ONION … IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER - GRANDPA’S GLASS PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES (Part 6)
Welcome back to Part 6 of the Grandpa’s Glass series.
In case you are new here, I am sharing some stories behind the photos of the Grandpa’s Glass series. If you missed any of those posts, they are linked below. But, today, I want to share the story of how these abstracted images of onion skins are a part of Grandpa’s story.
Grandpa’s Onion
© SuZan Alexander, Onion Detritus. Digital Photography.
At mealtime, Grandma would wash and peel a large onion. The onion was always placed at Grandpa’s plate on the dining table, because he almost always ate an onion with each meal. He would bite into the moist, gleaming, fragrant, vegetable like most people eat an apple. This was just a normal routine that I took for granted. It is only in maturity that I have come to realize that this is a unique part of Grandpa and his eating ritual.
While the onion may have some medicinal benefits, they are also associated with a feisty quality, strength, endurance, and, of course, tears. As a root vegetable, they also have a simple and rustic connection to the earth… all qualities he shared with his beloved onion.
© SuZan Alexander, Onion Skin and Shadows. Digital Photography
The Gift from the Muses
Based on this memory, I knew very early in the planning stages that I had to incorporate an onion into this series. My original plan (and sketch) was to try a macro shot of an onion slice. I planned on focusing on the organic lines and shapes of the onion’s interior. I’m sure I was thinking of some metaphor I could assign.
However, one evening as I was preparing ingredients for the evening meal, the late afternoon light coming in the kitchen windows cast these lovely, dramatic shadows. The skins from the onions I had just peeled became a visual gift right there on the kitchen counter. As you know, the golden hour light is fleeting. So, the meal prep turned into a photo shoot and the meal was ready to eat a little later than planned.
But, it was also a lesson to be less rigid… to not be too “married” to one idea… to watch for the gifts the muses lob my way.
I am grateful that I put on my catcher’s mitt that evening and caught this one, because that light will never be the same again. Even the onion skins would be peeled differently than these. That, my friend, is one of the “magic” things about photography for me - that split second the shutter releases to record a slice of life that will never include the exact same ingredients, in the exact same way ever again.
I hope you will come back next Wednesday when I share another story from this series of images. If you are enjoying these behind-the-scene stories, please leave a comment so I will know that you are finding value.
Of course, you are always welcome to become one of the “Insiders”. You can sign up below and receive a copy of “The Stories Behind 7 of My Favorite Images”. I would love to have you join me on this adventure.
