More and more of us are taking pictures of food these days, so why not enter these two competitions and you could win some great goodies - say cheese!
International Food Photography Day 2012
November 14th is International Food Photography Day 2012. Join food and photography enthusiasts around the world to celebrate this wonderful art form – get together with friends and family, cook up a storm, snap the results and share them with the world using the hashtag #foodphotoday2012 on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or blogs. Everyone who takes part on Twitter will automatically be entered into a draw to win the newly launched Canon EOS M. See www.internationalfoodphotographyday.com for more details.
Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2013
If that’s whetted your appetite and you want to be in with a chance to win £5000, then you should enter the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2013 (closing date 31st Jan 2013). We caught up with one of last year's winners, Jed Alder, to find out what winning meant to him, and how to take better pictures.
Jed's Tale
Inspired to have a go
"As well as being a passionate home cook, my wife Sarah harbours an addiction to cookery books – we have a collection of over 300 at home now, and it’s still growing! I’ve always been fascinated by the variance in the quality of the images, and the changing styles over the years. Seeing what was out there inspired me to have a go myself – and of course, thanks to Sarah, the subject matter is there on my plate every day."
Making real food look good
"I spend a large part of my day thinking, talking about, photographing and of course, eating food – in that order! I love to take a dish which looks and smells great on the plate in front of me and translate this into an appetising image. Gone are the days in which food is primped and styled to an unnatural level of perfection, the focus is now on making real food look good. Beyond photographing food on a plate, I spend a lot of my spare time visiting food markets and festivals, all of which afford me the opportunity to capture images that tell the ‘story’ of where ingredients come from."
Natural light
"Sarah and I grow a lot of our own produce in our back garden at home, and so I have plenty of rich material to work with quite literally on my doorstep. ‘Home Grown Garlic’ was one of a series of photographs taken in my back garden. It was a very natural image – we’d just pulled the bulbs out of the ground and laid them out on the garden bench to dry. The afternoon light hit them the right way and at the right time."
That winning feeling
"Winning my category was beyond my wildest expectations – not only has it given me an opportunity to showcase my work at a national level alongside some of the world’s leading professionals (Jed’s winning photograph was exhibited at the prestigious Mall Galleries and is being toured across the country throughout the year), but also given me the inspiration to take my food photography to the next level."
The Pink Lady International Food Photographer of the Year 2013 competition is now open for entries and amateur and professional food photographers are being encouraged to get involved.
This years judges
Joining the judging panel this year are some leading names in the food world, including renowned chef Antonio Carluccio, Saturday Kitchen’s James Martin, Bill Granger, Prue Leith and The One Show’s Jay Rayner. Lending their vast photography expertise to the mix is also Ellen Silverman, food photographer for Gwyneth Paltrow and David Loftus, Jamie Oliver’s food photographer.
Enter now!
Entrants have until 31st January 2013 to get their photos in, and shortlisted entries will be announced on 20th March, ahead of the award ceremony at London’s prestigious Mall Galleries on 23rd April. Visit the website for more information and category details – www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com/2013/.
Main image by jan_krutisch used under Creative Commons.