Mom, daughter show off farming in photos

Ryan D. Wilson

May 5, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Melanie Musselman and her daughter Michaela, Clifton, have submitted photos in the final Agriculture and the Arts event because they want to share how important farming is.

"I want to help tell the story of agriculture in Clay County," Melanie said. "I believe it's very important to let others know what is involved in producing the food, fiber and fuel to operate this country and the entire world."

Farming is a story that needs to be told, she said.

"As farmers, we need to tell our story to the public and let them know where their food comes from. There are hard-working families that choose to live life in the country because they want that way of life for their children. Many are carrying on family traditions that go back for generations."

Most of the photos Melanie and Michaela have submitted are of kids on the farm and in 4-H events, harvest and different agricultural events in the county.

"I have tried to capture some of the activities that our family is involved in throughout the year," Melanie said. "In them I have tried to convey the natural beauty of living life on the farm.

"My family and living on the farm has inspired me to take these pictures," she said. "There are so many experiences being involved in production agriculture, that I want to record these events in pictures."

Their pictures being displaying during a concert just makes the show that much more interesting, Melanie said.

"It reminds me of the Flint Hills Symphony, where an orchestra plays a concert somewhere in the Flint Hills every year and the beauty of the music and the prairie combine," she said. "It's like our own Clay County agriculture symphony."

Having a career in ag communications and journalism sparked Melanie's interest in photography. She is also a volunteer coordinator for my older two children's school yearbook at Linn Lutheran School.

"I've always had an interest in photographs and how they effectively tell a story or compliment the overall layout and design of a story," she said. "I've had the opportunity to improve my photography skills whenever I interview a subject for a story and try to capture and express their beliefs, feelings, etc., in the pictures I take."

Michaela has developed an interest in photography along side her mother.

"She and I are learning together more about what makes a good photo," Melanie said.

Michaela took a picture of her brother Luke looking down at the oats with the John Deere hat and shirt on, which she placed as grand champion in the Open Class of Junior Photography at the 2008 Clay County Fair. Michaela plans on exhibiting photos in this year's fair.

"That has inspired her to be in 4-H photography now," Melanie said.

Michaela's photo of her bother compares to the one her mother took of the twins in the wheat field, Melanie said.

"They are both displaying how important it is to pass the legacy of farming on to the next generation," she said. Agriculture is my children's heritage because both my husband and I grew up on farms and our grandparents were farmers. Many of today's farmers go back many generations of working the land. Today's youth are the future of the agriculture industry and it's vital to teach them that farming and production agriculture is not only a business, but an honorable way of life."

Melanie participated in last year's event. Last year's picture of Melanie's twin boys Lane and Levi now hangs in the children's section of the Clay Center Carnegie Library.

"(The photo of the twins) reminds me of the famous print with the two little farmer boys, 'Have you been farming long?' That's what I wanted to emulate when I took the picture of my twins in the wheat field."

Melanie was awarded second place on this photo in the Open Class division at the 2006 Clay County Fair.

Taking pictures of mostly kids has its own challenges, she said.

"It's a challenge to get a good picture, just because you never know what they are going to do and sometimes they don't want to cooperate," she said. "I've learned to just snap lots of pictures when they are just acting natural and most of the time the best pictures happen when they are not posed."

Newstex ID: 34675229