Your Best Shot: Feb 2026 - Food - The winners!
Your Best Shot is a photo competition open to Australian residents. There's a different theme every couple of months, and a selection of the winning shots will be published in AP mag and online.
Each issue, AP's Editor Mike O'Connor will choose six images to be published both in print and online, with both a winner and a runner-up selected. Our winner will also receive an amazing prize thanks to Think Tank.
You can find out all the details for entry and the themes for 2026/7 here.
Theme: Food
Our winner: The ladle and the look by David Pounder
Editor’s comment
It was a tough one this issue, but we decided to pick the shot David Pounder’s shot as it had real atmosphere, while also doing a great job of putting the viewer right into the scene.
I took this photo in a crowded Tokyo izakaya as the chef served steaming soup to guests seated at the counter,” says David Pounder. The steam, warm lighting and expressive reactions from both the chef and the bemused diner combine to create a fun, engaging image.
The framing works well too, with shallow depth of field compressing the perspective and reinforcing just how busy the restaurant is. It’s a lively scene, and your shooting approach helps emphasise that energy. Well done.
Technical details
Sony A6400, Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 lens. 1/250s @ f1.7, ISO 2000.
Highly commended
Editor’s comment
We really liked the simplicity of Beth Sutton’s selfie, which has been cleverly planned to bring out the best in the subject.
“The light was positioned above and to the right, skimming across the seeds, but far enough away to create a slower fall-off,” she explains. “I used a black backdrop and dark clothing and apron to ensure the bread was the undisputed hero. I then connected my camera to my phone and used the app’s delay to fire the shutter, tossing the phone into my apron pocket.”
The resulting image is beautifully composed, sharp where it needs to be and well lit. This is a great showcase image.
Technical details
Canon R5, EF 100mm f2.8 lens (adapted). 1/125s @ f8, ISO 100. Godox AD 400. Smallrig 60 x 90cm softbox, black backdrop.
Special mentions
Jason King, Spaghetti Brat
How I did it
This was a dream photograph, the owner of the restaurant had these old clothes for his kid and he was a natural!
The photo was an easy shot in natural light, and we had so much pasta which meant he could play around, but this shot won for me. Edits were also very basic, a pronounced vignette was added at the end.
Technical details
Sony A7R Mark II, SAMYANG AF 35mm F1.4 lens. 1/1600s @ f1.4, ISO 640.
How I did it
A typical street rambling photo session saw me wandering close to Vic Market, Melbourne. Someone got creative with the burgers and stabbed them onto the points of the wrought iron fence. I shot it with a wide aperture to reduce distractions and concentrate on the quirky and repetitive nature of the scene.
In post, I deepened and darkened the lowlights, adding a cool colour tone to empathise the burgers while slightly saturating the orange and yellows to further develop contrast in the scene.
I suppose this is one way to play creatively with food!
Technical details
Olympus OM-5 MK II, M.12-40mm F2.8 lens @ 36mm. 1/320s @ f2.8, ISO 400.
How I did it
The project to create the flower cake was a joy to work on as it involved two things I love, cakes and flowers. The flowers were all picked from the garden and pressed over a few months and then the best part was bringing the creation all together.
Technical details
Nikon D7100, Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens @ 50mm. 1/320s @ f3.2, ISO 400.
How I Did It
I wanted to showcase the contrast in shapes between the squares (waffles, small bowl, cutting board and tea towel) and the large round plate and mainly round fruit. Placing the square elements at different angles created a more dynamic image.
Technical details
Nikon D750, Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 lens @ 42mm. 1/160s @ f6.3, ISO 100. Godox XPro transmitter triggered a Godox V860ii speedlite in an 80cm x 80cm softbox.