Seeing Sourcing is a photography project by John Yuccas to showcase the differences of food sourced from different places.
Project 1 focuses on eggs sourced from different suppliers.
Conventional
usually the least expensive
four hens are typically housed in each two-square-foot battery cage
barns contain thousands of birds
hens are prone to injury and infection
hens receive antibiotics daily (& hormones)
feed is unregulated (often fed leftover animal by-products mixed with grain)
banned in the European Union
Free Run
hens can move around in open concept barns
hens do not necessarily have the access to the outdoors
overcrowding may still be an issue
Free Range
hens see the light of day
hens feet come in contact with the earth
Cage-Free
hens most likely raised in tight conditions
hens can live in the dark
hens often have clipped beaks and wings
hens have very little exposure to sunlight
no guarantee on what hens are fed
Certified Organic
feed given to the hens is organic
hens are not pumped with growth hormones or antibiotics
hens have the highest welfare standards
the only categorization that requires certification
Organic Valley Free-Range Large Eggs. USDA Organic Distributed by CROPP Cooperative
Vital Farms : Large eggs, pasture raised. Distributed by Vital Farms; Farm- W.W. Acres
Wild Harvest: Cage Free, Grade A. Distributed by SuperValu
James Farm: Grade A Extra Large. Distributed by RD/JET (from what I can tell, a Restaurant Depot label. The distributors trademark is the same address as Restaurant Depot)
Cub Foods: Large Grade A. Distributed by UNFI
“To provide additional information, egg yolk color tends to vary based on the hens’ diet and the type of grain that’s fed. Darker yellow yolks are a result of corn being the higher percentage of the feed ration and lighter yellow yolks are a result of wheat being the higher percentage of the feed ration. Thanks!”
Project 1, Eggs:
Captured with a Fujifilm X-T2 and 60mm F2.8 Fujinon macro lens
Settings were as close as possible in camera and post edit for the yolk series. Similar settings were also used for the soft boiled series with minor adjustments to try and make the subjects look their best.
Notes regarding the Seeing Sourcing Project:
The Seeing Sourcing project is not intended to cast judgement on consumers and businesses with what food they currently source. The Seeing Sourcing project highlights insights through images, anecdotes, and data. My goal is to showcase what food truly is.
All work is © John Yuccas. For information regarding usage, please use my contact page
Sidebar at Surdyk’s, commercial photography session
5-8 Club Champlin Park, commercial photography session
The Oasis Cafe, commercial photography session for Discover Stillwater
P.S.I don’t do much video work, but I couldn’t help myself when capturing some of the yolks sliding over the light table I used to capture them.