Ellen Watson Points Her Camera at Channing Daughters Winery

You might remember that last year, Ellen Watson, the East Hampton photographer who serves as the resident photographer for LENNDEVOURS, took a series of pictures at Wolffer Estate Vineyard. In the series, she chronicled a two specific rows of chardonnay as they changed throughout the seasons. The series is available online.

This year, Ellen will be taking on a slightly different project for LENNDEVOURS at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton.

Rather than following the evolution of two rows, she’ll be following the changes that three clusters of three different grape varieties make throughout the growing season. Specifically, she has identified a cluster of merlot, a cluster of pinot grigio and a cluster of chardonnay that she’ll be photographing.

About the project, Ellen says:

"Similar to the Wolffer study of rows 18 & 19, this will be a study of one cluster of grapes over the growing season. Then, Christopher Tracy (the winemaker) came out to show me around, and suggested photographing three varieties of grapes, because as the grapes mature, their appearance gets quite different from each other. We chose merlot, pinot grigio and chardonnay. At this point, the grapes are all very small and a yellow-green color. Upon arrival, I was also happily reminded by the posted signs, that Channing Daughters is part of the Peconic Land Trust.

I went to Channing Daughters for my first visit on July 10th. This day should go down in history as one of the loveliest Summer days ever. The temperature was in the mid-70’s, the sky was a perfect blue with gorgeous cirrus clouds and there was a breeze that was heavenly. It could not have been more perfect. In fact, I said to Chris that it would be a great day to lay down in the grass and take a nap! The day reminded me of being a kid and doing something carefree like that. There was a hush over the acres of vineyards; the only real sound I could make out was the breeze blowing thru the vines (you can see them blowing in some of the photos) and once in a while, the far away drone of a plane overhead. I could not even hear the traffic on the road.

Having arrived at Channing Daughters with the idea of shooting landscapes in mind, I did not have my macro lens with me for close-ups of the grape clusters. So, I decided to shoot the front of each of the rows that I will be documenting. These images are intended to give you a sense of place."