A YOUNG Bahrain-based Indian photographer has been recognised as amongst the world’s top food photographers for his skills in capturing some of the kingdom’s cuisine and culture.
Eleven-year-old Jonathan George has won third place in the Gulf in the ‘Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year’ competition for his photograph titled ‘The Fishy Affair’.
“The picture was taken at the fish market in Hidd in October 2021 one evening when we went to buy fresh fish,” the Grade 7 student at Asian School told the GDN.
“I used a Nikon Z5 to take the shot using just the lighting in the market. I only cropped the image and did not do any other editing.”
Jonathan, who was born in Bahrain, has been taking photographs since he was eight years old, with inspiration and motivation from his father George Mathew and his brother Joshua.
In addition to winning third place, Jonathan’s photo ‘I ‘Kale’ For You’ was also highly commended in the same category for “a beautifully textured shot”, organisers of the competition said in a statement.
The photograph was taken during a regular visit to a farm in Karbabad near Bahrain Fort with his family, including mum Deepthi George Mathew.
“You get to buy fresh vegetables straight from the soil,” he added. “There was a lot of kale growing there and it looked really nice in the sunlight.”
The two winning shots were from the five submissions permitted per photographer.
Encouraged by his father to participate in the prestigious competition which is judged by professionals like renowned food photographer David Loftus, Jonathan last participated in the competition in 2021.
At that time, his photographs were shortlisted in the Under-10 category and since then, a seed of passion for food photography was sown.
“Taking pictures of food always makes me happy whether it’s presented on a plate or the actual ingredient in its natural setting,” Jonathan explained.
“I am still learning about photography from my father and am keen on experimenting not just on food but various other aspects to improve my skills.”
In the Gulf category, photographs by Rico X from the UAE won first and second place, while Jon Enoch won the overall international top prize.
This year’s global judging panel for the competition, tasked with assessing the thousands of entries submitted from over 65 countries across the world, was chaired by Mr Loftus.
The panel also included LuLu Group International director for Bahrain and Egypt Juzer Rupawala, Guardian News and Media photography head Fiona Shields, restaurateur and TV host Ian Kittichai, museum curator Ella Ravilious, and cookbook author Nik Sharma.
The finalists for this year’s competition will be showcased at The Royal Photographic Society, one of the world’s oldest photographic organisations, in Bristol, from today until June 11.
This is part of Bristol’s ‘World Photography in Focus’ festival during which a number of top international photography competitions, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Travel Photographer of the Year, will be highlighted in the city.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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