California Rice in Focus: People
By Brian Baer
My background in photography is as a photojournalist, which means I tell stories with my camera. The most important element to me is how the story I am telling relates to people. It could be that the people are the subject of my story or it could be that my story relates to people somehow.
Rob Doornbos with his dog Leo at his shop on Aguas Frias Road in Richvale CA, Tuesday, October 15, 2019. Photo Brian Baer
Over the years of photographing rice operations in the Sacramento valley, I have photographed numerous farmers alone and with their families. It is here I find the biggest joy in my photography of rice country. Sure I have made many beautiful scenic photos of rice lands but people are the common element that ties us together. I am a people person who loves meeting new people and telling their story.
One of my favorite assignments was to photograph hand seeding at the Rice Experimental Station. I was drawn to the faces of the men and the old technology they were using to plant the rice by hand. I felt that this “old” way of doing things was best suited for black & white photography. Black & white remove color, which can distract from an image and put all the focus on the subject.
Most rice farmers I have met have been family men. Even while out on the combine during harvest they find time with their family. Some of my favorite photos are when the family visits them in the field, even bring them lunch or dinner.
Seth Fiack and family, Wednesday, October 10, 2018. Photo Brian Baer
There is more to my storytelling than just people however. I must still use my skills as a photographer to make dynamic photos of the subjects in my story. I work with light and different angles to capture photographs of people different from the last family or farmer I photographed. Oftentimes they are doing the same activity, like driving a combine, but my job is to make them look different.
, Tuesday, October 6, 2015. Photo Brian Baer
But with all this work I do attempting to make different looking photographs, sometimes I find the best photograph is the subject themselves. A great example is Don Rystrom. The grandfather of three generations of rice farmers has not missed a harvest for over 70 years. The photograph has to be of his face to see what a man of that stature looks like.
I look forward to telling more stories from the rice land and will continue to explore the fields looking for new angles.
Brian Baer is an award-winning photojournalist with more than 30-years experience photographing news and human events around the globe. Find out more at: https://www.brianbaerphotos.com/index
