Winners of the Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer | Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2021

Here are the alluring images submitted in the Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer category of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2021:

Founded in 2011 by Caroline Kenyon and her team at The Food Awards Company, the contest celebrates the best in food photography and film today. There are 30 unique categories that cover a range of depictions of food in society. The entries are then judged by experts—photographers, magazine editors, creative directors, film directors, food retailers, and chefs. This year, the esteemed panel of jurors included David Loftus, the Chair of Judges, Nicola Galloway, Jussi Brofeldt, and Francis Hodgson, among others. The title winner receives a cash prize of 5000 GBP.

First Winner: John Armstrong-Millar, France

Photograph/John Armstrong-Millar

Many a Plan: I am a wedding photographer in France. Every year, couples from all over the world come here to get married. This couple, too, was celebrating their wedding at a private Chateau in South West France. One of the crucial moments of the ceremony is the cutting of the cake. In France, it’s a tradition to have small fireworks on the cake. However, on this hot evening, the fireworks began to burn unexpectedly, which scared the couple. This image allowed me to combine two of my interests as a photographer: wedding storytelling and food photography. It also demonstrates that often the best photographs are the unplanned ones.

Second Winner: Lynne Kennedy, United Kingdom

Photograph/Lynne Kennedy

We Did It: This young couple from England decided to get married, but they did not want to have a big, traditional wedding. Thus, they eloped to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. They were married outdoors, in nature, with just two witnesses in attendance to make the marriage legal. Afterwards, they opened this bottle of champagne to celebrate their union as husband and wife.

Third Winner: Sohel Ahmed, Bangladesh

Photograph/Sohel Ahmed

Special Food for the Couple: Weddings in Bangladesh are all about culture and tradition. In Muslim marriages, it is a tradition to serve a cooked goat in its entirety to the bride and groom. The couple usually sits at the reception along with their family members and close friends. I got the opportunity to photograph one such instance at a wedding. The bride and groom beheaded the cooked goat at dinner as they celebrated the special day.