Time for another installment of one of our most favorite blog series: the Employee Spotlight! We hope that these interviews will help acquaint you with the folks on the farm who are largely responsible for keeping the delicious JBG vegetables rolling out, week after week (or in this case, photographs all the veggies).

This week, we are absolutely delighted to spotlight our staff photographer, Scott David Gordon. Over the past seven years, he’s captured everything from the worst weather disasters to the tiniest bee pollinating. His compositional eye is unparalleled in farm photography and we are elated that he has stuck with us for as long as he has. He travels from the farm to every farmers market to keep the farm community updated on all farm occurrences with an artistic flourish and for that we are endlessly grateful. We had the opportunity to venture to Scott’s studio in East Austin while he was in the midst of editing farm photographs to learn a little more about his life on and off the farm.

Scott in his studio at Canopy.

Where did you grow up?

I lived in Joliet, Illinois until I was 10, and then moved here with my parents.

What brought you to JBG?

I wanted to find some healthy food options after moving back from New York City in 2010, so I was looking specifically for a CSA. I found the JBG CSA and joined. When I was picking up one day at the Hope Farmers Market (the old location), I met Brent. I didn’t have anything going on at the time, and I thought I would just ask him if I could come out and take pictures of the farm. Then I did… that was on September 23, 2010 (almost 7 years ago exactly!). Carrie Kenney worked at the farm at that time as the office manager. She did the blog and everything. She asked me if I wanted to start taking pictures every week and get veggies as a trade. That’s how it all started.

What’s your favorite thing about photographing the farm?

One thing is once a week, I know that I’m going to be outside all morning. I usually get to watch the sun rise and enjoy the outdoors. I catch some fresh air, walk around, interact with people that work at the farm, and see what’s going on. It’s not always easy to make time for a hike, so I think it’s kept me sane over the years getting to go to the farm every week. I do a lot of walking out there, typically around 3-4 miles. It’s good exercise. Get my hands in the dirt, work on my Spanish, and learn about farming.

How did you get into photography?

I guess it’s just something that interested me as a teenager. Right around the time I graduated from high school, I started using my dad’s film camera, shooting slide film and it just seemed kind of magical to me. I started taking pictures more, and it just started to seem like something that I could do with my life. I really enjoyed it from the beginning.

Did you study photography?

I studied at Austin Community College, they have one of the best photography programs in the country. It has more of a commercial program as opposed to a more Fine Art based curriculum.

What is the best vantage point to shoot from for farm photography?

Up high. I try to stand on a truck, tractor, or trailer to get a higher vantage point, a wider view, or a different angle.

What are your five favorite photos and why do you love them?



This picture of okra and sky was taken on my very first day on the farm. I like the simplicity and beauty of it and am often attracted to somewhat abstract or seemingly two dimensional scenes.



I’ve always loved the atmosphere of this image and the body language of the workers which almost suggest they are about to wander into the unknown.



The composition of this image really appeals to me and I like how Christian is dressed and his movement.



Color is also something I love. These are there different types of beans in the owner of the farm’s hands. The reward for all of the hard work, a beautiful harvest.



When I saw this guy laying down irrigation pipe he reminded me of someone walking on a tight rope with a balance pole. I like the lines and the balance of the whole scene.

What is the muddiest trip to the farm?

The muddiest? Well, there have definitely been times when my boot was sucked off my foot. They get so deep in the mud. I have also been out there when it’s pouring rain, luckily my camera is pretty weatherproof. I kind of like bad weather though, that’s when you can get some really cool photos and neat effects in lighting. There’s been days when my legs really get a workout walking miles through the mud for 4 or 5 hours.

Muddy boots climbing on a tractor.

What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you at the farm while shooting?

A couple months ago I was shooting in a field, and a coyote jumped out and ran away. I’ve also dropped a lens from the top of a tractor and it broke… I’ve fallen into mud and puddles quite a few times. Nothing too crazy, though.

Any pro tips on getting the best landscape/farm photos?

Get high, get low. If everyone is taking pictures from the same level, all the photos are going to look the same. If you want something different, either you get high or really low to the ground, and shoot up or a close up of something growing on the ground.

I have gotten into the habit of scanning the edge of the frame so that before I take a picture, I’ll follow the edge of the frame with my eye and look for anything that’s out of place or something that is jutting into the photo that might break up the composition. Then, I’ll just reframe it until all the edges seem clean to me. The way I shoot and have always shot is with a wide angle lens and a macro lens, so I’m getting two completely different perspectives. I can shoot a whole field or I can shoot a tiny bug on a plant with those two lenses. I always shoot raw so that I have the most latitude with adjusting photos and getting the most out of them.

If I’m photographing people, I always try to get them to smile because people can get pretty serious when they are concentrating on seeding or whatever they’re doing. The line that I always say to folks is, “pretend like you’re having a good time.” It always works. Everyone usually smiles and when people look they are having a good time, the pictures are usually much better.

Scott getting the highest vantage point. Photo by Montana Stovall.

What are the tools that you use for your job?

Canon 5D Mark II, it’s 7 years old and very beat up. You can see how worn it is from hanging and rubbing against my clothes. This camera has been through a lot, it’s taken hundreds of thousands of photos. Also, I use a 16-35 mm wide angle lens and a 100 mm macro lens. When I’m editing, I use Lightroom to adjust and catalog the photographs. Editing is choosing the actual photos I want to use and adjusting is changing the actual photo. I use compact flash cards in my camera. I wear rubber boots because it’s muddy most of the time whether it’s raining or not (irrigation). I wear a hat and clothes that I don’t care about... I want to be able to lay down on the ground and not worry about getting dirty. I have a little pouch I attach to my belt that holds onto the lens that I’m not using. Finally, a knife in case I need to cut something.

What’s your life like outside of photographing the farm?

I work one other day a week for the farm. I do deliveries down to San Antonio. I started as a photographer, but soon after that JBG started doing home and CSA deliveries. I was essentially the first person to start doing home deliveries because I delivered for Whole Foods and Fedex for a while. I used to do that full time, but now it’s just part time. I like to try to travel, to see art, go to galleries/museums. I like reading and hanging out with my girlfriend. I’m a big collector - I collect art, books, and Native American stone artifacts like arrowheads.

I’m working on a couple projects currently that I’m going to unveil during EAST this year. I’m creating a website that will allow me to sell my photography online which will include farm images. All of the printing and framing would be done here locally. I’m also working on a podcast about art in Austin. I really want to learn how to become a better interviewer, and I feel like podcasts have always been really beneficial to me. I know a lot of artists and gallery owners, so I thought it would be really interesting to interview them about their art. Thus, I spend a lot of time working on building those up those projects.

I’m a perpetual class taker. I’ve recently taken a permaculture design course, before that I studied herbalism, while simultaneously taking an adult survival intensive course. The finale of the survival intensive was that we had to stay out in the wilderness for three days without anything. We had to build a shelter, and we killed a few snakes and ate them as that’s all we had besides berries to eat. That was really fun. Now, I’m in a Texas Master Naturalist class. So I’m training to be a naturalist. I’m learning about plants, mammals, birds, trees, and pretty much anything that you can think of. I’ve been volunteering for Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, too. I’m always trying to learn new things, and I’m very interested in the natural world.

Do you cook a lot?

I don’t cook as much as I should. I cook around twice a week. I do get a lot of veggies, I share a lot of them with my friends. I feed a lot of people I know - whatever I don’t think that I’m going to use, I spread the wealth. I definitely think that cooking is a great skill, and I want to get better at it. My favorite thing to make is mac and cheese, but I beef it up with veggies. I usually cook some protein with some onions and garlic, saute some kale or whatever greens we have, and then mix them in with the pasta and cheese.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I think most people who don’t know me are surprised to learn that I’m a farm photographer to be honest. I don’t think that there are hardly any farms that have a staff photographer for one thing. So, when I tell people that’s what I do, they are usually a little perplexed or think that it’s interesting and different. There might be photographers where farm photography is part of what they do, but I don’t know of any other photographers that are on the staff of a farm full-time. I mean, I created this job, which is a cool way to do it. There was a need... the farm has always been media-minded, and has always had an online following. so it only made sense to enhance the visual side of that. I was in Santa Fe 3 or 4 years ago, and was talking to a guy about being a photographer at an Austin farm, and he immediately asked if it was JBG. He knew my work! There are people all over the country that know about JBG and know my photos.

What’s your favorite and least favorite thing to photograph on the farm?

My favorite thing thing to photograph is probably flowers. Anything really colorful really gets my attention. I like getting really close and capturing textures of leaves and dew drops. The closer, the better. If it’s an interesting color, shape, or texture, that’s the most interesting thing to me. I try to get at least 4 or 6 different situations or scenes to cover. This is so I feel like I’ve covered enough material every week. Different areas of the farm, different people doing different things - I like to have as much variety as possible. I like going to the farmers markets, too and seeing that side of JBG.

Close-up beauty.

My least favorite thing to do is to capture the same thing over and over again every week. There are certain seasons where week after week, people are doing the same thing for months. It gets a little monotonous. I mean, there are only so many images that you can take of picking eggplant or harvesting sweet potatoes. I like looking for diversity. Monotony is very challenging.

Scott getting the weekly CSA box shot from his favorite vantage point. Photo by Ada Lisa Broussard.

What is your favorite season?

Whenever it’s not too hot or not too cold. That could be any time of the year, really...

What have you learned from your role?

I’ve learned a lot about farming, for sure. I think I’ve refined my compositional eye quite a bit over the years. I’ve developed a more distinct style to my photography. It’s not often as a photographer that you get to participate in such a long term project where you are shooting the same thing every week for 7 years. It’s not the most common situation. Usually you are just shooting one-off things. It definitely has it’s challenges. Sometimes you are shooting the same thing over and over again and you have to find a way to make it look fresh or different. You have to try to come up with an image that no one’s ever seen of that subject. It pushes you as a photographer to get more creative. I’ve learned how to push through monotony and try to find ways to look at something differently and make it interesting. In general, I’ve become a better photographer, and become more comfortable with my equipment. Also, I’ve learn to better relate to people who work on the farm and met tons of people as well.

If you were stuck on an island, what three things would you bring?

• A good knife
• A container for water
• A good tent

Spoken like a true survivalist!

Staff Survey: If Scott were a veggie, what would he be and why?

Ada: Potato. Like a potato, he's usually behind the scenes (underground), but is as integral to our operations as a potato is to the American diet. Plus, like a potato, he has a thing with digging in the dirt. His rootedness to the earth and to our farm is what brings us inspiring photos week after week. Who can deny a french fry? Who can deny the beauty of Scott's photos? See what I mean?

Mike Mo: Watermelon radish - rugged masculinity on the outside, artful beauty within. Understated.

Heydon: Totally agree with Mike Mo on this one. Scott is just like a watermelon radish, for sure.

Krishna: Tomatillo, he's always behind the curtains.

A huge thank you to Scott David Gordon for his nonpareil work week after week, and for making time to talk with us! 'Til next time.