If you read this blog you know about my passion for sequential and series based photography. My Roadside Memorials and Collected Horizons studies are examples of long term projects that become obsessive and purpose driven searches for similar images in the same context. For me, sequences are the essence of photographic expression and meaning. They slow me down, requiring patience and consistency, which in turn leads to greater depth and substance in my art. Not even the instant gratification of digital technology can overcome the methodical requirements of long term sequence projects. These projects must be nurtured and tended to with the mindset of a farmer.

I belong to a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Horsham, Pa. called Pennypack Farm. (If you do not know what a CSA is, there is a link at the bottom of this post that explains it.) Every Monday afternoon I pick up my weekly share at the farm from the selection of produce that was just harvested that morning. Every Monday night when I get home from work the first thing I do is photograph the share. Nothing fancy. I just spread out the vegetables according to variety on my weathered wood deck.

I love the pattern that is developing in these portraits. This is a weekly representation of what is being grown at the farm. Every portrait is taken at approximately the same time of day, exactly seven days apart, and at virtually the same amount of time since the vegetables were harvested from the ground.Timing, repetition, and patience are essential parts of successful farming, and this series plays off of those elements. Individually these images are semi-interesting displays of vegetables. As a continuous sequence they represent so much more than pure documentation. This is the art of farming. These are the rewards of patience and diligence. We observe the cycles of the growing season.

The following images are four consecutive weekly portraits of my shares from the farm. The last photograph is what I brought home today. There should be at least twenty images by the end of the season. The link below will allow you to follow the entire season at it develops.










CSA 2009 Series

What is CSA?