Bob Brooks was no stranger to Gaining Ground when he submitted photos for Photography on the Farm two years ago. Bob and his wife had casually attended the Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord, where they met longtime supporters Brian and Lucy Rosborough. He got involved and transported harvested and food and flowers to community members who were experiencing food insecurity 

“I liked what they were doing—helping to solve the problem of food insecurity,” Bob recalls.

Bob volunteered and maintained his day job as a landscape architect, a job he held for 30 years. One of his roles was taking photos of projects. Helping others and photography have long been passions of Bob’s. He got a 35-millimeter camera in seventh grade and took sports photographs for a while. So, when he learned about Photography on the Farm, it seemed like a natural fit and a way to get back involved, especially since he was feeling a bit isolated during the pandemic.

“We would wave to every school bus in the morning because of the feeling of isolation,” Bob says. “Right after COVID, I wanted to get back involved with Gaining Ground.”

Photography on the Farm is a free outdoor photo exhibit. It’s not a contest. All the photos are displayed in the digital gallery, and Gaining Ground showcases as many as possible on the farm, interspersed with insights on food insecurity in the region, no-till agriculture, and the hunger relief movement.

Bob isn’t quite sure which one he’ll submit this year.

“I’m a little anxious to submit,” Bob says. “I have a bunch of good ones…Every once in a while, I say, ‘I wish I had a camera—That’s a nice shot.”

He’s considering one about maple sugar. Through the years, Bob’s’ quest for the best photos to submit has taught him about human nature.

“I’ve noticed that I have to be conscious of what direction the sun is coming from when I am out in the fields taking pictures so that people’s faces aren’t in the shade,” Bob says. “That can wreck the photo—even if it’s a good topic and subject, there’s some action involved, and the focus is right. You have to see the expression and the eyes. When somebody looks at the photo, that’s what connects them to the person—being able to look them in the eye.”

Through his time with Gaining Ground, Brooks has also learned a thing or two about gardening and the importance of treating the land well. You reap what you sow, as the saying goes.

“My garden looks totally different now than it looked 10 years ago or even 5 years ago,” Bob says (as he stands in his garden). “I’ve learned about no-till farming. Every fall, I send my soil away to a lab, and I’m amazed that I don’t have many weeds. I’m so meticulous about not letting weeds go to seed. Everything I do in my garden, I learned from Gaining Ground.”

But it’s the community that brought him back to Gaining Ground that keeps him submitting photos to Photography on the Farm.

“There are so many wonderful people who take photographs, and I love seeing everyone else’s photos up on the fence,” Bob says.

He’d like to see some new names, faces, and photos in the future and encourages others to submit their best shots.

“It’s almost like a responsibility you have,” Bob says. “If you have an artistic sense, if you can see things, it’s a duty.”

The submission deadline for Photography on the Farm is Aug. 8. Click here to share your photo. Photography on the Farm opens Sept. 7. Top featured photo by Tony Rinaldo Photography.