Regal in her Own Backyard

I went along to one of the very first Hunting for Foxes photo shoots in support of a friend who had orchestrated a moving and thoughtful shoot, with many props and hidden meanings. My sole purpose on this occasion was to load the delicate white tea cup with white wine to offer courage!! I was totally amazed by the process of Nat the photographer catching THE photo....and of the time and energy that had gone in to facilitating this shoot out on a deserted clay pan!!!

So when my photo shoot day arrived....I felt like a bit of a fraud! My concept was far from thoughtful and my only real prop was our living room chair which was to be carried outdoors...and of course the fox terrier if she decided to behave!

I shared the day with Sam who arrived in a whirl of tulle as Sarah Jessica Parker’s alter ego .We laughed and giggled like young school girls as we applied our makeup, teased our hair and tried to apply the false eyelashes actually on to the eye lid!! Sam’s shoot was in the morning so after a hearty lunch- my chair was carried out on to the edge of the breakaway just as the sun was starting to set.

I wanted the view from our house to become my living room, with a hunting theme so I could share the occasion with our much loved fox terrier. I was supposed to be relaxing in our lounge room chair on the edge of the breakaway country – with a medicinal evening drink in hand and the hound curled up at my feet!!

The purpose was to capture the landscape in my shoot and to just be a small part of that vista. We played with different angles and of course the dog who inspired the hunting gear was nowhere to be seen. So I felt very awkward as Nat tried to “create a moment” to give my shoot some purpose.

Enter: one curious husband in work clothes with disobedient fox terrier at heels!

The photo used for the cover of the book was one of our “fooling around” shots! Lucy, our foxy is quite terrified of guns so she “froze” when she saw me armed with a weapon. Pete stepped into the shot with dog under arm and Nat threw the bullet belt around him at the last moment. It only took a second- but with the setting sun and the whispering evening breeze- I had my photo.

It was such a fun day! I think the Hunting for Foxes project has achieved all it had hoped to in that each participant was for a moment in time- some one else!

Miriam Barnetson