Better Wine: Dry Rosé Cider Review
November 26, 2019
Cider & Snacks: Coyote Hole Cider & Route 11 Chips
December 7, 2019
You’ve heard the expression “the apple of my eye” before, I am sure of it. But, what if that were really true? For cider fans of all shapes and sizes, we definitely show our love for the fruit that makes all things cider possible. The apple is iconic. It has deep roots in our history and even evokes a shape in your head from the earliest years of your life. For William Mullen, he saw something simple, in all of its beauty, and it all of its variety, and sought to capture is natural beauty.
I would show you some of his work, as it is truly beautiful, but I rather you pull away from our site and experience it as he has it displayed. You can see his artwork on his website here and on his Instagram, pomme_queen. With such a talented artist shooting this beautiful fruit, we wanted to see where he got his inspiration. We were able to sit down with William and ask him a few questions.
What got you into photography?
I’ve always been a visual person. When I was younger I wanted to be a filmmaker. I went through phases of drawing and painting too. I didn’t think about photography until I got really interested in food, and started working at Raaka Chocolate (I still work there!). We needed product photos all the time, but I really couldn’t afford it regularly, so I decided to just teach myself. After a while, I realized I really, really liked taking photos and wanted to start my own project, which led to Odd Apples.
Why use apples as your shooting subject?
I became pretty taken with apples in high school. I was living in the UK at the time, where I had access to really great British apples. I can still recall coming across my first Egremont Russet at a Waitrose (a UK supermarket). It really, really blew me away. I recall being really perplexed and amused by how much it looked like a russet potato. I knew it had to be good because it defied conventional beauty standards. It was amazing, of course, and from that moment on I pretty much caught this apple bug. I read a lot of material online, learned about their heterozygous nature, their history; read up on different cultivars and fantasized about tasting them. When I think about apples, I feel like the same sense of wonder I do about things like the ocean or even the universe itself – it seems like there is an infinite number of them. While that’s not true perse, it would be impossible to find and taste every apple in existence in one’s lifetime. I find that incredible, humbling and beautiful. Apples are truly awesome in the actual sense of the word.
I went to college in Southern California, where good apples are scarce, so my while obsession didn’t go away, it kind of went dormant for a little bit. Now, I live in New York City, where I’m spoiled with them compared to SoCal. The idea to profile them in a photo study came about pretty naturally. I was eating a Pink Pearl in 2017, and I kept seeing images of it against some of the backdrops I use to shoot our chocolate at Raaka, so I decided to shoot it! It ended up being a lot of fun, so I did some more.
Are you a cider drinker?
I am! I’m actually celiac and I really cannot stomach anything above 14% alcohol from a taste perspective (I’m trying!), so cider is perfect for me. I also love bubbles. Live for them. I really like dry, tart ciders but won’t pass up something sweet. I love Eden, Eve’s, Floral Terranes, Redbryd, and Aaron Burr. Some of my favorites are really hard to get like Proper Cider (some of their ciders are made from fruit foraged in Greenwood Cemetary).
What is your favorite apple and favorite apple shot you have taken?
Hard to say because I don’t really think about that, but maybe the first Hidden Rose photos I took because I felt fairly competent for once.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Music. I think music and album covers have inspired me the most. Not sure why. I’m not like majorly into music any more than a regular person. Maybe my tastes are different but I consume it the way most people do. But I think some of my favorite artists have really inspired the moods in some of my photos. Other than that, it’s kind of a mix between what the apple is about, the energy it exudes, what it tastes like, and honestly how I am feeling at the time. One time I was really sad and I found myself taking a lot of tender apple photos, which is funny to think about in hindsight.
Any other books planned for the future?
Definitely working on another one. The first was only a taste, no pun intended! There are so many more apples I’ve been able to photograph since then. It will be available sometime in 2020.
Side note – Andrew had his first book available, Odd Apples, but it is unfortunately sold out for now.
Where do you get the apples from?
All over! A lot of them have come from Gidon Coll’s research orchard in Ancram, NY, and the USDA Agricultural Research Station in Geneva. Other than that, Scott Farm in Vermont, Maine Heritage Orchard, Samascott Orchard, Fishkill Farms, Redbyrd’s orchard, and Vulture Hill!
