The Reading of the Environment
GFX Challenge Grant Program 2022 Global Grant Award recipient Sharon Castellanos focuses on preserving the past and ensuring the knowledge of local farmers is passed on to all
Photo 2023 © Sharon Castellanos | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1/800 sec at F5.6, ISO 125
Picking up a camera can be a transcendent experience; more than a mere tool, a camera can enable us to connect with those around us, with the very Earth we stand upon. For GFX Challenge Grant Program 2022 Global Grant Award winner Sharon Castellanos and her selected project, The Reading of the Environment, nothing rings truer.
Setting out to preserve knowledge and document a little-known existence, Sharon spent time with farmers in Peru, learning to read natural indicators and interpret what the Earth is attempting to reveal. In a world where climate change is a growing concern, Sharon tells us how essential it is to listen to those who are often overlooked.
“This project was important to me because of what farmers know; their knowledge is sometimes discriminated against or ignored, so it was important to put this at the same level as other sources,” she explains.
A few of the farmers Sharon worked with were Master Farmers, individuals who are experienced in their field and looked to by the community to share critical knowledge about the world around them. Sharon aims to share such knowledge with the world through her work, using the power of photography to keep alive imagery that could disappear.
Photo 2023 © Sharon Castellanos | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1/800 sec at F5.6, ISO 125
Photo 2023 © Sharon Castellanos | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1/1250 sec at F5, ISO 100
Photo 2023 © Sharon Castellanos | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1/1250 sec at F5, ISO 100
“I’ve conversed with farmers, talking about the weather and how it’s connected to the crops. Right now, this is a very important topic because of the climate change threat we face both here and around the globe,” Sharon declares.
Embarking on a journey to document these seasoned farmers in Peru, Sharon submitted her project proposal to the GFX Challenge Grant Program 2022. To her delight, it was accepted. Sharon was equipped with FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR.
Sharon typically enjoys photographing the world in black & white, but knew she needed to create in color when laying her hands on GFX System.
“The first week I tried GFX100S, I started photographing in color using Film Simulation modes. It’s like working with film photography,” she says, smiling.
While Sharon enjoyed utilizing Fujifilm’s renowned color science during her experience with GFX100S, her love of monochrome sometimes turned her back to black & white. Even then, she felt a special connection.
Photo 2023 © Sharon Castellanos | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1/15 sec at F8, ISO 125
“When I switched to photographing in black & white again, it was the same as with color Film Simulations; it felt like film photography,” she beams.
When asked why she chose to make images with Film Simulations, Sharon doesn’t miss a beat with her answer. “Because of my topic, I wanted a color profile that could give you some sort of sensation of the past.”
Sharon’s connection to the past is why she embarked on her photographic journey. Growing up, her grandparents on her mother’s side were farmers. They lived in a region that she describes as a jungle. When visiting, Sharon would talk with her grandmother, who would tell her all about a life of farming.
Upon moving to Cusco and speaking with farmers, the idea of a photographic project that focused on the local ecosystem and farming was a natural fit.
“It was familiar because of my grandparents and their stories. I started having these casual conversations with farmers – all because of what I’d heard from them.”
Photo 2023 © Sharon Castellanos | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1/15 sec at F8, ISO 125
Photo 2023 © Sharon Castellanos | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1/1000 sec at F8, ISO 200
Photo 2023 © Sharon Castellanos | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1/1000 sec at F8, ISO 200
Sharon had other experience in the field, noting that she was working on projects related to farming and the environment when she moved to Cusco. Still, these conversations with everyday farmers lit the creative spark.
The project had her document the natural possessions and rituals of the region, a lesson in farming and connection with the land we live upon. One photograph of particular interest portrays a woman spreading wine over a collection of freshly grown corn. Sharon explains, “It was part of a ceremonial ritual, making an offering.
“When I moved to Cusco, I was 23. People here told me that Mother Earth talks to us. If you know this, you can decode something,” Sharon says. “But for me,” she continues, “the project can explain a more practical way of Mother Earth talking to us.”
She believes that’s what runs through her entire project – it is the key takeaway of her work.
“A flower is not just a flower,” she tells us, “it is something connected. Try to observe a flower and what it means. There are layers when you look at the behaviors of the flower, an invitation to pay more attention and see more of the layers.”
It could be said that the same was true of the local farmers Sharon photographed. While they enjoyed being on camera, she reveals: “It was a different experience. The farmers were very careful about their image and how they wanted to be in front of camera – they wanted to represent their heritage.”
The knowledge Sharon obtained through her observations, her communication with local farmers, and the images she produced implore us to take a second look at the natural world – and ask us to interpret its signals.
The Reading of the Environment teaches us something simple: to observe the lone flower and absorb its insights. It may just speak to you.
To explore more of Sharon’s work, visit her Instagram. Learn more about GFX100S and read the full specifications here.
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