Frequently people ask about the process of developing my blog, writing, and taking photographs.  My thoughts always return to the tenets of Journalism 101 - who, what, when, where, why, and (if you have time) how. 

I began to blog as a way to require myself to work at the art of photography and writing every day and every week.  There really are very few moments when an element of my brain is not thinking about photography and photographic subjects.  They are everywhere so the thoughts frequently pop in and say "hello". As I think about the subjects, I also put together a mental narrative which develops and morphs before I get it on paper or in the computer.  So thinking about the photographic process and writing process frequently happens simultaneously.  Other times, I photograph first and the narrative follows.  Only on occasion do I write and then match photographs to the writing.  

If I do a "set up" photo session (the results of one such session are in today's blog), I consider the subject, light, positions of the subject in relationship to the surroundings, altering the surroundings, introducing other elements to accompany the subject, and the subject's longevity.  The last element is particularly relevant in the case of food, floral, and wedding photography. Today's subject - fresh corn - contained all of the above.  When I photograph something as pedestrian as a vegetable, I try to give it a fresh, non-traditional look, in the same way I would photographing an animal or a human.

In the image below, I used a small steel container to support the ear of corn, and placed the tin in the grass, since corn is a true grass.  This also had the effect of giving the corn more of a blue/green value to it that needed adjusting.

corn images-2

Using bright sunlight and the adobe wall as a backdrop produces a completely different look, as well as a nice shadow at the base of the ear.

corn images

Finally, a black and white image that is particularly dramatic, shot in isolated light from the south, north, and east.

corn images-3

I will be talking about process more in future blogs. By the way, the corn is from our raised beds, is watered daily, and these first cobs were delicious!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image@