Photography by Stephen Robinson
Random House - $39.99
‘The farm spirit lives in all of us’, writes self-confessed city boy and photographer, Stephen Robinson. Our connection to the land is significant and long-standing; whether we live in the city or a rural community.
Remembering the farm stays of his youth, Robinson set out on a journey, camera in hand, to record his impressions of farm life and to capture the voices of the nation’s farmers and farming folk, a surprising number of whom write poems, stories, songs and ballads.
During his tour of the country, Robinson saw an opportunity to gather together poems by New Zealand’s ‘paddock poets’ and accompany them with his collection of rural photographs, as a tribute to our farms and farmers. The call for entries was run by internet provider Farmside, resulting in submissions from around the country, and offering a unique insight into contemporary rural life, with a nod to the historical, not often appreciated by townies.
What makes men muster sheep, city folk might ask? Jim Morris answers this question simply and lyrically in The Reasons, from which a stanza . . .
‘It’s the frosty early mornings
As the dawn breaks clear and bright,
And the mists rise from the valleys
As the day takes o’er from night.’
And in Barney, Lorraine Miller poeticises the natural order of things . . .
‘The rabbit with a habit
Of still dining after dawn
Could very easily find itself
In shreds upon the lawn
For our speedy little foxy
With accelerated blur
Has one thought only on his mind
Connecting teeth with fur’
Rural Delivery is a book of stunning images and lyrical words from heartland New Zealand; an honest expression of farm life, working livestock and the land, with all its joys, hardships and tribulations, and a glimpse into the hearts and minds of the custodians of our land.
About the photographer:
Stephen Robinson has been shooting photographs for over 25 years and is best known for his food and landscape photography. He lives in downtown Auckland but spends a lot of time travelling the country. His camera is always with him.
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