This past spring, I spent a week with my brother. All we did was talk, breath and sleep wooden kayaks. Thanks to his patience he and a friend taught me how to Eskimo role
This was taken on a day where we had thunder, lightening, and rain so thick you could barely see. It was a perfect day.
This guy, Tom, my brother, paddled solo around Vancouver Island BC this summer. It was a short trip, only some 45+ days and mild seas, 10 foot swells with 3-4 wind chop stacked on-top that. Yeah, I’m bragging . . .
~SMG
BTW. If you want to buy a handmade boat . . . they’re for sale.
Anthony Reid is a “mixer” making sure the correct portions of the ingredients are in each batch of MANA. Behind him is where the peanut paste is delivered.
This assignment was awesome! It included photographing architecture and people and combining the two skills into unique images. I absolutely had a blast working with the MANA folks.
Yes, this assignment is as wonderful as they come. I was flown out to North Carolina, where I met “corporate” MANA, and then Matt West, marketing director and close friend, from NC we drove the 8 hours south to the MANA factory in Fitzgerald, Georgia, where the photography took place.
I might post more MANAwork over the next year. But as of now, this what you get.
Now, before “eeeewing” and “aaaaweing” too much (kidding . . . kinda-of) over the image you need to know about MANA. In short, they are working to save the lives of kids that are starving by producing a peanut paste. You’ve heard of the mess in Somalia – right? Well, they’re sending product to save lives.
MANA Peanut Paste.
So, please take the time to check out the MANA Nutrition site, and possible sign up for their e-newsletter.
Okay, really why do we want chocolate with a conscious . . . half of us feel guilty enough when we eat that tasty little morsel. Well, with these particular truffles, guilt be gone, because they are adhering to the triple bottom line, of Primal Echo. So eat and enjoy . . . even if they are decadent!
Dark Chocolate Espresso Truffle. Part of a Primal Echo Chocolate Truffles 10 box set.
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle in dark shell. Part of a Primal Echo Chocolate Truffles 10 box set.
White Chocolate Truffle in dark chocolate shell. Part of a Primal Echo Chocolate Truffles 10 box set.
I had the good fortune of working with Ana Arias of Primal Echo, an eco and socially inspired company. We spent an evening photographing chocolate bars, which are now being sold in numerous stores around Fort Collins. She has a very cool concept and I’d recommend people learning more about her company if you want to make changes through the products you purchase.
Primal Echo Bittersweet Spices Chocolate.
Recycled wallpaper is used to wrap the variety packs.
Primal Echo members Ana Arias (middle) the found of Primal Echo discusses and packages goods with helpers Bethany Grosser, and David Howell.
What is this? Well for the non-farmers (like myself) it’s the thingy-ma-bob that plows out the old corn stalks and the one further down the post plants new seeds and fertilizes them too. In short - for the city slickers - this sort of thing allows us to have popcorn in a microwave, corn for tortillas, and all the other gazillion uses of commercially grown corn. Check out the Groff Ag here.
The Groff Row Flex Placer – Fertilizer Application Equipment
This was also one of my favorite commercial jobs this past year. Why? Because it made my brain hurt. When I first saw this “thing,” my immediate thought was how to lift it up. It stands about 2-2.5 feet tall and seems as if it weights about 60lbs. It is one of those awkward weights that shift when you hold it. So it makes it really difficult to hold.
When I brought it home and set in on my shooting table, which now seemed uncomfortable flimsy, I jerry-rigged a safety strap from the rafters so it didn’t accidentally meet the concrete floor.
Then . . . . I just looked at. Yup. I looked at it for about 2 days. I kept peaking my head in and looking. I was a bit perplexed on how to create a picture of it, that would make it look and feel as cool as it actually is. After looking for a few days, and talking with other photographers I finally began photographing it. Lots of white foam core involved.
14 hours of shooting, and 6 finished images later, the job was done.
