Gary Black Campaign Photography

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Political Photography

The Gary Black Campaign hired us for campaign photography. Our photography is used in campaign materials for the 2018 Georgia Agriculture Commissioner election. The photography needed to convey his investment and passion for the industry that he has championed innovation, solutions, support and growth for Georgia’s Agriculture for over 40 years.

Shoot Schedule

The Morning

Centering around Madison, Georgia, our day-long schedule was action packed. First, we shot sunrise at Innisfail Farm with Weyman Hunt and family. His farm is beautiful and well managed. There, we photographed landscapes and scenic banner shots with Gary’s wonderful wife, Lydia. Often, Weyman’s prized Hereford cattle photobombed us which was perfect. We also picked up a few shots with his son with a prized show cow. They know prized Hereford show cattle.

Next, we traveled to WDiary, run by Mr. Everett Williams and family. Everett is a second generation dairy farmer tending to between 1700 and 1800 milk cows. He farms more than 3500 acres and the dairy produces over 28,000 pounds of milk each year. In 2017, Mr. Williams was awarded the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. To learn more about him, his family, and his dairy farm, check out this video of the award winning farmer. 

The Williams Dairy is a unique photo opportunity. From corn fields to the milking operation, we photographed Gary in various settings and also learned so much about the dairy process.

Later in the morning, we met with Whitey Hunt of Godfrey’s Feed. This location provided us with a late 19th century warehouse and mill as our backdrop. 

The Afternoon

After lunch, the Rock House Creamery was next on our schedule. Owned and operated by Mr. Keith Kelly of Kelly Products, this artisan creamery focuses on love of the animals and simple methods that produce a high quality product. We had a particularly enjoyable experience photographing Gary taking part in the cheesemaking process. Rock House is immaculately clean and follows a strict time-tested process. Whether is was adding the ingredients, cutting the curds or observing their cheese aging cave, we all left with a basic understanding of cheese making.  

To conclude our schedule, we delighted in Farmview Market. Located just outside of downtown Madison, Georgia, Farmview Market is a market, butcher shop, and restaurant. Mr. Kelly imported an old rustic dutch barn from New York. Reassembled piece by piece, the barn creates the perfect host for a wide assortment of locally sourced produce, artisan products, juices, wines, and meats. The restaurant is local treasure with a brilliant chef staff. This part of our day was a huge treat.

Photography Equipment

As for our equipment, our camera is a Canon 5D Mark II. Lenses used are Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L. We run dual Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT with ST-E3-RT Speedlite Transmitter. For softbox, we defuse with SMDV Speedbox 65.

In conclusion, we would like to thank Mr. Gary and Mrs. Lydia Black for being gracious talent as well as our hospitable hosts.

Next, check out more of our Campaign Photography with Karen Handel Campaign Photography.