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Liz, Steve Rowe’s wife, messaged me to see if Steve’s slightly unusual passion might be of interest to this project, and of course I was intrigued to find out more. Steve and Liz own a smallholding in a village not too far from me called Stembridge.

The location was lovely, and after introductions, a brief tour, and a chat, I decided to set up at the entrance to their small barn. Lighting was ideal, with diffused sunlight backlighting the scene — my favourite, albeit sometimes tricky, light to work in.

Steve has been shearing show sheep for 10 years, and the awards adorning the barn are testament to his success. He explained that shearing was once used to sculpt a sheep’s wool, making it look more muscular at market and helping farmers get the best prices — these days, of course, it’s a dying art.

The sheep themselves were also at risk of being lost to history — not so long ago, they were a rare breed. Steve has bred the Coloured Ryeland for several years now, and thankfully stocks are once again healthy. Once again, I was blessed to meet some lovely people in a great location, and came away very thankful for their time.