Cookery is often described as an art form, and there are few places where the two worlds overlap to quite such spectacular effect as the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards.

Every year, photographers from around the world submit entries for a competition celebrating the culture of food tradition, preparation, enjoyment, and social impact.

This year, for the 13th staging of the competition, more than 9,000 entries were received from around 65 countries, competing in 36 categories, and with one overall winner named.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the hugely diverse and colorful nature of Chinese cuisine, its food regularly provides artistic inspiration and that was the case at this year's awards, where entrants from China achieved 19 placings, and three category wins, as well as producing the overall top-prize winner.

Yang Zhonghua's image Red Bean Paste Balls, taken during a Spring Festival preparation in the rural area of Xiangshan, Zhejiang province, was picked by judges as the cream of the crop, winning both the Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration category, and also the overall competition, with a prize of 5,000 pounds ($6,387).

Yang, who has been taking photographs for 40 years, told China Daily he did not enter the competition with a financial motive, but because he wanted to draw attention to his hometown and its special food.

"Red bean paste ball is a national intangible cultural heritage from Xiangshan which we will make during New Year celebrations and share with our relatives and friends," he said.

"It is something that is a must-have for that festival, it is a very necessary item of food for people from our town."

He said that he knew the scene and exactly what to expect before he went to take the prize-winning shot, which is how he managed to capture such a perfectly timed image.

"The woman is a local cook who specializes in making this food for friends and family but also for sale, which is why she had made so many of them," he said.

"I didn't need many shots to capture this one, because I knew this scene in advance, so I knew what I was looking for. I knew the lighting would be good early in the morning as the sun came up, so I tried a few different angles before coming up with this one."

The detail of the cook entering the room with a freshly-cooked batch, awaiting the addition of the red paste on top, adds a sense of movement to the image.

"She steams them outside, then brings them all in to add just a little touch of red bean paste as the finishing touch," he said.

Strong connection

Yang is an experienced photographer who has won awards before, but never anything on this scale, with this level of exposure — something that he says made him want to take part in the competition.

"Food is something very important to our town, so I have paid a lot of attention to it and to the local scenery," Yang said.

"I do landscapes and humanistic shots, I don't limit myself, but particularly at times like New Year, I like to focus on the things that make my hometown special — like this food. I'm so pleased to have this opportunity to promote Xiangshan to the world."

Another Chinese entrant who enjoyed a successful evening was Ren Xiuting, who managed seven placings, including winning the Food in the Family category with the image New Year in Old Cave Dwelling, and third place in the Street Food and Bring Home the Harvest categories.

Liu Min won the special class for Chinese photographers with his image Care, showing an elderly man being served at a wedding banquet, which was one of his three placed entries.

Jin Wei also managed three placings, with his picture Hot Nang from the Oven coming third in both the Food in Action categories, and also the regional award.

Other Chinese entrants whose work was particularly praised by the judging panel, made up of people from the worlds of food and photography, included Li Jianping, Tianming Zhang, Ren Xiuting and the overall competition winner from 2021, Li Huaifeng.

Uniting force

Competition founder Caroline Kenyon told China Daily Chinese entrants have a particular connection with food that mean they keep winning, even though all entries are assessed without the judges knowing who took the photos.

"I think there is a tradition of Chinese photography that is exceptional, in the work I have seen, they have a subtlety particularly around the use of lighting that is exquisite and unique," she said.

"It's a bit like Chinese calligraphy, bringing an age-old artistic delicacy and sense of movement into the modern world.

"There is something very special and different about a Chinese eye looking through the lens, and when you ally that artistic sensibility with the country's cultural awareness of food, you come up with something wonderful."

Although food may vary hugely around the world, its status as one of the most basic unifying forces of humankind means that, as an artistic inspiration, it is something everyone can relate to.

"Despite the challenges of an ever-changing world, we never cease in growing, gathering, cooking, eating, and celebrating with food," said Phil Turnbull, CEO of APAL, the owner of award sponsors Pink Lady.

"Each year, the remarkable photographs serve as a reminder of the fundamental role of food in every culture and every people around the world."

For people who are interested, there is an online gallery of the finalists at www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com.

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