Faces & Food of the Fleurieu is a hardcover book that I’ve been shooting for publisher Rojina McDonald. It celebrates the faces and food of the Fleurieu Peninsula, and showcases the stories behind the people, their livelihoods and this vibrant region.

I know I’ve been a little quiet on here as of late – I’ve been shooting around the clock, and to say it’s been a busy start to the year would be an understatement! As shoots are just about to wrap up, I wanted to share some of the images from the incredibly diverse places I’ve been so you have a bit of an idea of what we’ve been up to, and of course to get you excited in the lead up to the pre-release later this month.

Without giving away too much, here is a little sneak peak of what to expect (image-wise) in what I know will be an awesome and inspiring book. For now, I’ll leave it for the photos to do the talking, as the print will detail each individual story, recipe and/or tip.

Reggie and I have covered so much ground – it’s been such a fun way to spend Spring & Summer (and to get out of the city in between my other freelance jobs). Ensuring that the entire Fleurieu region is accurately represented, we’ve shot venues and producers from McLaren to Myponga, Goolwa to Cape Jervis, the Coorong to Strathalbyn, and pretty much everywhere in-between.

Many people know the Fleurieu, although most wouldn’t know the extent of what the region produces as a whole – Faces & Food of the Fleurieu will showcase just that. There are gardeners and growers of various sizes who focus on seasonality and locality, growing variations of fruits, vegetables, kitchen herbs, salad greens, rare herbs, edible flowers and foraged weeds. There are coffee roasters, honey producers, diary farmers, bakeries, fruit orchards, olive groves, free range eggs farmers, fermentation specialists, cheese makers, beef producers, fish and seafood specialists and gourmet food producers.

There are so many things I personally love about the region, but from a photography point of view, the colours and the light are an absolute dream. Being the photo geek that I am, I like to observe the way light moves throughout each shoot, and focus on little details that add personality to a space.

The people of the Fleurieu are generous, hospitable and ever so passionate about what they grow or make. I love that everyone takes an immense amount of pride in what they do, and that there is an obvious focus on and respect for the land and animals. It’s been really important for me to accurately represent this appreciation and connection to the landscape in my style of photography, shooting in a documentary, editorial manner.

I’ve always loved the Fleurieu, when you grow up in South Australia with a region like this at your doorstep, it’s easy to think the whole world has this too. It takes going away to appreciate what you have and that acknowledgment – we have it pretty, damn good. It was this realisation Rojina had when in London when asked where she was from, and realising there was no book to show, which inspired her to put Faces & Food of the Fleurieu together.

Rojina McDonald has coordinated such an inspiring, thoughtful and passionate book, one that will not only be a cookbook, but also a regional guide to the Fleurieu and it’s producers. I’ve been thrilled to be involved with the photography and I can’t wait to see it in print.

The initial pre-release will launch on Saturday April 28th.

Follow @facesandfoodofthefleurieu for details and pre-release link to come.

PUBLISHER – Rojina McDonald

DESIGN – Kim Jericho of Brady & Co. Creative

WRITER – Heather Millar

As always, enjoy the adventure and do what you do with love.

JW x