6 days ago
Farmhand Ellie Morris's camera captures rural Australian stories
On a farm in Western Australia's remote north-eastern Wheatbelt, Ellie Morris sits in a tractor with her dog Marley on her knee and a camera at her feet.
While the 24-year-old's main source of income is from her work as a farmhand in Perenjori, 341 kilometres north-east of Perth, her passion is capturing the world around her with her camera.
Having received her first camera as a gift for her sixth birthday, Ms Morris has built up plenty of experience.
"Basically, while I'm driving tractors, I'm flying drones and taking photos of what I'm doing," she said.
"I'm a pretty visual person, and I'm not great with words. I don't always have a lot to say. So with my photos, I can say a lot more."
Though Ms Morris has not had formal photography training, the amount of time she has spent on the farm with her camera has helped her strengthen her creative muscle.
She believes her photos carry a simple message.
"Showing people who don't live here what it's like — it's not always beautiful. There are two sides to it, and I capture that."
Having amassed a following of more than 11,000 people on social media has led to offers of paid work.
Comments from followers praise Ms Morris's ability to make something typically unglamorous, like dust, look like art.
Sheep yards, storm clouds, crops, horses, and her Jack Russell, Marley, are some of Ms Morris's favourite things to photograph.
She points to Marley and laughs.
"When I bought her, I was told she was half border collie," she said.
Marley, dusty sheep flocks, and storm cloud photos have drawn an international following, garnering a strong following from American horse and cattle ranchers.
The balance between farming and photography is a simple one for Ms Morris. The camera stays on her at all times.
"People don't realise how much time you spend on your computer for photography," she said.
"That can get really boring. I do some of that stuff when I'm sitting in the tractor."
She is now selling prints of her photos to customers on a domestic and international scale.
Ms Morris has been working on Jason King's farm for the past five years.
He refers to her as the "farm celebrity" and praises her eye for photography.
Ms Morris has spent her entire life on farms, including being homeschooled on one.
She made her first trip to the Perth CBD last year and wants to continue her travels.
When asked if he was worried about losing his farmhand to full-time photography, Mr King said: "She's very good."
"You guys keep turning up, so hopefully, for her sake, it takes off."
