During the project

I got up early on the morning of the 16th and drove out to Acton Scott. I arrived to find the farm yard deserted, except for the animals. I set about moving my equipment into place – the neighing and braying, the crowing and cackling of the animals was fantastic. It was so much louder then than in the rest of the day. It was as if they were all sorting themselves out first thing before the people came.

I got everything ready by 10 and introduced myself to the staff who were getting ready for the visitors. Then I waited.

Eventually I saw a grandmother showing her two grandchildren the chicks being reared under an infrared light, I asked them if they would like to take a photo of them. Archie managed the camera and in a minute or two he had the first photo taken, downloaded and printed.

The day progressed like that, the sun and rain took turns and visitors got more frequent during the day. Staff got intrigued and had a go, went off and told their friends to come and have a look.

I wondered in to see the Model Wheelwrights Society in the Education Room. I was intrigued to find that one of their intricate models of old farm carts was the Shepherd’s Shelter that I photographed on my first visit. I took a close up photo of the table set inside with the miniature meal laid out for the miniature shepherd. It became one of the most popular photographs in the emerging exhibition. “It looks like a Rembrandt” said Brian, who had made the model.

People seemed to be intrigued and I was surprised how people took to the idea, mostly finding new and perceptive ways of interpreting the theme of Shelter.

Eventually some 30 or 40 people took part, either taking pictures, commenting on pictures, or just hanging out, enjoying the incongruity of the high tech equipment located in the barn.

After

At four o’clock we had a full set of framed photographs and the show was done.

I knew it had been a success when Michael Turner, from the Farm, came up to me afterwards and said that he would like to see perhaps four of the images made into postcards for their shop, “Pick the more quirky ones”, he said. It was that comment that pleased me more than most that day, the recognition that something unusual and slightly mysterious had happened and that people had enjoyed it.