We just finished our latest Summer shoot on a farm resort here in Jervis Bay, and oh wasn't it an amazing two days! When we initially visited the venue we couldn't believe that we hadn't been there before (being that The Woods Farm is almost literally around the corner from our house). It's a treasure trove of beautiful shoot locations, stunning accommodation and not just animals, but at the moment baby animals ... goats in particular.
Random (camel) fact: Camel calves are born without humps and need to gain weight before acquiring them as humps on a camel store fat, not water. This fat storage keeps them cool and can also be used as a calorie fix when needed.
Oh, and did I mention they are just so damn cute?!
So!
We had a fantabulous lunch on day 1! An amazing grazing table supplied by Jervis Bay Grazing appeared just when we needed it and, oh my ... swoon!
We then finished up with dessert from the in-house ice cream bicyclette. With our very own ice cream dude!
Once lunch was done it was back to work, and this time we were heading to the goat enclosure. The females had had their babies a few weeks before, and guests were only just allowed in with them. If you have never seen a baby goat, please ready yourself ... I think we all left that enclosure with an unhealthy desire to adopt one or two!
Although I think Tia was contemplating how far she could get on foot while no one was watching ...
The mama goats got some love too ... once they stopped trying to eat our clothing, water bottles and Chris' camera that is.
Random (goat) fact: Goats have a sophisticated warning system to notify other goats of (perceived) danger. They … wait for it … sneeze to warn each other of danger, whether real or imagined.
We stopped for a couple of quick shots at the children's caravan play area, and came across these two getting out of the midday heat ... one quite happily sat there and posed for us!
Next stop: the chicken coop! These mother cluckers didn't want anything to do with us and were herding toward the rooster so we thought we'd better get out of there ... just in case. Anyone else actually been chased by a rooster?!
(My grandfather used to keep chickens and I got chased right out of there once! Yes, a long time ago now but I remember).
Random (chicken) facts: Chickens outnumber humans 4:1! They can remember up to 100 faces (both chicken and human) as well, so let's keep that in mind people ... in case, you know viva la poultry rèvolution!
The last shot of the weekend had been causing some concern for Tia and Maely since I first mentioned it was something I'd like to do at the start of the shoot.
Keep in mind that even though the sun was out in all it's splendour, it was still technically Winter and late in the day at that. They both braved the chill though and we got the shot done!
We had an absolute blast at our 'Animal Farm' photo shoot! Fears were overcome, new experiences were had and love affairs between the whole team and baby goats were forged. Not sure how we'll top that, but I'm sure we will!
Until next time,
Mel Xx
