The world is different today than it used to be. Yes, a picture has always been worth a thousand words, but today, photos are telling stories at the speed of light. And no longer are readers going to seek out stories, the stories and the photos are coming to them.
Within the agricultural industry, communicators like myself have been encouraging farmers to take more photos of what they do because each and every photo tells a really important story. Less than 2 percent of the population are farmers … those few need to be capturing a story that speaks to the many.
Here is a photo of the ICGA 2010 President, Tim Lenz. I’ve always loved this photo and it tells a couple of important stories.
- Farmers don’t always wear bib overalls. Farmers actually dress almost exactly like you and I. You wouldn’t necessarily be able to pick out the farmer in a crowd of his urban peers.
- Farmers are frugal. I LOVE the old truck Tim is sitting on. It looks like it has been through years and years of work, it’s almost in partnership with Tim on his farm! And this old truck is worth something to Tim. I’d venture to guess he will drive it until it simply won’t go anymore. I sort of love that frugalness about farmers.
Here’s another one I love with some good stories.
- The farmer is talking on his phone while driving the combine to harvest his corn. Farmers are clueless about technologies. In fact, his cell phone and the rest of the equipment in that machine probably have more technology than you utilize in a day.
- This is a picture of bounty. Look at the mound of corn growing over the cab of the combine! U.S. farmers are so productive which keeps you fed and costs significantly less.
- There’s a tiny bit of an old farmsted in the background. I love the juxtaposition of new and old in this photo. That’s sort of what being on the farm is … cherishing and learning from the old while embracing the new.
There’s a lot to be learned from photos. I dare you to take more photos to share your story. Share it with us too! We’d love to know more about you!
Lindsay Mitchell
ICMB/ICGA Project Coordinator
