Kebabiyana, an intimate photograph filled with warmth and humanity by Indian photographer Debdatta Chakraborty, won the overall Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2022 award. The competition is a leading showcase for the art of food photography and film.
The photograph was made at Khayyam Chowk, an ordinary street in Srinagar, India, that turns into a bustling food hub at night as vendors light charcoal ovens and fill the air with the smoky aroma of grilled delicacies such as wazwan kebabs, a popular Kashmiri street food.
Caroline Kenyon, director and founder of the Awards: “In today’s world, more than ever, we feel the need for comfort, for love. There is so much here to reassure us—the beautifully captured billowing embrace of the smoke, the golden light, the expression of the subject as he prepares the food to share. Sparks fly from the skewers, whose roasting we can almost smell; we imagine the warm, delicious aroma. This image, gentle but powerful, nourishes our soul.”
Dutch photographer Isabelle Hattink placed fourth in the Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer category with her photograph Lemon Cake. Isabelle: “The cake had been cut, and the woman did not like this shot. When I asked whether I could publish the photograph, she told me that someone had stepped on her toes.”
The winners were announced during an awards ceremony streamed live on the competition’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. A global audience watched, including prominent figures from the worlds of food and photography.
The 2022 finalists’ exhibition was scheduled to premiere at the Royal Photographic Society, one of the world’s oldest photographic societies, in Bristol. The exhibition was scheduled to run from November 20 through December 12, 2022.
Admission was free.
Visit www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com to view the online gallery featuring all 2022 finalists.
