Brian Ferry Documents Sheep Shearing In The Appalachian Mountains
- Words
- Jessica Jungbauer
With the Black Thorn Farm in the Appalachian mountains as his location, New York City-based photographer Brian Ferry set out to document the act of sheep shearing, ringing in the season of spring.
In collaboration with Adele Stafford of Voices of Industry, Ferry spent some time at the sheep farm in North Carolina run by to capture on film the work that goes into a woolen product – from the shearing of the sheep to the everyday business of running a farm. The wool was then used by Stafford for her FW14 fashion collection.
In a statement about the project, Ferry says: “The biggest thing I learned that week is that the prevailing view of the idyllic small farmer/landowner is really bullshit. The work is hard, the reality of it all can be brutal, and nature is uncompromising in many ways. We tend to think about these farmers growing organic vegetables and living a “simple life” on a beautiful piece of land … but [owners] Seth and Sharon are very realistic about the challenges they face and their lack of sentimentality about it all was refreshing.” Shooting mostly on film, the work of Brian Ferry spans various subjects, from fashion, lifestyle and still life to portraits and travel.
"We tend to think about these farmers growing organic vegetables and living a “simple life” on a beautiful piece of land … but Seth & Sharon are very realistic about the challenges they face and their lack of sentimentality about it all was refreshing."
All images © Brian Ferry
