image by Jean-Pierre Plé
NBCC Field Trip Chair, Tammy Trocki, organized a field trip of nine intrepid members during the COVID 19 stay at home order. The resulting images were shared with the club on a Zoom call. Her invitation said: Bored of being at home? Wishing for a new view of something? Sad not to have any more group field trips “due to coronavirus”? A “Field Trip Together, At Home” may get your creative juices flowing. Participants will travel to the exotic realm of their own kitchens, and take images to share at a Zoom gathering in late May. These images may be found or staged; abstract, realistic or fanciful. A strange glint of sunlight dancing on your refrigerator? Why not. A self-portrait showing your reaction to Covid-19? Sure. Your version of a Dutch Master still life? Sounds luscious. The only limitation is that the images be taken in your kitchen.
Beth Altman: These are “found” images, initially taken for Jean-Pierre’s Contemplative and Meditative Photography class. I liked the intersecting shapes of the vases and mugs and the lighting on the mugs. I thought the “pause” printed on one of the mugs was appropriate for this challenging time
Cherry Wyman: I enjoyed the experience a lot. Instead of shooting for competition, I was free to play with my iPhone and focus on black and white lines, textures, shadows, and shapes. In the past, I've almost never been happy with anything I've set up to shoot, but I learned that when I lower my expectations and just experiment, I do better than I thought I would.
David Terao: For my five kitchen images, I tried to make each image as different from the other images as possible (i.e., no consistency what so ever). One B&W image was a study in natural window light, shadows and refraction (a la Josef Sudek) while the other B&W image was created using light painting with an LED flashlight. One color image was a macro shot of an orchid; another was an iPhone snapshot of my dog getting a bath; and the last one was a just-for-fun setup of a chicken in the oven using a fish-eye lens.
Dick Knapp: My images reflect “Kitchen” as the favorite room in the house, a place not just for cooking, but really a second family room. The first image shows my son occupying a typical contemporary kitchen with natural lighting and an open-concept plan, bringing this once cramped, windowless and back-of-house space to the forefront of a home. You’ll see it even extends to an outdoor kitchen with a grill, seating, and basketball court where the kids developed their long-range jumpers. Every day, utilitarian kitchen accoutrements are plainly depicted, such a colorful mug in the kitchen cupboard, gifts from our Central American housekeepers, and a tea kettle heated by a gas flame. Familiarity. Comfort. A crossroads. It’s why party guests seek refuge in the kitchen
James Corbett: My set of kitchen field trip images was inspired by a desire to explore some techniques and embrace my life under the COVID-19 response. The techniques include macro photography, layering and masking in Photoshop, handheld constant lights and light painting. I ordered the images to take you through a visit to my kitchen - looking outside, washing hands, opening a cabinet, preparing to bake and celebrating my husband's birthday. As I spend my work days managing a Federal agency's COVID response, I am most taken with Sherman, the manikin, encouraging hand washing. Be safe!
Jean-Pierre Plé: I call this collection of images “kitchen meditations” as each image is not of something, but rather about something (e.g., impermanence, embracing uncertainty, and strength). The photographs were made following the principles of contemplative and mindful photography. This approach treats each image as a gift that honors experiencing a wonderful, dreamlike period of presence, stillness, and self-awareness, however brief.
Kurt Focke: In these crazy times an important part of our lives seems to center around The Kitchen. I tried to use this opportunity to document some of what we all are probably experiencing.
Michele Egan: I decided to explore macro photography (a first for me) while stuck at home. My challenge was whether I could make the mundane (produce, in this case!) interesting for me. Turns out that if I looked for the ‘personality’ of my subjects, much as I do when I shoot street portraits, I could!
Tammy Trocki: I loved seeing the variety of images coming out of this assignment, and the individuality people put into their work. My Covid “mask” shot expressed the exasperation I have sometimes felt recently. The other shots are different takes on everyday items in my kitchen. The glass of wine, white plates, and blueberries were staged, while the final shot was “found”—a grater propped up and drying on a red and white towel, where the color shows through the holes.