I’m not a big hard candy guy. When I was a kid visiting my grandparents’ place I would definitely eat me a butterscotch or two out of their candy jar, but these days, hardly ever.

Brian, on the other hand, if our photo shoot time is any indication, is a prodigious consumer of tootsie roll pops. Sure, as I got set up he mentioned that it was “a little early” to be hitting the pops (10:30). Then he proceeded to take down four or five in a little over an hour. And unlike earlier snack series participants Alex or Carrie, there didn’t seem to be any ill effects. In fact I’m pretty sure he went straight to #6 as soon as I walked out the door.

But what can you expect? He’s a software engineer; those guys resort to some drastic measures to keep the focus going.

I was a little sad, but not exactly surprised to learn from Brian that you can’t – and never could – collect a certain number of wrappers with the Native American shooting the star and turn them in for free stuff. Apparently that was an urban legend. But Brian does remember bringing one of the special wrappers to the store when he was little and getting a free replacement pop. Man, those were the days.

The latest addition to the snack series happened during naptime at my friend Carrie’s place. Her two daughters were asleep, making it the perfect time for a little quiet work at the computer and a ramekin of Carrie’s go-to snack, GORP.

OK, so it’s not the flashiest, most showy snack, but who can argue with its effectiveness? And Carrie just recently learned that her mom gave her the same snack at bedtime when she was little, so it’s got history.

Interesting conversation during the shoot with Carrie’s brother Brian, in for the weekend from Seattle. Apparently Brian’s favorite snack is apples and peanut butter. He cuts the apple in to eight pieces every time, and he has it down so that he scoops out exactly the right amount of peanut butter every time. I asked him whether he scoops out a little extra on the PB if it’s been a particularly long day and he feels like he deserves a little treat. He said no, more doesn’t make it better – there’s a perfect proportion and he sticks to it. I gotta say that such thinking almost never occurs to me when it comes to food, particularly snacks. Then again, he’s an engineer, I’m a food photographer.

What’s your favorite snack? Can I take your picture eating it? Drop me a line to set something up. chris (at) chrisbohnhoff dot com.

The sweet and the salty. . . eaters the world over seek its perfect balance, and my cousin Mari has found it. At McDonald’s.

Is she content to eat a fry, then a bite of ice cream? No. It’s got to be the dip.

What I like about these shots is the feeling that when you’re with your snack the world just fades away. In a suburban strip mall parking lot? No you’re not. You’re on a grassy knoll eating delicious fries and ice cream.

Cars and guilty snacks go together. Only the best of the best health-conscious eaters can resist jamming the back seat on a road trip with M & M’s, doritos, Slim Jims, and various other gas station delicacies, right?? Of course you’d never eat those things during normal times, but you’re in a car. It’s like a nutritional safe zone.

My friend Alex is hilarious. She told me before we started, “I’m one of those people who count the number of chips and stop at the serving size. Except for the broken ones; they don’t count.”

Alex recommends participation in the snack series to anyone trying to break a food addiction. 45 minutes of eating your guilty snack and you don’t want to see it again for. . . a while.

I love food. It’s one of my favorite subjects. My favorite time of day? Lunch. Second favorite? Snacktime.

When did I make this vinagrette? Why am I talking to a loaf of bread?

Snacks are such a personal thing. They’re horded in desk drawers, tucked on top of refrigerators, carried to work or school in briefcases and backpacks. And snacks can be very specific: if you’re a Cheez Its person (like I am), no other cheese cracker will quite do. And I’d wager that to some of you out there, a peanut butter granola bar is *far* different from an oats ‘n’ honey. Maybe an oats ‘n’ honey person will eat a peanut butter in a pinch, but it’s somehow not quite the same.

What I’m getting at here is that you’ve got some go to snacks. Maybe you make them, maybe you walk down the block to the gas station to get them. Whatever your snack is, it’s a part of a lot of your days, a part that rejuvenates and gets you back in the game. It’s a part of your personal style, even. Only some people have the smoke break; everyone has snack break.

Why the snack post? Because I want to know, my socially networked friends, what your snack is, and then I want to photograph you and your snack. It’s a little personal project I’m starting. I’ll even provide the snack itself, or the ingredients with which the snack is built. I’ll work with your schedule. It’ll be fun, because we’ll have snacks.

Boring snack, crazy unique snack, eaten at work or at home. . . I want ‘em all. Share your snack in the comments, and email me at chris (at) chrisbohnhoff.com, or tweet me @chrisbohnhoff and we can do a little snack shoot.