© 2003, Eric Rudd, All Rights Reserved

Farmers' markets have always held a particularly tender spot in my heart. The sense of family and community is palpable. Individual creativity abounds in every booth. My fiancée and I went to the Oak Park farmers' market early one Saturday morning in search of some rather infamous homemade doughnuts. We wound our way up and down the rows of flowers, herbs, crafts, and other wares. All around us people greeted one another with laughter, while the children tried to pet any dog that would stand still long enough to receive some attention.

I shot this photo at a fruit stand there. I can look at this photo and be immediately transported back to that time and place. Captured in the colors and the simplicity of the picture is the feeling of connection we share with those close to us. Everyone there was a friend to the stranger standing next to him.

By the way, the doughnuts were the best I've ever had!
--Eric Rudd
Oak Park, IL

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The premise of Talking Pictures is that all of us have images that carry an internal narrative that we rarely get to share. This entails more than just camera, exposure, and film. It might include what provoked us to snap the shutter or how, in retrospect, the image makes us feel.

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