Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards showcases new talent at Mall Galleries

There was a time when the mere suggestion of hosting a food photography award show at all would have raised quizzical eyebrows, let alone one in as esteemed a venue as the Mall Galleries. These days, though, more and more people are salivating over the expert shots in glossy magazines, devouring every image posted online, trawling social media for the latest stunning arrangement. As Jonathan Gregson, the winner of the food portraiture award, would later remark to us, “It’s great to see it considered with a bit of glamour – as serious an industry as something like high-end fashion photography.”

It isn’t just the elite that are prospering though: there’s a whole new wave of amateur enthusiasts taking their own snaps. Some restaurants have even begun to devise ways to make their food more photogenic to average customers, encouraging their diners to share photos of their meal online. It was telling that this year’s Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards included an entire category dedicated to snaps taken on mobile phones, and that the winning shot was actually remarkably well taken. Not only that, but professionals like Gregson are welcoming the influx of new blood into the industry, praising the impact of sites like Instagram before remarking with a cheeky smile that it would “certainly keep us on our toes.”

The event itself was a perfect snapshot of this new world in action. Some of the best in the business mixed with amateurs and semi professionals. Michel Roux Jnr. posed for pictures with starstruck teenagers, while award-winning photographers spoke at length with enthusiasts whose DSLRs still had that fresh from the box polish. It was a night where all that mattered was passion for the craft.

So it was fitting that the overall winner was a man who channeled his subject’s emotions so perfectly. Headphones in, cigarette in mouth, chain swinging wildly from an unbuttoned shirt, the chef in David Griffith’s Smoked Wings is nonchalance personified. It was this incredible subject that Griffith’s attributes to his victory: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s all down to him. […] He had that intensity that only food people have, an absolute legend. If anyone wants to know the full story, it’ll be on my blog next week, maybe this week after all this! When I go back there, I’ll bring him a print and a six pack.”

With so much positivity in the air, the cynicism of Jay Rayner – here the head of the judging panel and the host – provided much-needed contrast and stopped the entire thing from becoming a bit self-congratulatory. His acerbic wit was as cutting and self-deprecating as ever, the audience wrapped around his finger in seconds. Among his many dry lines was the old comparison between himself and Marco Pierre White. It struggles to ring true these days: they certainly still bear a foppish resemblance to one another, but recently Marco seems happy enough to slap his name on anything within sight. Rayner is more careful, a thoughtful and passionate critic whose endorsement truly means something. When he gives his seal of approval, the results are so often brilliant, and the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards were no exception.

Daniel Masters
Photos: Ned Malik

Winners

Overall winner: David Griffen – Smoked Wings

Philip Harben Award for Food in Action Category Winner: David Griffen – Smoked Wings

Cream of the Crop Category Winner: Sarah Coghill – Fresh Gurnards

Taitenger Food for Celebration Category Winner: Mark Benham – Food Stall

Food Portraiture Category Winner: Jonathan Gregson – Salted Caramel and Pear Cakes

Food for the family Category Winner: Christ Terry – Family Meal

Pink Lady’s An Apple a Day Category Winner: Cath Lowe – Cricketer’s Apple

Unearthed Food’s Documentary Category Winner: Abbie Stewart – The Cider Shed

Unearthed Food’s Non-Documentary Category Winner: Julia Cawley – Cranberry & Chocolate Scones

Production Paradise Food off the Press Category Winner: Maja Smend – Mondrian Battenberg

Bring Home the Harvest Category Winner: Ian Thomas – Cheek to Cheek

Errazuriz subcategory – produce winner: Victor Pugatschew – Pinot Noir being pressed

Errazuriz subcategory – places winner: Bob Holmes – Maryhill Winery

Food Sn-apping, in support of Action Against Hunger, Category Winner: Lisa Barber – Garlic

People’s Choice – food in film winner: Barbara Zonzin – Choco Thriller

People’s Choice – food photography winner: Maria-Valentina Dudu – Sheep Preparation

Politics of Food Category Winner: Drina Cabral – The Hunter and the Hunted

Food Bloggers supported by Aspire Photography Category Winner: Mark Nowill – Hand Made

Patridges Food for Sale Category Winner: Sally Anne Stone – Sun, Shadows & Fish

10 Acre Food in the Field Category Winner: Jake Eastham – Gaggle

Young 15-17 Category Winner: Emily Tapp – Spices and Spoons

Young 11-14 Category Winner: Will Jenkins – Fig

Young 10 & under Category Winner: Eden Crossley – Hey Macaroon!