Canon VII Gallery: “Nourish”

How many ways can you say "Nourish"?

Canon USA has been running an interesting campaign lately, looking at how differently various single-word assignments are interpreted by members of the VII Photo Agency. VII, pronounced "seven," is a collective of world-class photojournalists who've come together to create a common distribution hub for their work. Initially founded by seven leading photographers (hence the name), it has since grown to include nine members.

In the VII Gallery project, Canon gives the VII photographers photo assignments consisting of a single, abstract word. The results of each assignment are then published, and (here's the best part) photo enthusiasts are likewise challenged to respond to the assignment and submit their own interpretations. If your entry is selected, your own work will be exhibited on the VII Gallery site alongside that of the pros.

I wrote about last month's "Speechless" assignment right as it went up on the first of November, and apparently a lot of you joined the project by submitting your own photographic interpretions of that word - Canon said they saw a flood of entries after I let you all know about it. (Kudos to the IR photo community!)

I'm a little late letting everyone know about this month's assignment, but there's still plenty of time to get in on the fun. (Maybe take a break from wrapping presents to find and submit a photo: A little photo break in the midst of the holiday frenzy might be just the ticket to save your sanity! ;-)

This month, the theme is "Nourish," and you can see what VII group's visions were over on the VII Gallery site. 

So what's "Nourish" mean to you? Food? Drink? Emotional nourishment? Taking care of yourself physically, by way of exercise, yoga, or other activity? How about spiritual nourishment, whether in the woods or in a church? Maybe mental nourishment, as in a good book, or stimulating discussion?

What's "nourish" mean to you?

There are as many interpretations as there are people -- Actually a lot more, since "nourish" means many things to each of us. What's your vision?

Visit the VII Gallery site, see what the pros did, upload your own essay, and maybe your photos will end up on the site next to those of the VII pros. You've been good, doing all those holiday things; go ahead and treat yourself to a little time out, indulging your photographic urges.

(To submit a photo, click on the "Menu" link on the left side of the page, and select "Join the Project.")