the pizza van team set up ready to feed Samuel and Parisa’s evening guests.
TECHNICAL: Canon 5D mk4, 35mm, f1.8, 1/200 second, ISO1600
Fujifilm Award for Innovation
PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Hedge (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Broken Egg
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This image is part of a series of images I did for the RSA Magazine illustrating the delicate relationship between food, farming and the countryside. Prop styling by Kerry Hughes and art direction by Johan Shufiyan.
TECHNICAL: Phase One XF camera with an IQ 250 digital back
Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – Overall Winner
PHOTOGRAPHER: Jon Wyand (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Cleaning the Cuverie at Domaine Faiveley, Mercurey
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Wooden and stainless steel tanks used for fermenting the red wine are emptied and the remaining grape material pressed. The vats are then scrupulously washed out.
TECHNICAL: Nikon 28-70mm zoom at 28mmm
Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – Produce
PHOTOGRAPHER: Alessandra Spairani (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Il Fruttaio
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Il fruttaio is a ‘fruit cellar’ that, in the past, was used to store fruit during the winter. Now Riccardo uses it to hang the best Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes from his small vineyards to produce Sciacchetrà, one of the most sough-after wines from Cinque Terre, Liguria.
TECHNICAL: Canon EOS 5D MK IV + Tamron SP 28-75 mm
Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – People
PHOTOGRAPHER: Mick Rock (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Vigneron Pruning Vines
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Pruning Cabernet Sauvignon vines on a frosty morning at Château Léoville-Barton.
TECHNICAL: Mamiya RZ67 50mm lens
Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – Place
PHOTOGRAPHER: Jon Wyand (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: Cleaning the Cuverie at Domaine Faiveley, Mercurey
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Wooden and stainless steel tanks used for fermenting the red wine are emptied and the remaining grape material pressed. The vats are then scrupulously washed out.
TECHNICAL: Nikon 28-70mm zoom at 28mmm
Food Stylist Award
FOOD STYLIST: Kim Morphew (UK)
IMAGE TITLE: In the Balance
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: On trend fashion meets tutti frutti.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Arthur Woodcroft
British Summer Fruits Flag
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Celebrating all the fabulous summer fruits in the British Isles. The Union Jack is made from blueberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries and raspberries from different farms around the British Isles.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Martin Poole
Salted Caramel Millionaires
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Rich, oozy salted caramel tops crumbly shortbread, finished with a dark and white chocolate drizzle.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Maja Smend
Edible Damien Hirst Skull
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Chocolate cake sculpted into the shape of a skull, covered in fondant icing and adorned with edible diamonds and sugared almonds to recreate the Damian Hirst skull.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Maja Smend
Caramel Jammy Dodgers
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Homemade biscuits sandwiched together with luxurious caramel.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Martin Poole
World Food Programme Storytellers Innovation Award
PHOTOGRAPHER: Eder Estilmer (Guatemala)
IMAGE TITLE: Water Stream
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Not available
TECHNICAL: Not available
Student Photographer of the Year
PHOTOGRAPHER: Chloe Dann (Australia)
IMAGE TITLE: The Carnal Supper
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This photo is from a series I made which explores the corporeality of human eating habits and the role of the culinary arts in the relationship between nature and culture.
TECHNICAL: Canon 5D Mark III
Young 10 and under
PHOTOGRAPHER: Joshua George (Bahrain)
IMAGE TITLE: Passion Fruit Love
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Having passion fruit straight from the plant was very tasty and fun.
TECHNICAL: Nikon D800
Young 11-14
PHOTOGRAPHER: Jemima Painter (Thailand)
IMAGE TITLE: Fresh Thai Ingredients
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Who knew that chillies are actually a fruit!
TECHNICAL: iPhone 7
Young 15 – 17
PHOTOGRAPHER: Lily-Mae Franklin
IMAGE TITLE: Always Have A Camera In My Hands
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: I always have a camera at the ready, to capture the expressions on everyone’s face (even while cooking).
Winterbotham Darby Food Film Shorts supported by Foodism
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Jennifer Davick (USA)
FILM TITLE: Black Sesame
FILM DESCRIPTION: Chef Maya Erickson’s Black Sesame Dessert. Maya created this dessert while working as the pastry chef at Lazy Bear, a San Francisco restaurant that grew from the cult-like following of an underground supper club and whose own chef/owner David Barzelay received the nod as a 2016 Food and Wine Best New Chef.