The Great American Wheat Harvest Movie – a Documentary

I am thrilled to tell as many people as possible about one of my recent photography projects.  My part is tiny – photographer at the premier – but the overall project is so important, and ConJo Studio/Conrad Weaver’s filming and production so beautiful, that the story needs to be circulated as widely as possible.

Corporate and Event Photography

Knowing Conrad professionally as a fellow member of the Frederick, MD circle of professional photographers and videographers, as well as sharing assistant Robin Farrell from time to time, I expected this film to be good.  I didn’t know until the premier that it would be great.  Watching the film, I was moved to tears several times, it’s beautiful!

The Great American Wheat Harvest tells the stories of a number of farm families who harvest the wheat that literally feeds much of the world.  It’s an enormous job, and until you see it up close, it’s impossible to know how all-consuming being a wheat harvester of this type can be.  Literally, we are talking about entire families and crews who leave central Texas in spring, and follow the ripening wheat all the way into Canada in the fall.  As one farmer says, “We hope to be back by Thanksgiving.  We make it about 50% of the time.”  As a wonderful side benefit, several of the families who participated in the film were also present at the premier, having made the trip at their own expense out of commitment to the project in total.

Growing up in rural western Ohio with farm family roots in northern Iowa, I was exposed at an early age to driving tractors and much smaller scale harvesting operations on our cousins’ Iowa farm.  Later, as a teen in rural western Pennsylvania, I had summer jobs on local farms assisting with harvest time.  So I came to the premier with a respect for what the families in this movie do.  But I had no idea of the immensity of their commitment, the length of time required, or the absolutely wonderful people I would meet through Conrad’s film.

The Great American Wheat Harvest is currently in limited release in theaters around the nation.  It is my fond hope that it may one day be available to millions more on PBS or a similar outlet.  There was also some talk about Oscar buzz during the premier.  Rarely have I seen a documentary more worthy of the recognition.

See some trailers for the film here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hPaIUpUaXc     or    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLxVICQaPAM

And visit the website, here : http://www.greatamericanwheatharvest.com

Being a professional photographer for 30+ years is the greatest job I could ever have!

 

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