Earth & Light: Capturing the Intimacy of Planting in Clay

There's something profoundly grounding about working with soil and clay — hands dirty, breath steady, the quiet ritual of placing life into earth. Last week, we set out to document this process through a short video and photography session. The subject was simple: planting a small leafy green into a handmade clay pot. But the creative direction? Rich, moody, and cinematic.

The Concept
We wanted to go beyond standard gardening content and instead frame this as a meditative, artful moment — more like a short film than a tutorial. Our visual brief centered on a dark, minimal background with a strong backlight to bring out textures: the fine dust of dry soil, the fingerprints on clay, and the translucent glow of green leaves.

We were inspired by the aesthetic of film noir and natural light documentaries — soft shadows, hard highlights, and a deep focus on tactile experience. We aimed to evoke a sense of solitude and intimacy, like stumbling upon someone in their own quiet world of creation.

The Setup
Background: We used a matte black cloth backdrop to absorb light and remove distractions, letting the subject stand out in stark relief.

Lighting: A single backlight, diffused with a softbox, gave us that cinematic rim light — the kind that makes the edges of the subject glow. A bounce card in front helped fill in just enough shadow detail.

The Session
There’s a natural rhythm in this kind of shoot — no need for dialogue or direction-heavy setups. Just movement, repetition, and observation. We filmed the subject slowly scooping soil, gently tucking roots into the pot, pressing the earth down, then watering from a clay vessel. The visuals told the story.

Sound design played a big part too — we recorded foley: the crunch of soil, the soft rub of clay, and the tiny splash of water. These paired with a slow, ambient track created a sense of calm and reverence.

Final Thoughts
This session reminded us how powerful simplicity can be when framed with intention. A humble act like planting becomes poetic when you give it time, space, and light. Whether you’re a filmmaker, photographer, or simply someone who loves plants — there’s beauty in the dirt, and a story in every leaf.

Camera: Canon C80
Lens: Canon several lens
Filter: none
Location: Switzerland

I'm a freelance Filmmaker in Zurich, looking forward to meeting you here on HIVE and explore visual Art.
All my posts are original content when not stated otherwise.

Check out my Portfolio and Links.
Website: http://isnz.ch/
YouTube: https://goo.gl/rQaiFV
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isnz.ch/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@isnz.ch

Travel
Where I book hotels: https://bit.ly/riohotel
Where I book the cheapest flights: https://goo.gl/HRhxoy
Credit card with best commissions for travels: http://bit.ly/travelcreditcard
Editing software: http://bit.ly/editing_software

Disclaimer
This is no financial advice. Everything written is my opinion only and you should do your own research. Investing in Bitcoin and other cryptos, lending, DeFi, liquidity mining are high risk investments. You could lose everything, only invest what you can afford.
Bear in mind that some links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.