Through My Lens: Capturing Ag Life

When people think of California agriculture, they picture produce aisles and supermarket labels. I used to be one of them. I didn’t grow up on a dairy or a ranch and I didn’t know the difference between an almond tree and a pistachio tree. But I wanted marketing agency experience and in 2021, Centered Marketing Group gave me a shot.

CMG produces work across industries, but our primary focus is agriculture. California’s ag industry is massive. Every year, millions of cases of wine get shipped out, billions of pounds of almonds get harvested, and billions of pounds of milk are produced from California dairies. But you don’t really get it until you’ve stood in the middle of a vineyard at sunrise or watched an almond harvester kick up a wall of dust in the middle of nowhere.

I’m part of the video production side of the business and when I’m not in the office editing, you’ll find me out in the orchards, fields, or dairies with a camera in hand and sweat on my brow. And while I’m not planting tomatoes or shaking almonds, I’m there documenting the real work of farmers and fieldworkers. I’m in the rain, the heat, the dirt, right beside the people who grow the food that feeds the world.

One of the challenges of agricultural videography is that things can be so fast-paced. There’s no studio, no lighting setup, no do-overs, it’s all action all the time so I have to be ready to capture at a moment’s notice. It humbles me. 

There’s no actors. No scripts. Just real people doing real work. Often, the strongest video hook is a single shot of sunlight hitting the edge of a field or steam rising off a cow in the morning in slow motion. It’s beautiful, organic, and raw. These moments don’t need flashy effects. 

Don’t even get me started on the smell of a freshly cut orange right off the tree. Or the bite of a crisp ripe apple. The crunch of an almond. Or the deep roars of machines as they run through a field. It’s amazing and the authenticity speaks for itself.

My job as a videographer in agriculture is more than telling stories. It’s about honoring a way of life, deep-rooted tradition, and an industry that impacts so many people around the world. Every time I hit record, I’m capturing legacy in motion. There’s nothing like it. And I appreciate the trust I’m given to step into these moments, camera in hand, to document something real.