Garden & Gun Magazine

In TIME magazine, Jay McInerney (you remember... fabulous author, "Bright Lights, Big City") contributed a short list of 5 items that are catching his eye these days. One of the items listed is what he named "a very unlikely magazine." He went on to say "I couldn't believe the title either, but Garden & Gun captures the contradictions of contemporary Southern living. Beautiful photography and prose from the top Southern writers." This merely confirmed something my husband and I, and most southerners, had discovered a year or two before. Garden & Gun has graced our coffee table and flipped between our nightstands for some time now. It's yummy.

So when I got a call this summer to shoot a feature for them it took me zero seconds to respond. Really? Wow. Um, shooting carnivorous plants? Of course, I love shooting... plants!!! Now, is it me, or did this not conjure up for you images of Shaggy and Scooby running away from a large plant with teeth and an oversized pink mouth? It didn't matter, I was on it.

One steamy summer evening my assistant and I drove into unknown territory somewhere west of Charlottesville, and were pleasantly surprised to find Robert's secret garden filled with the most intricate, dazzling array of plants that just so happen to digest bugs for food. They were such a treat to shoot, almost overwhelming in this 'oh my gosh am I doing them justice' kind of way, all the while listening to Robert's incredible descriptions of how they worked, the patience required to grow them (30 years for some), and his love of all things botanical. He is a really neat guy. And I'm glad he didn't tell me about the snakes and black widow spiders that liked his garden until I was nearly done. Mental note: no more flip flops on shoots.

I just finished another piece with them last week that I cannot wait to see. More Garden & Gun adventures (and I mean adventures) to come! I shot another piece in the issue prior about a nice fella in Virginia who happens to make moonshine in his basement. Of course, I did NOT try it. :) Mmmmm.

A friend recently told me he loves giving subscriptions to G&G to friends and clients, northerners especially, as it is such a unique treasure, and lifestyle magazine, that appeals to everyone. Here, I made it easy for you! Just click and you can sign yourself up or give the awesome gift of Garden & Gun Magazine. Shameless plug, sure, but you'll thank me later.