The winners of the contest are already known Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2024the competition organized by Pink Lady, aimed at professionals and amateurs from all over the world, which highlights the importance of food photography. Spain has achieved five finalist images, including one category winner. The jury has distinguished the Leonese photographer Virginia Morán as winner of the ‘Food at the Table’ category for Pork, Laughter, and Red Wine.
“I was doing a report for a book that collects recipes around the slaughter and suddenly I found myself in this natural, spontaneous and celebratory moment with food as the protagonist and the culmination of an entire professional life. It was a moment of relaxation and enjoyment, so I got up on a chair with my camera and did not hesitate. And it was that the chef Antón was saying goodbye to his beloved restaurant, after 30 years of service, inviting his closest family and friends to a simple, but heartfelt banquet. The main dish, from a pig slaughter: liver with onions, served with sourdough bread and a good Rioja. A moving farewell to a culinary era full of laughter, joy and good red wine,” explains Morán, who is from León at heart but was born in Irún, about the photo. “This is not the first time I have entered the competition. I love its philosophy and, above all, the concept of gastronomy as a link between the world’s cultures and as the central axis of all kinds of celebrations. After all, gastronomy is part of our way of living and experiencing Mediterranean culture,” says an excited Morán. The other finalists are Jullianne Medeiros Domingos, Juan Miguel Ortuño, Nando Esteva and Sylvie Pabion Martín.
He world jury This year’s event, in charge of evaluating the thousands of photographs submitted from more than 65 countries, was chaired by the legendary food photographer David Loftus. Along with him, Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation; Tom Athron, CEO of Fortnum & Mason; Asma Khan, host of Chef’s Table, cookbook author and founder of Darjeeling Express; Fiona Shields, head of photography at Guardian News & Media, and Rein Skullerud, chief photographer and photo editor at the United Nations World Food Programme. “For me, this award is a very important recognition of my profession and my way of understanding photography. Being a photographer is hard and lonely, but very beautiful. Furthermore, I am proud to have achieved this award with a photograph of this type, since means valuing the typical spanish gastronomythose traditional and timeless recipes that are still made in Spain emptied; that true cuisine that speaks of our origins,” concludes Virginia Morán. Registration for the 2025 edition of the competition will open in September of this year.
