Organic - People of the Earth, a new project.

I recently had the opportunity to visit a local organic farm to shoot some tintypes.  It was a great experience.  Maybe it's because of my prairie roots, but being on the farm reminded me a little bit of my childhood. 

I grew up on a five acre parcel of land in the south end of Winnipeg.  My dad rented out garden plots.  It was fun to walk through the gardens to see what people were growing, and to maybe "save" a tomato or two from getting "too ripe" and falling off the vine.  They were so tasty!

We also had a large garden of our own, where my day grew some vegetables for a local market; green onions, cabbage and squash.  There were also chickens, sheep and a few wild turkeys on the property.  I wish I had paid more attention to the farming life back then.  But I was young and had other things in mind, farming wasn't one of them.  Looking back now, I see that spending those fleeting Winnipeg summer days working outside in the garden were some of my best times growing up.

Maybe that's why I feel such a connection to this new project.  It gives me an opportunity to spend time on the farm, talking to people, spending time with the animals, tasting the food grown right there.  It's a good thing to slow down a little.

My goal is to tell the story of the people that grow food in a sustainable, organic way.  And what better medium to use than wet plate collodion to tell the story; it's the most organic photographic medium there is!

This is only the start of the project, and I hope to visit many farms around Vancouver Island this year.  If you have a farm, or know of one that would be a good candidate for the project, please feel free to drop me a line.

In the meantime, slow down a little.

K

Thanks to the people of ALM Organic Farm for the great day!