Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Food Chain by Catherine Chalmers (2000)

The photo essay collection Food Chain: Encounters between mates, predators, and prey by Catherine Chalmers (2000) is my next pick from the St. Denis book storage pile.

Using a combination of caterpillars, tomatoes, praying mantises, frogs, tarantulas, and "pinkies" (that is, newborn mice), Chalmers deftly explores the interaction between predator and prey, culminating in the famous sex/death system of the praying mantis.

The photos are all shot with stark white backgrounds and the subjects, whom Chalmers raised herself in her New York City apartment, are allowed to let their personalities shine. And let me tell you, frogs in particular have quite a bit of personality.

The pictures are accompanied by an introductory essay by Gordon Grice and an interview with the photographer that helps put her work in context.

Wanna check some pictures out for yourself? Go for it!