Following a successful 2020 competition, the International Potato-themed Photography Competition organizers again urged potato lovers to go to their local gardens and orchards to use their skill, creativity, and cameras to take potatoes to higher artistic levels.

The images submitted by the potatoes were reviewed and judged by a jury. Finally, Potato Photographer of 2021 went to William Rapp, and  Claire Robbins and John Glav won second and third place.

William Rapp received the Fujifilm X-T200 Camera of the Year, a Think Tank Advantage XT Case Bag and a one-year special Photocrowd subscription. Rob‘s iTunes and Glove set of camera accessories and subscriptions received Photocrowd and workshops.

The main winner 

• Effect Name: Fish and Chips
• Photographer Name: William Rapp

William Rapp says of the image above:

It was a challenge from a friend who eventually started selling potatoes after graduating from high school.

There is an extraordinary and strange element in this work. The combination of vegetables and animals creates a strange portrait of the everyday food we eat. The image was taken with a Polaroid camera and only with a flashlight has brought a lot of credibility to the photographer’s skill.

An extraordinarily surreal element in this dark-colored image has translated the work into our modern language with its creative and humorous combination. The above work has been skillfully designed and beautifully put together using analog techniques.

Second Place

• Name of the work:  Precious potatoes
• Photographer Name:  Claire Robbins

Jane is in her late 90’s. She has raised her four children and now sees the growth of very warm and close grandchildren. Jane has spent most of her life cooking and caring for her family.

A lover of traditional nutritious foods, he says that potatoes became a delicious, nutritious, and everlasting food as their table grew. Many things have changed during Jane’s life, But the potato has always maintained its position.

Third place

• Name of work: Groups that include young potatoes
• Photographer Name: John Glover

The image above is a simple photo of the hands proudly embracing the young, organic potatoes that have just been harvested from the home garden.

Fourth place

• Name of the work: Potato Necklace
• Photographer Name: Claire Robbins

Discover the types of changes that can use to recreate a portrait.

This portrait is beautiful in its kind, and the photographer has humorously added a potato necklace to the photo. Some ancient legends say that in the past, people used potato necklaces to treat fever and colds. What comes to mind about the above portrait is whether the photographer intended to play with this legend or is it just an interesting event?

Fifth place

• Name of the work: Potato ketchup
• Photographer Name:  Steve Kaplin

Sixth place

• Name of the work:  Potatoes in motion
• Photographer Name:  Spadwight

Photographing potatoes at one-millisecond intervals shows that they are always making chaotic movements.

Seventh place

• Name of the work: Screaming Potato
• Photographer Name: Erin Marie

This image was created using acrylic-painted potato peel and engraved potato for the face.

One of the contest judges commented on the image above that this image evoked the screaming painting background of Edward Munch’s work well with brush strokes, and the potato face also showed the desired quality and shape well. The judge wanted  Erin Marie (the artist in the above work) to show more such images in a collection.

Amy Dagron, one of the other judges of this competition, says:

An extraordinary and very creative combination of photography, sculpture, and painting. Obviously, a lot of time, effort, and skill have been put into doing this, and it certainly has paid off.

Eighth place

• Name of work: Local market of India
• Photographer Name: Ron Boone

Ninth position

• Effect Name:  Growth
• Photographer Name:  Nigel Summerton

A simple and beautiful image of potato sprouts.

The tenth position

• Effect Name:  Underwater
• Photographer Name:  Drawer

The experience of photographing an underwater potato reminds me of an embryo attached to a cord.

One of the judges says about the drawer photo :

I love the connection between the potato and the umbilical cord; The resemblance of a potato as new potatoes grow from it to how new life forms in humans!

In the book “Nutrition of the people; “Potato Politics,” Rebecca Earl claims that potatoes and people are born from the dark earth alike and eventually return to it. I think the idea of ​​how similar we are to nature and the food we eat is beautifully illustrating in this picture.

***