Onion Mirror

A vision evolving.

While in the process of this particular exploration I’m finding there is a lot of failure. Not failure in the sense of exposure or composition, but failure in concept and vision. And, there’s certainly no value in putting images into my book simply because I did it. Right now, I’m developing the concept of a dark series. The vision is evolving and this shot is more like what I need for the new series; it definitely feels like a sister image to the Steak photo that started it all, back in October.

Now the challenge is to find a thread that connects my next dark image to the first two.

2:02PM, 12/28/2009 - Celebration Onion 2010

I bought a dozen onions and brought them into the studio for the usual shoot ‘em and eat ‘em routine. One by one I placed them on set and, one by one, little personalities revealed themselves. These are the year-end onions, the ones that aren’t in the best of shape, but are still worth eating. No longer are the stems green and bright, they’re brown and look more like the ones in the supermarket than the greenmarket, shipped from far away and weeks or months old.

Am I deluded? Onions? Little personalities? Four years of this and still thinking there are little people in there somewhere. Should I make a metaphorical reference to the year passing as layers of an onion and go cliché on everyone?

Too late.

I pay homage to 2009 with this celebration onion. I will cut into it with sharp abandon, and with tears in my eyes, throw the thin slices into a hot frying pan drizzled with sesame oil, sizzling and transforming itself into something sweet, fragrant and appealing. Oh, how 2010 should be so transformed from 2009.

Happy New Year.

3:09PM 06/24/09

Red Onions as Fireworks, Union Square Market, NYC – 3:09PM Wednesday, June 24, 2009

I couldn’t help but think of the 4th of July, post processing these puppies. It wasn’t until a “root mask” was made and the contrast boosted that these absolutely incredible roots revealed themselves, metaphorically, as a trajectory of sparks. Later in the week I whipped up a stir fry with these guys – some fresh broccoli, snap peas and carrots and a nice chunk of broiled salmon marinated in mirin, garlic, ginger and soy sauce on a bed of somen noodles.  I have to learn to plate this stuff. I can cook. I can’t plate. Maybe I just need a stylist.

Happy 4th.