“It’s my form of mindfulness”: Lill Daley and others share photographs of life on the land

Lill Daley

This 32-year-old from Bendigo, Victoria, has reignited her passion for taking photographs. See more of her work @lens.of.lill.

I purchased my first camera in secondary school and would spend school holidays down at my grandparents’ dairy farm in Johanna, in the Otway Ranges along the Great Ocean Road. Half the acreage they held was untouched bush with the remnants of old logging tracks, and I would spend hours just wandering and noticing, camera in hand. There seemed to be inspiration everywhere: hay going out, milking the cows, feeding the poddy calves, fencing, Nanna’s cottage garden. In my eyes, everything told a story.

Living in Bendigo is almost the polar opposite: the lush ranges are replaced with cropping flats, sheep dominate livestock markets and the ground is constantly in need of rain.

I’ve been teaching, mostly in upper primary, for nearly 10 years, and have noticed a shift in my attitude towards the profession. As a graduate, I was a loyal soldier, often devoting most of my weekends to correcting, creating resources and researching ideas for lessons. Now I’ve got children that doesn’t interest me as much. I’ve got a passion for working with the kids, but the admin side of things only seems to grow each year, and my enjoyment is fading.

I love the way photography forces me to slow down and be in the moment — it’s my form of mindfulness. It’s a real privilege to be let into the lives of the rural families I document, especially when our sessions take place on the properties they’ve held for multiple generations.

I dream of being able to travel Australia, reaching families in remote places who may have never had family photos taken.

Photography allows me not only to connect with others but also to reconnect with myself, and my identity before the kids came along. With my first child, Hamish, now three, I felt a shell of my former self — sleep deprived and uncertain of who I was. With my second child, Charlotte, who is four months old, I made a conscious effort to schedule opportunities for photography, all while soaking up the fleeting newborn stage.

It’s also left me wondering what I did with all my spare time pre-kids. Time is just so difficult to come by at the moment, that opportunities for me to wander for hours around a property or go for a drive with my camera in tow are just so few and far between. I never take these precious moments for granted now!

Charlize Bradley

Located in the heart of the ‘Golden Triangle’ at Croppa Creek, New South Wales, this 19-year-old began taking photographs after she was injured in a riding accident. To see more of her work, go to @charlize.bradley.

My passion for riding started early. I began competing on ponies in primary school but, as I grew up, I ended up leaving mainstream school, switching over to online education at 15 to focus on my riding career and travel the show circuit with my horses.

About a year ago, I had a life changing injury. One thing I always enjoyed was training and breaking in young horses, and this is how my accident happened.

I was based in Victoria at the time and was riding a breaker. No-one really knows what happened, but that day I sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as well as multiple tears and strains along the left side of my body. I was unresponsive in hospital.

Weeks after my injury, once rehabilitation began, more issues were starting to arise and further investigations followed when the doctors found more damage through my hip and shoulder and also my vision. Over the past year I have had a team of seven incredible doctors assisting me with my recovery, including neuro physios, neurologists, surgeons and specialists.

Throughout the past year of adapting to my new normal, when I was very limited as to what I could do, I often found myself behind the lens of a camera. I still have limitations and struggles but my day-to-day has completely changed. I am lucky to have such a great support group around me here and I’m looking forward to growing my photography.

Moving forward I hope to grow within my photography while being fuelled by passion. The photography on the pages of Graziher pages has been a source of inspiration for me: showcasing diverse stories that highlight the beauty in a rural lifestyle. This has motivated me to share my photos with you.

Caitlyn Deigan

Based in the Northern Territory, Caitlyn, 36, is a mother of three and works in the construction industry. For more of her work: @caitlyndeigan

I’m a regional photographer capturing the land I live on — sometimes from the paddock, sometimes from above using a drone. I grew up in the wheatbelt of Western Australia and have spent the past 18 years in the Northern Territory, now splitting time between them both when able. I’m currently based just outside of Darwin.

I work full time as a commercial project administrator in the construction industry. It keeps me busy, but I enjoy being part of projects that help shape the places we live and work in.

I’m also mum to three amazing kids: Sienna, 14, Hamish, 10, and William, five. Life is a juggle between school runs and work deadlines, with creative moments squeezed in whenever I can.

Most of my photography happens in those in-between windows: a quick roadside shot or the last light hitting a paddock. I keep my drone and camera in my BT-50 truck, ready to catch those moments.

My images reflect the slower, quieter parts of rural life, where cattle shift in dusty light, fences stretch out toward the horizon, and nature draws unexpected patterns across the land.

The images I’m sharing are a reflection of the places I’ve called home. From early mornings in the southwest of Western Australia, to dusty roadsides and rodeo grounds in the Territory, each shot holds a small piece of my rural journey.

Ashlee Cristiani

Originally from Echuca in northern Victoria, Ashlee now travels around Australia with her young family, while her husband works as a contractor on rural properties. She shares her work @ashleecristianiphotography. 

Our family is kind of like that Energizer bunny — we can’t seem to stop and settle down somewhere for more than a few years. We’ve been across the country, twice, and returned. We always seem to find ourselves in the middle of Queensland somewhere.

At the moment, we’re travelling around Australia, while my husband Luke contracts on stations and I photograph families.

I met Luke in 2018 in the Northern Territory. I was working in admin and he was a ringer. We now have two beautiful children: Billie, five, and Coby, four.

We’re currently living on an organic beef cattle property called Elrose station, near Boulia, in north-west Queensland. I help with the farm duties at times and keep the home fires burning. My dream is to travel full time, photographing remote and rural weddings.

Connect with us and share your lens on rural life by tagging @graziher, #graziher or #GraziherMagazine in your Instagram posts for a chance to feature in a future issue of the magazine. 

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