Debdatta Chakraborty shares memories behind his winning photograph Kebabiyana at Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2022
Kebabiyana
Vacations for Debdatta Chakraborty are essentially photo excursions, as he calls them. Travelling light with basic equipment and avoiding tourist locations, Chakraborty heads to local spots to experience and capture the true atmosphere of a place. His photograph of a street food vendor at Khayam Chowk from a trip to Srinagar in 2021 won the overall title at the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2022.
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As clichéd as it may sound, it’s true that Kebabiyana, the picture, tells a story. This Kolkata-based visual storyteller offers not a thousand words but a glimpse behind the frame, narrating that every evening, the ordinary looking street transforms into a local food hub as vendors set up stalls. He says, “February evenings in Srinagar are cold, and it’s very comforting when the street is filled with aromatic smoke and warmth. The food contributes to the street’s atmosphere.” Revisiting his fond memories, Chakraborty recalls asking the street vendor to add more smoke to capture the essence of the entire street in one frame.
Caroline Kenyon
He continues, “He added oil to the burning coals and with a gentle smile he asked me if I wanted more smoke. He was extremely helpful and happy when I showed him the photograph. Kashmir is the land of warm-hearted people.”
This behind-the-scenes snippet is reflected in the final frame. Caroline Kenyon, founder and director of Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year, says, “We [on the shortlisting panel] were all arrested by the composition, the folds of smoke framing the subject and, particularly, his expression. There is so much humanity and feeling there.” Highlighting the embrace of smoke, golden light, and the subject’s expression as he prepares food for sharing, Kenyon notes the reassurance in the photograph. She adds, “In today’s world, more than ever, we feel the need for comfort, for love. This image, gentle but powerful, nourishes the soul.”
Debdatta Chakraborty. Pic/Henry Kenyon
Although photography isn’t his full-time job, and he calls himself an amateur photographer, this isn’t Chakraborty’s first win at the awards. In 2019, he was placed first in the Street Food category; and in 2021, he received an honourable mention. Participation for this award is open to all including entrants aged 10 and under.
Kenyon tells us, “We realised that every area of life was covered by a photography competition — wildlife, landscape, architecture and so on — but there was nothing for food. For me, food is the prism through which all life can be seen, from celebration to family, from deprivation to cooking and farming. And we want people to understand the vital truths about food.” Kenyon encourages readers of all ages to enter next year noting the accessibility of photography as an art form to create and consume.
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