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Every harvest has its own rhythm. At Dry River, that rhythm is set by people who care passionately about what they're making. Founder Neil McCallum planted the first vines here in 1979, and today winemaker Ben McNabb and marketing manager Jillian Jesseph carry that responsibility forward. Watching them work, it's easy to understand why Dry River has earned a reputation as a world class producer of fine wines. Ben moves through the winery with an intensity akin to the most driven artists and scientists I've encountered. When he's sampling from a barrel, he's searching for something almost intangible. Ideas appear on walls and scraps of paper. Processes are mapped out in ways that seem chaotic until you realise that every mark has meaning. He’s tuning the wine, to reveal its latent potential. Those are the moments I'm interested in photographing. Not the anticipated and highly polished narrative, rather the idiosyncrasies that reveal earthy character. I’m drawn to the gestures people aren’t aware they're making. The concentration, humour, exhaustion, pride and connection that sit beneath the surface of their well-honed craft. My visits to Dry River are replete with those moments. The physically demanding work of the vineyard is often repetitive and rarely glamorous. I find it deeply rewarding to spend time with people who are wholly invested in a shared purpose. Their long days are full of ritual and response, and by the end of harvest, the team look more like a family. If I’m photographing a winemaker, a boatload of fishermen, a ballet class or a cast assembled for a commercial campaign, I'm always reaching for the same thing: images that have that lived-in, emotionally honest feeling, and that honour the characters represented in them. The photographs in this collection were made during the 2026 Dry River harvest. They reflect one of the ways I love to work when given the freedom to observe, generate and follow a story wherever it leads. After many years working across documentary, editorial, lifestyle and fine art photography, I'm excited to be entering a new chapter represented by IDC Worldwide, led by my dream agent / producer, Michele Richards-Berry. I'm looking forward to collaborating with creative teams who value authenticity, strong storytelling and images that leave room for people to see themselves in the frame. Thank you to Michele, and to Ben and Jillian for giving me their trust and generosity. I’m absolutely honoured by the invitation to be part of their worlds.
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