Virtual Expert: Jim Patrico

Jim Patrico of Progressive Farmer magazine placed first in the Picture Story category in the 2005 AAEA Photo Awards Program.

Explain your photo:

a) What was your initial goal?

b) Go through your thought process and procedures in approaching and/or setting up the photo.

c) What elements of your photo make it exceptional?

d) What advice can you offer to young photographers in pursuing a photo like yours?

"A Business in Bloom" was about a husband and wife who make a living selling irises. It's a simple story, which had the advantage of having beautiful flowers as the subject matter. The challenges were to give the photos a human dimension and to avoid the "pretty colors trap," which always lays in wait around flowers.

To incorporate the human element, I got the couple involved in two ways. I had the husband become an element in an overall photo of the operation. It isn't hard to get an eye-catching image of a field of flowers in the early morning light. I also followed the wife as she picked flowers. When she stuck a stem between her teeth because her hands were full, I knew I had a good working shot.

The glorious colors of flowers tend to be overwhelming in photographs. The eye really doesn't know where to come to rest. I shot close ups of individual blooms to focus attention on the farm's products and to keep things simple. If my photo story has merit it is in the simplicity of the photos and the message they contain.

How did you begin your career? What advice do you have for those just graduating in ag comm? What does it mean to be a member of AAEA? How do you maintain a high standard of ethics in your writing and your career?

I started as a newspaper photographer/reporter with a degree in photojournalism from the University of Missouri. I got into ag journalism when I was 30 years old and wanted out of the daily grind of newspapering. Joining AAEA at that time gave me perspective on how my work compared to others. It also introduced me to a legion of folks dedicated to agriculture. Through the years, the professional relationships I established within AAEA have had the side benefit of being a kind of continuing education, not only in agriculture, but in the practice of ag journalism.