EACH FARMER IS DIFFERENT.

When I travel to an area to photograph more farmers for my book, I spend an hour or three in the afternoon with them just chatting and finding out how, when, where and why they are farmers. This helps me decide how and where to photograph them. Often they live in their new, modern house on one part of the property, but the old house still stands. It may be used as a hay shed or as stock shelter or it may be left to collapse over the next fifty years. The same happens with sheds. The old wooden structure built by someone's pioneering grandfather now stands beside a towering aluminium machinery shed that would hold half a dozen of the original sheds. These old sheds are often where I will photograph the farmer and his family to preserve a link to the past that may soon be lost.

This family has been on the same property for generations. The shearers quarters in the background are part of a complex that includes the shearing shed that was finished on the day WW1 began in 1914. The date is carved into a supporting post under the shed.

The remains of the original house on this property is now a store room and an area that the kids can play without messing up the new house.

Fred and Marie breed Clydesdale horses and donkeys. Fred is also a world renowned weaver of tartans who has recently made a knee rug for the Victorian government to present to the Queen. Apparently she uses it in her car.

The portraits for my book are progressing nicely.

With all the rain in the area recently, it is always a bit of a concern whether or not I can get my Honda Accord onto the properties, let alone out into the paddocks. In this case we christened a brand new ute, testing it out against the washed out sections of the stubble paddocks to reach the old hayshed. I thought it was a good idea at the time. The resulting portraits made up for the effort. (especially since it was not my ute) Every afternoon there have been spectacular clouds, often threatening rain, but so far, so good. I can see myself stranded some day, in the middle of some country road with my Honda up to the axles in mud.