What's the product?

North Carolina has one of the best Community College systems in the nation. No matter where you live in North Carolina there's low cost post secondary education available if you want it. Some counties combine with their neighbors to host the schools, but there's a campus in every one of North Carolinas' 100 counties.

All of them offer college transfer courses for students who wish to go on to graduate from a four year college, but the focus is mainly on real world job skills ... they train nurses, machinists, automotive mechanics.

They offer adult high school, GED & ESL along with focused training programs to fit the needs of local employers and a New and Expanded Industry Training program to prepare students to find work in emerging industries - particularly computer & "green" technologies.

They also offer offer degrees in commercial & artistic production fields, which is where I come in.

I'm a photography student at Randolph Community College.

Just down the road a piece in Pinehurst, NC is Sandhills Community College where they have a number of agriculture programs supporting the local "industry" - world famous golf resorts. As part of their Landscape Gardening program the college hosts a botanical garden and demonstration landscape gardens, including this xericulture garden.


I had a requirement for a "product" shot using available light and I remembered this little garden. I shot it lit by the sky with just a hint of the sun peeking over the garden wall.

 
A couple of plates, a couple of wine glasses ... a wine bottle re-filled with cranberry juice since alcohol is not allowed on campus without a special permit ... and it became an inviting alfresco dining experience inviting the viewer into the frame.