Fishy French Fry wins Potato Photographer of the Year 2021!

Potato Photographer of the Year 2021
Overall winner: Fish & Chips by William Ropp (Image credit: William Ropp/Potato Photographer of the Year)

The winner of the second Potato Photographer of the Year competition has been crowned. Again this unusual photo contest has attracted some very inventive entries, and making money for a worthy cause at the same time.

Titled 'Fish & Chips', the winning shot scored French photographer William Ropp over £1,000 in prizes, including a Fujifilm X-T200, a ThinkTank roller bag, and a one-year master subscription to Photocrowd. He says the image was taken as a challenge from a friend who, after art school, ended up a potato seller

“There's something extremely wonderful and weird about this work," says one of the judges, Amy D’Agorne. "The amalgamation of vegetables and animals creates a strange portrait of the everyday food we consume. The fact that the image was taken on a Polaroid camera with just a flashlight is of great credit to the photographer's skill.”

Second Prize  Precious Potato by Clair “Jean is in her late 90's she has raised four children, been very close to her grandchildren and is lucky to see her bubbly great-grandchild growing up. For most of her life she has cooked and cared for her family, feeding them traditional nutritious meals, she appreciates the simplicity of the humble potato and how it can feed many around her ever-growing table. Many things in Jeans' lifetime have altered, except for the classic potato.” (Image credit: Clair/Potato Photographer of the Year)

Third Prize Hands Holding New Potatoes by John Glover  (Image credit: John Glover/Potato Photographer of the Year)

Potato Photographer of the Year is the brainchild of Benedict Brain, professional photographer and Digital Camera columnist, and features a panel of judges including luminaries like Martin Parr.  

The idea for the contest was partly inspired by a 2016 photograph of a spud by Kevin Abosch, which sold for a $1 million, and all proceeds go towards the Trussell Trust – a registered charity which supports a nationwide network of food banks in the United Kingdom.

More information and a full gallery can be found on the official Potato Photographer of the Year website.

Read more: 

The best lenses for food photography: make your supper the star
Best camera for food photography
The best books on food photography: whet your appetite for photography
10 food photography tips for getting tasty shots every time

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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.