Photographing Pumpkins

For a few years I've wanted to take my camera to the native habitat of the pumpkin, and catch a whole vine on its own turf. Yet each year I've forgotten until those large cardboard bins appear outside the grocery store, filled to the brim.

This month when the days grew short and the skies grayed, I was sure I'd blown it. I was feeling kind of down, when I took a different route, and up over the crest of a hill, butted against the highway, I saw them. There was a whole field of bright orange globes, like so many basketballs dropped for not dribbling.

I rushed home only to find my camera's battery dead. By the next morning I had a full charge but it had rained all night and was still coming down in a drizzle. I wanted clear skies, but the longer I waited, the more likely the pumpkins would be picked.

The field was full of mud. Cars whizzed by. The rain let up. I didn't stop until my fingers were numb from the cold, and I took home dozens of shots. That, plus mud-caked shoes and mud-trimmed pants.

Success! And the first of many steps involved in making a new piece of Ameriku art.

My name is Rae Hallstrom, and Ameriku is my art and my business and my brand.

Ameriku Ltd produces nature-oriented art prints, posters, greeting cards and other items, based on my original haiku and photography.

Ameriku® is the registered trademark of Ameriku Ltd. When you see the Ameriku trademark, you can be sure the work meets my high standards of quality.