Rain, Wind, Chicken's and Tomatoes

Where Have I Been?

Thank you. Honestly. I’m really grateful you’re here and that you take the time to read these. This space is one of the only places where I speak honestly and openly, so it means a lot to know someone’s on the other side of it.

First up, I’ve been flat out, which is why there’ve been no emails for a few weeks. Let me explain.

If you're outside of Australia, we’ve just hit the end of the financial year on June 30. That means the commercial work I do has been full-on, with budgets closing and last-minute shoot requests taking over pretty much all of June. It’s been hectic in the best way.

I’ve also been shooting on a farm, which has meant a trip down south into the beautiful South West of WA. I’ve been updating image libraries and creating some new portraits for local farms. And on top of all that, I’ve been deep in the process of building new work for my fine art series, getting it ready to pitch this week. That part has had me feeling all kinds of nervous, but I’m pushing through.

So that’s the quick catch-up. Thanks for sticking around. I’ll be back in your inbox next week with more of the good word from Adam.

Commercially, it’s been go go go. I’ve been busy, which is great, but it’s not work I’ll be sharing much of. That’s that.

The farm shoot has been in the works for over six months. We’d been holding out for some rain so the farm could green up and look beautiful, instead of the dry yellow stretch most of regional Australia wears for nine months of the year.

Will share a lot more over the coming weeks about this place.

It was incredible. This particular farm raises pasture raised chickens, and although I thought I had a solid understanding of how farming works, growing up in rural Ireland and all. I realised I knew very little. I learned so much in just 36 hours. Things like the fact that egg-laying hens and meat chickens are completely different breeds. The level of care, planning, and intention that goes into ethical, sustainable farming absolutely blew me away.

The work these people do every single day, rain or shine, to grow food that’s not only nourishing but also traceable and honest, is something I deeply admire. It made me think about how disconnected we often are from where our food actually comes from.

I also had the chance to photograph a hydroponic tomato farm here in Perth. It’s a year-round operation thanks to the controlled glasshouse environment and a very impressive hydro setup. Photographing tomatoes isn’t as easy as it sounds. I had to work hard to find the right light, the right angles, and to really understand the process so I could represent it properly.

The scale of the operation was huge, with rolling tracks for collecting the fruit and for moving the vines so they grow continuously. I learned each vine takes around eight weeks from start to finish of the fruit harvest. Those same rollers are also heated, keeping the glasshouse at a toasty 25ish degrees, which made it a warm one to shoot in but added another layer of respect for how cleverly the place is run.

And then there’s Gaoth.

I’ve been out chasing wind and gaps in the rain to make more images for the series. The weather’s been very average, but that’s meant more wind, which is what I’m after. It’s winter now, so wildflowers are scarce, but you can just start to see the colours of spring waiting around the corner. I’m excited to see what that shift brings.

The display plans for Gaoth have shifted quite a bit. They haven’t changed entirely, but I’m realising just how big the interactive element might be. It’s got me thinking bigger, and it’s brought in ideas I never saw coming. There are more people involved now, and more layers of collaboration beginning to take shape.

It still feels a bit murky. I’m in the middle of it all, trying to figure out where I’m going and how to steer this thing. Right now, it feels like I’m stuck in the bay, drifting with the tides. But I’m hopeful that this week will bring some clarity and I’ll be able to set a course with a bit more confidence.

Thats a fairly decent catchup I feel?
More next week

Have a fantastic week people,
With love,
Adam