alittlenews

Harry Vice checks one of two garden plots he and wife Pam use. These plots are at Harry's parent's home near Hartselle. Harry spread his compost recently as he prepares for this gardening season. Photo by Gary Cosby Jr. 1/17/09

Once in a while you get an impossible assignment.  By impossible I mean that there is no photo to be made because what you are supposed to shoot isn’t happening and nothing related to the photo is happening.  So what you are really having to do is “create” a photo that illustrates what is going to happen.  Okay, put away the ethics pitch forks and no one gets hurt.  I know what you are thinking because it is the same thing I think when this happens.  First of all, why in the heck are we doing a story that can’t possibly be shot?  Second, why in the heck are we doing a showcase story that can’t be shot?  And finally, why in the heck am I the one getting stuck with an assignment that can’t possibly be shot?  See a theme here?

It is January.  It is cold.  (Corey, please don’t split your sides laughing!)  And it is most definitely not the season for gardening.  In fact, the day we shot this story, the ladys’ deep freeze was about as warm as the outside air.  The ground was frozen.  And I am standing in what will eventually be a garden with a guy who isn’t really doing anything related to the garden and we are having to do a picture about getting your garden ready.  So how in the world do you make an even semi-realistic photo out of this situation?

The first thing you do is fall back on your reportorial skills and ask a few questions.  I spoke to the man and his wife, who also happen to be friends of my family, and they told me that they had spread their compost on the garden a couple of weeks ago.  Well, there was something.  They also said there was a new red barn at the garden site.  Now I have two somethings.  It also helps to read your photo assignment which said they had plenty of vegetables frozen from last year’s garden.  Now I have three somethings.  Finally, the photo order also said they had saved some seeds from last season’s garden.  Now I have four somethings.  Admittedly, this is not exactly Pulitzer material but it is better than I had before I started asking questions.

I ended up with a nice portrait of Pam and Harry Vice and the big red barn which actually didn’t look to red on this cold, windy and overcast day.  Then we walked out into the field with Harry and a hoe, not really doing anything but at least having some sort of visual element that loosely related to his having spread his compost recently.  Then I had two detail shots of frozen seeds and frozen vegetables.  This stuff isn’t going to win any prizes and most folks will forget it by the next day’s paper.  What I did do was manage to pull some photos out of the old magic hat and illustrate a story that on first blush seemed impossible without putting my ethics in the critical care unit.  Just a band aide and a little antiseptic took care of it.

Photos copyright Gary Cosby Jr., The Decatur Daily.  The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.