Andrei:

I have attached some new photos from this week, and also 2 variations for the frame 20, with Andrew looking in a different direction.

There weren't many other activities besides farming. Basically, they have this daily routine and must do it every single day, even Sundays, Christmas Day, or any other.

I have tried to do some more photos in the house but unfortunately I don't have better photos with this situation.

Also I would like to ask you about the final edit, can you please tell me how many pictures do you think should be? And maybe you can give me some advice about with one are the best to tell the story?

Mario:

Thank you for this final set of images, you must have been a cow in your past life, because you are clearly communing with those beasts somehow and it shows in your engaging portraits of them! 47 and 44 somehow bring these motionless/expressionless creatures to life, in addition to your earlier work. I also very much like 49, it isn't immediately apparent that the hay bale is being moved by a machine, it initially feels like it is some sort of UFO hovering over the docile cows.

46 has nice light and contours, I feel like it could be helped with an additional element, such as a boot or hoof walking through. Some of the other working images clearly follow along with your personal style of man centered, graphically and consciously, amidst work. While this compositional style can sometimes be lacking, in your case I feel it works quite well. I think in the end you were correct with your initial edit on number 20, the alternates aren't as interesting.

My general feel about what you have communicated with this story to your audience is that traditional farming can be a lonely, solitary life, but at the same time a proud and productive one. In this vein my final edit would be something along the lines of 21, 35, 49, 47, 34, 33, 39, 45, 01, 33, 20. I think you want to keep the edit tight, to avoid redundancy. Somewhere around ten-twelve images I believe would be about right for this story.

I believe you have successfully provided a window onto rural farming in England. You have taken a subject that on the surface may appear mundane but you have revealed the struggle to maintain the legacy of one of the oldest human rituals, farming. Thank you for your efforts, well done.

Andrei:

Hehe, maybe I was a cow at some point in my other lives. I have really enjoyed photographing them.

I have attached the final selection based on your feedback.

I want to thank you very much for your support in this project. It was very useful to me to follow your suggestions. I've understood better how to build up a story like this.

Also I'm glad that I've taken part of this project that enriched my experience and pushed me to work.

Andrei:

I have attached some new photos from this week, and also the photos from week two. I had forgotten to attach them in the mail for week two.

Here are some captions for some of these photos:

1: the tank comes to collect the milk. At this time of year, they produce around 1,500 liters per day.

3: Andrew's mother is watching TV in the evening.

5: A cow is artificially inseminated.

10: An old photo with Andrew (he is the one with the calf in his arms) and his cousin.

11: This is Andrew's father in a moment of relaxation. On the wall is a painting with the first dog they had when they bought this farm 52 years ago.

12: An old photo with Andrew's grandfather at the farm.

14: Andrew and his nephew are feeding the calves.

17: Watching his nephew doing math homework.

This is what I've done so far. I hope to do some more of the things you have suggested in the coming days.

I look forward to hear from you.

Mario:

This story has taken a significant leap forward. Congratulations, it is taking shape quite nicely. I think your personal style has emerged, especially in the images of Andrew working. These images are beautifully and simply composed, but they speak to large truths. I get a sense from these of the profound connection this man has to his work, as if it is a deep part of his essence. I like that he is always in the center of the frame, as his work literally and metaphorically surrounds him in every frame. I think 35 is my favorite, but 12, 17 and 24 are also strong.

You have also done a strong effort with the dusk or dawn images. These evoke a mood that we were missing with the first set. It's a tough edit between 21 and 37; they both give us a grand sense of the landscape and highlight the daily ritual of farming, the rising or setting sun. I lean towards 21, as it has a bit more mystery. 36 also has lovely colors, but perhaps lacks the compositional strength of 21 and 37. I feel this frame needs another element. I like everything about frame 20 except that I feel like Andrew is looking at you. Perhaps there is a different frame where he is looking in a slightly different direction?

I like the detail images as well, especially the old picture of the grandfather. Please find out approximately which year this was taken for the caption, and also find out how many years the family has had the farm. It could be a cliché, but might be interesting to try to have Andrew holding the photo of himself as a kid, in the same spot from where that image was taken. Of the images from inside the home, 25 and 33 are my favorites — especially 33. 11 and 27 both have potential but could use another attempt.

For next week, if it is possible, I feel your viewers would be interested in any types of social activity the family engages in. Do they attend church or go to any events in town? Perhaps their entire life revolves around the farm, and if so, the images certainly reflect that. But if there is life outside the farm, that would be interesting to see as well. Even just a trip into town, riding in a vehicle with them as they go shopping or whatever, could be an added element. Also, they seem quite comfortable with you in their home, I would like to see more of these images, more with the complexity of frame 33. Some of the other ones tell the story, but are not a visually engaging as this frame.

Next week is our last week. Good luck, I look forward to your final set of work!

Best,

Mario

Andrei:

Thank you very much for your feedback, it was very helpful to go back there with these ideas in my mind.

The family is quite open, and they are getting used to having me around. This week I have tried to build up my relationship with them. I have also given them some prints with photos from what I've done so far, to make them more comfortable and to help them understand what I'm doing.

I didn't manage to depict all the suggested ideas that you gave me, but I'll try to do that in the following weeks.

They are working 7 days a week, around 12 hours per day, mainly Andrew with his father, but in some tasks are helped by two workers. At the same time, Andrew's mother is cooking for them and she takes care of the house.

They are selling the milk to a big supermarket. A tank comes every day to take the milk (around 1500 liters per day) but it's all automatic and takes no more than 5 minutes. I will try to capture this moment.

This is what I've done this week, hope in the next one I'll make a bigger progress.

Mario:

Thanks for the update. I'm very pleased to hear the family is comfortable with you, so you have already crossed one major hurdle. That's great that you are bringing them prints, this simple act can really work wonders.

I think it would be interesting to see images of Andrew's mother cooking and taking care of the house. Perhaps the other workers might be interesting as well. Also, how long has the family had this farm? Because if it has been with them for generations, it might also be enlightening to see some old photos of the earlier generations if they have them, to understand the lineage and connection to the land. Or older tools, or uniforms, anything that might help us understand the history a bit. Perhaps that tanker picture won't be so exciting, but it is worth a try. Is milk the only product produced on the farm?

Good luck and I look forward to the next set of images next week.

Andrei:

In the 1940s, there were almost 500,000 small farms in Britain and almost all of them were worked by families. By 1970, the number had almost halved. Nowadays there are less than 100,000, with more and more of these small farmers struggling to survive.

Factory farming contributes to the decline in farm numbers. Small farms cannot keep up with the changing economy. It is just too hard for most. It is mostly the larger farms and agriculture business that remain. Like all businesses, the larger the operation, the cheaper is the production, so agriculture became industrialized. About 10 small farms shut down not being able to compete for every new huge factory farm. Furthermore, the supermarket chains, which control the majority of the UK food market, only want to deal with big farmers who can deliver exactly what the supermarket wants, when it wants it.

The decline of small farms in the UK is also being accelerated by the sale of country land to city people who want old houses in the countryside and do not want the bother of maintaining the land.

Organic and selling direct to the consumer through farmers' markets may by an option for some farmers, but there is only a limited amount of room. Unless traditional family farms will be sustained by government or find something else to do, many will have to stop farming.

During the following month I plan to underline this issue by documenting life at one family farm from Cardiff area, Wales.

Tyla Farm is a typical small family farm, owned by Andrew and his father. Andrew's parents bought it 52 years ago, and since then this is how the family makes their living.

I intend to spend as much time as I can with them, to get a sense of how a farm like this works and how is the life of a small farmer.

Mario:

I think this is a strong story choice and one that people all over the world will relate to. It has local, national and global relevance. You have gotten off to a good start with the images you have so far. The expressions in the working images are strong, but I would like to see you get closer, physically close into these farmers' faces as they work. It is important of course to have context and background in some of them, but also I really would like to see the struggle, the hard work, shown only in their faces, in their eyes, without anything else.

How has the family responded to your presence? Are they comfortable with you spending as much time with them as you hope to do?

You're probably already familiar with this work, but if you're looking for inspiration the images from the Farm Security Administration project are a great place to start. For those who don't know, great photographers like Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Arthur Rothstein and others documented struggling farmers in the U.S. during the Depression in what became a landmark in the history of documentary photography.

You have a nice eye for light. I like images #1 and #8 the best so far. I know you are just getting started but here are a couple ideas to begin with: If you can shoot more of the family having a meal together I think this image can be stronger. I would also like to see how this place looks at sunrise, sunset and at night. Are they still working into the evening or just resting? Images of downtime and relaxation will provide a good context as well. It will be informative to see to whom they are selling their goods as well. And if possible to see how the entire property looks like from a high view, to see the whole landscape of the place. These are some ideas for starters, we can go more in depth as the story progresses. Great start!