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What comes to mind when you think of Portland? Rain-soaked boots squeaking on the floors of organic coffee shops? Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein barricading the doors of their independent book store? Portland, Oregon-based photographer Jesse Cornelius tends to show a slightly different side of Portland in his work. He leans toward the side of gritty and raw, his aesthetic always leaving an impression on the viewer.
Somewhat recently, however, Jesse veered slightly from his more aggressive creative style straight into a fairytale-esque production. Due to the pandemic, Jesse headed home to Idaho, where his friends, Tanya and Kipton Solmonson of Solmonson Farm asked him to help create some marketing materials. Having grown up in Idaho, Jesse has known the Solmonsons for years. They wanted the photos to feel ‘different’ than their usual materials, especially for the upcoming winter months.
The project was birthed from a friend’s need for content and the desire to do something new and creative during this lull we’re experiencing because of the pandemic.
Solmonson Farm is a flower farm located in Coeur d’Alene. A small family operation, the farm produces organically grown flowers for local florists, weddings, special events, and more. The stories of their business and their family go hand in hand, and when they speak on why they choose to grow flowers and share them with the world, you can’t help but feel their life is like a dream.
Tanya Solmonson says her motivation is to brighten someone’s day with her bouquets, “spreading joy one flower at a time.” Beautiful, simple, and inspiring, Jesse was tasked with bundling that sentiment into a single-day shoot at their farm.
I wanted to focus on a look and mood that would set them apart.
Doing that might have been tricky, especially when with a small business usually comes a small budget. However, Jesse was prepared, and he worked with Solmonsons and friends to find models who were still building their books and a local rental company, Artifact Rentals, who traded their higher-end pieces of furniture for content.
Jesse, the Solmonsons, Jessi Lambas, and Stephanie LaBenne teamed up together to explore their options.
There was a ton of creative freedom. It was more like a creative collaboration, and we were cultivating a vision together on their property. There were a few creatives involved, and it was just a melting pot of good camaraderie and creative ideas.
This collaborative environment was not unwelcome, especially since Jesse was a self-proclaimed duck out of water. Unused to shooting with a more ethereal creative vision, Jesse’s comfort zone lies within the unforgiving world of grit and sharp edges, leaving romance and flowers by the wayside.
I’m not used to working in a space with an “elegant” mood, or with flowers as the main subject element. It was a little bit of a stretching challenge, but a really good one.
“Elegance” is precisely what Jesse captured, and it doesn’t look like a challenge or even an experiment. With the photos going live over the Solmonson Farm website and social media in the upcoming weeks, the client was clearly satisfied.
A new look was achieved for the farm, and a new direction explored for Jesse; both endeavors, highly successful.
It was a good challenge for me. I think I need to do more of that, and I’d challenge others to do the same.
Credits:
Models: LaVitta Joëlle and Mel Williams
Set: Artifact Rentals and Solmonson Farms
Styling: Jessi Lambas
Direction: Stephania LaBenne
See more of Jesse’s work at jessecornelius.com.
Check out our other great photographers on our Find Photographers page!