I scheduled this commercial photography session at Crisp County Acres in Holland, Michigan for sunrise because there is something simply magical about morning light on a farm in summer. My ongoing project for the Michigan Department of Education and their 10 Cents a Meal Program, has me traveling to farms and schools this summer to capture the visual narrative of this program, which reimburses schools for purchasing local produce from farmers with the goals of supporting the local economy, diminishing the carbon footprint and improving nutrition in schools.
With my camera bag and coffee in hand, I left my house at 6:30am, quickly realizing that we were not going to get the sunrise we had hoped for.
The sun hid behind a canopy of morning gray skies, casting a cool and subdued tone over the cauliflower field in my first shots above...
If I have learned anything over the last two years, it's that things don't always go as planned but there are still opportunities to be found if you're open to seeing them. So, I put away my wide-angle landscape lens and grabbed my macro lens to take in the beautiful colors inside the cauliflower and cabbage fields up close.
Morning dew delicately graced the edges of vegetable leaves...
Dynamic color combinations and patterns began to emerge...
New life was sprouting in the greenhouses...
Celery was being harvested...
Along with candy onions...
and beautiful rainbow carrots and kale...
Ripe tomatoes waiting to be picked from the vine...
while fresh rhubarb was being washed and ready to be shipped...
And just as I began to wrap my session, the sun broke through the cloud cover above, serving as a gentle reminder that despite life's unpredictable moments, the sun will shine again.
p.s. If you want to see a beautiful sunrise at Crisp County Acres, check them out on Facebook as they often post gorgeous pictures from their farm. Even better, visit their market stand or find them at the Kalamazoo Farmer's Market where the vibrant colors of their produce rival any sunrise.
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