Ellie P. Campbell Photography

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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.

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So I recently discovered TasteSpotting.com, an amazing site for us food-and-photography lovers – with a tagline I love: “a community-driven visual potluck.” I’ve become obsessed with the site and want to make about 99% of the recipes on there (and of course take photos of the finished products). I submitted my oatmeal on a whim last night, convinced there was no way it would be selected, but…

😀  Wahoo! So excited to continue submitting recipes and photos and hope to be sharing more TasteSpotting posts in the near future! (BTW, it should be in the first few pages, but if not, just search for “oatmeal.”)

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