Winning shot of a an unusual looking spud wins second Potato Photographer of the Year trophy
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.”
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.
James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus / OM System, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and he loves instant cameras, too.