Description: Woven basket filled with fruits and vegetables in winter afternoon light
Background: Since I began gardening, I have become attuned to the yearly cycles of sun and rain. The sun holds a particular fascination. I have tracked it through the seasons and marked out– in house and garden–where it will cast its light. In June, it bursts through the eastern sitting room window, making the deep green leaves on the lemon tree glow as it slowly ripens its fruit. In September, it dallies at the master bathroom’s small frosted window for a few minutes in late morning. Late afternoons in March, the dining room fills with light as the sun descends behind a large sweet gum tree. In February, it saunters across the southern sky, bathing the kitchen and breakfast room in a warm golden glow for a couple of hours each afternoon. Watching this cyclical pattern unfold over the years gave me the idea of capturing the light on a basket of fruits and vegetables.
The first time I tried was February 2019, just a few weeks after buying my first camera from eBay. That image was in color, but the angle I used did not convey the light as I wanted. And by the time I got the film developed, it was too late to reshoot—the sun had moved on.
Being wiser this year, I watched the length of the sunbeam grow all winter. Then seeing it reach the length to yield the angle I sought, I loaded HP5+ and took this shot.
Technical: Minolta XG-M with Minolta MD Zoom 28-85mm, f3.5-4.5, Tri-X, developed df96, home scanned
Comment: Frame Works? Yes!!! Since taking up photography, I have become enamored of shadows. And this image captures the shadows I sought, along with detail in the texture of the basket and its contents. It was my first time using the 28-85mm lens, and I was surprised and delighted by its clarity. It is one of my favorite shots, and I’m looking forward to the day I can do this as a darkroom print. The reactions of others have been similar to my own. My daughter, on seeing it, demanded a print, which now graces her living room.
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