I know I’ve already said this, but in working with Edible Sarasota, I’ve met some awesome people. It’s also led me to some experiences I would’ve never had otherwise…
When Tracy asked me if I could stop at Mote Marine to get some shots of their caviar, I was excited. I envisioned going to their laboratory and aquarium just off of St. Armands Circle, photographing caviar being placed into jars or on an elegant platter… Then I got an email with a video showcasing what I would be shooting (which I won’t share here) as well as the location – several miles out into the middle of nowhere (i.e., east of I-75) at their aquaculture park, where they raise Siberian sturgeon. Now I was envisioning a place reeking of fish insides (and out in the wilderness, far from the safe, child-friendly atmosphere of the dolphins and starfish of Mote’s aquarium). Eek. “What did I get myself into?!” I yelled aloud (really, I think I did – and I was alone). I was scared I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I don’t like the smell of fish, let alone their insides.
I wanted to do it anyway – experience something new. Worst that would happen is I’d pass out face first on the cold, hard floor. It’s happened to me before (hence the scar from 22 stitches on my chin). Although I would not want to repeat that escapade – especially with the risk to my camera! – I was hoping I’d end up somewhere in between my first vision of the shoot and the stretcher and stitching.
Thankfully, there was no passing out – I was captivated by the process from start (extraction…) to finish (jarring/canning:
And the aquaculture park itself is a welcoming facility dedicated to sustainable fish farming and research. As for my worries of the aroma… The caviar-harvesting room is kept at a chilly 30-ish degrees, and it has a faint fresh, salty scent. It’s also impeccably clean; I wasn’t allowed in the room before suiting up and scrubbing down as if I were going into surgery. So, phew!
Below are some photos from the shoot:
And here is a link to the article written by Lael Hazan in Edible Sarasota, in which she provides information on fish farming, the process of preparing, serving, and eating caviar, and where to find and eat Mote’s caviar in the Sarasota area, such as Libby’s, whose deviled eggs dish topped with the Mote caviar was featured on the cover of Edible Sarasota.
Ellie P. Campbell Photography 
Beautiful photos! Congratulations on the fabulous cover of the inaugural issue of Edible Sarasota. It was a great project to work on. We are lucky to have wonderful food producers in Sarasota and I look forward to letting the world know more about them. Thank you for capturing the “essence” of the caviar. I hope to work with you in the future.
Thank you, Lael! I unfortunately can’t lay claim to the beautiful cover shot of the deviled eggs – we’ll have to determine whose shot is it so I can post the credit. This really was such an amazing project – Can’t wait to see what’s up next!