Published Photo
Timothy McDermott
Ext. Educ., ANR
Franklin County Ext. Office
This is a picture of a cluster of larval forms of the Black Swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes, collected by students at the OSU Student Farm during an on-farm consult on production practices on June 21st at 8:00 am. I shot this with an iPhone 8, filtered for sunlight and exposure via the Juno Instagram filter. It showcases Japanese bokeh technique which draws the focus to the forefront while using the aesthetic quality of the blur of the farm and student farmers in the background. Social media allows the Extension Educator an alternate way to promote, market and educate that differs from traditional programming. In Franklin County, the urban agricultural community is social-media conscious and connected on varied levels. Students especially will connect much more reliably and readily through social media messaging platforms than email or old school media. My goal for entry was to show that picture quality, storytelling and education can come in many forms. While this may not be from a published work or journal, the photo still has impact, shows high quality, and captures the early morning moment experienced by the students in their interaction with the pollinators at their farm. The students were surprised that the beautiful pollinator larvae were consuming their hard work and had already grazed their carrot patch. While some of the students are in Horticulture and Crop Sciences, some participate simply to get experience growing. No formal evaluation was completed. Clicks and likes would not be an acceptable form of impact data for evaluation. That was not the intent of the photograph. The photo was part of a social media shout-out and thank you to the students at the farm for sharing their time, energy and enthusiasm. The captions and text within the Instagram dialogue reflect the interactions common between friends using social media. They should be evaluated through that lens as it was meant to reinforce friendship and collaboration.
talking hocking They got plenty of pollinators at Waterman Farm #knowyourfarmer #osuextension #farmlife
studentfarmosu Thanks for stopping by, it was a real treat having you (emoji)
Link for Evaluation: