Sweet Food

This image stood out as being quite different from most other entries in the contest, and became my eventual winner. Whilst the focus is on the vendor, there is so much surrounding candyfloss that the pink sugary confection is equally the subject of the shot. Great viewpoint, looking through the candyfloss to the vendor/maker. The square crop works well too. Congratulations on your winning image.

I was initially unsure about the inclusion of the peeping child in the background, but I decided it adds to the shot and brings an otherwise static food photo to life. Focus is pin sharp on this rather extravagant cheesecake, full of details and textures to help visually describe how it may feel and taste in the mouth. Hopefully the little child enjoyed their little treat after looking at the food so patiently and longingly while it was being photographed! Well done on your top ten placing.

I love the processing effect added to this image, creating a lovely feel to the shot. Composition is great, with the mince pies on a board running on a gentle diagonal across the frame, stacked to add some height to the subject. The backdrop has been nicely blurred out of focus, but we can still see a little ornamental Christmas tree to add to the seasonal nature of the subject. The falling dust of icing sugar could look a little cliched, but it has not been overdone so works well. Overall colouring of the scene is lovely too. Great image, well done on your top ten placing.

A fabulous shot with a fresh chocolate chip muffin as the star of the show. The use of a wide aperture has allowed limited sharp focus on part of the foreground muffin, with the rest of the scene falling softly out of focus. Lighting is great, looking to be natural and therefore not producing any unnatural colours, so making the cakes look temptingly delicious. Composition is great, with the main subject off-centre. Congratulations on your second place finish.

For me, one of the keys to successful food photography is the ability to make the food look tempting and delicious. You have certainly been most successful here, as this cake really does look good enough to eat. Lighting is good and colours look natural, and the cake being sliced into is just inviting the viewer to take a piece and tuck in. Congratulations on your third place finish.