News

National photography award success for University of Derby student

10 May 2021

A University of Derby student has been named Student Food Photographer of the Year in the Pink Lady Food Photography 2021 awards.

Sarah Blandford, who is studying MA Film and Photography at the University, won the award for her photo titled Beetroot Still Life.

The awards, which are in their tenth year, are open to both amateur and professional photographers from around the world and have been described as ‘the most prestigious awards in the industry.’

Beetroot place in a pan on a table which has cloth on it.

Commenting on her award win, Sarah said: “I’m a huge fan of the awards and the excellent work they attract from around the world, so it is an absolute honour to be awarded winner of the student category.

“The inspiration for my winning image came from my sister and her first attempt at homegrown vegetables. She had an impressive crop and kindly gave me the beetroots to photograph and later eat, of course! 

“I placed them in a copper pan on a French antique farmhouse table, positioned in front of a brown paper background, using the natural overhead and surrounding light through the glass in my conservatory.

“Inspired by the strong chiaroscuro of the Dutch Golden Age painters of the 17th century, I used my Nikon 85mm 1.4 lens to give a shallow depth of field and really bring out the beautiful colour of the beetroot.”

Sarah Blandford looking into the camera smiling.

I’m a huge fan of the awards and the excellent work they attract from around the world, so it is an absolute honour to be awarded winner of the student category.

Sarah Blandford
MA Film and Photography Student, University of Derby

As an award winner, Sarah will now receive: 

Vered Lahav, Sarah’s programme leader and Senior Lecturer in Media at the University of Derby, added: "I am very proud of Sarah’s award. Her achievement is on a national level and a great vehicle for getting recognition and artistic impact in both the art world and in a more commercial environment."

To view more of Sarah’s work visit https://www.sarahblandford.com/ and to find out more about the photography courses available at the University of Derby visit the website.

For further information contact the press office at pressoffice@derby.ac.uk.