Everyone loves a good love story
May 28, 2021
“Everyone loves a good love story.”
That’s what Anne said to me this morning as we ate breakfast on our 15th wedding anniversary. Anne loves eggs, and I love her, which is why I have been making her breakfast daily since sometime last year.
Earlier this year, I began photographing the process of frying an egg. Since then, I’ve photographed every egg I’ve fried; today, I fried and photographed the 59th egg.
Recently, I told Anne I could find myself wandering down a rabbit hole with this project.
“Honey, I think that day has long since passed.”
She’s correct; what began as a lark has developed into a routine endeavor that feeds my soul, and keeps her sated until lunch.
Once the egg lands in the pan I begin shooting and don’t touch the egg until I am ready to flip it. Earlier, I may have popped an air bubble or two, but no more; now, the egg continues its journey without intervention.
Sometimes, I find myself heating the pan longer or changing the amount of oil I use to see how it impacts the cooking process, and ultimately, the image.
For each day, I choose just one frame to represent the day. Some days are easy because one image speaks to me more than all the others; on other days, I’m deleting an intriguing image because another feels like the proper choice.
Regardless of whether I cook them hotter or with more oil, they always taste good, according to Anne; I try to not lose sight of the fact that this is still about feeding her.
I posted the first nine singles on my Instagram feed so they would appear as a 3 x 3 grid. Seeing them grouped together inspired me to continue photographing them.
Recently, I compiled a 7 x 7 grid of 49 of the first eggs I cooked. Instead of arranging them chronologically, I arranged them in no particular order but for how I thought they should lie. This was the most satisfying display I’ve compiled, and am looking forward to many more.
So far, the images have been shot on my iPhone X, but I am in the process of figuring the best way to consistently photograph them on my DSLR.
Where this takes me and when I’ll stop is anyone’s guess. For now, I’m having fun, and keeping Anne fed.
