The visual bush poet: Georgia Ditchfield captures the beauty of the west

Whether it be on a long dirt road that stretches as far as the eye can see or in the paddock feeding cattle, photographer Georgia Ditchfield uncovers the extraordinary in the ordinary, transforming everyday moments into captivating works of art.

Growing up on a fixed farm near Coonamble, Georgia's love for rural landscape and livestock photography blossomed from a young age.

"I still have my very first photo that I ever took when I was about three years old," she said.

"It's a picture of my mum and neighbours but their heads are all out of the photo, I chopped them off.

"I didn't start investing myself in photography until 2017 when I started my Instagram page. I went on a deep dive on YouTube to teach myself the actual skills because prior to that I'd just see something I like and take a photo."

While Georgia loves the creative freedom of photography, it also holds a deep and individualistic connection that stems back to the drought.

"There are so many times when you've had a hard day or something has gone wrong that you can take a photo and it looks good, you can be happy with where you live," she said.

"When I first taught myself about photography, it was pretty much drought the entire time, so by 2020 when it started to rain I had to teach myself how to edit the colour green because I didn't know how.

"Funnily enough, now my favourite photos are of bright green grass.

"I'm studying rural science so my mind is constantly thinking about agriculture. I think if you surround yourself with it all the time, I guess it is really easy to become your muse."

Currently in her third year at the University of New England, Armidale, Georgia said her love for science and photography go hand in hand.

"I can't just do straight science, but then I also can't do straight creativity. I really need the balance of both to make them work together," she said.

"Grass and trees are some of my favourite things so why wouldn't I research them, but also when I get stressed photography is my relaxation."

A recent recipient of the 2024 AgriFutures horizon scholarship, Georgia hopes to pursue a career in plant research or soil science.

"I like how there is so much change in agriculture, it is incredibly vast and never the same each day," she said.

"I have no idea what that looks like for me right now, but my scholarship sponsor, the GRDC, is exactly what I want to get into so I'm hoping that opens up some possibilities."

While Georgia adores capturing the intricacies of plants with her Canon 6D Mark II, she's also discovered the beauty of the bush from above.

"I've only had two posts go viral and they're both of the exact same moment, a drone shot of cattle at a feeder, and I couldn't work out why," she said.

"I quickly realised it was because no one looks at cattle from that angle, no one sees it from that perspective.

"There is a few people with drones, but not a lot of it is shared on social media, so for the vast majority of people it is completely new for them to see."

As a visual storyteller, Georgia believes there is a hunger for content that showcases rural and regional Australia.

"There are a lot of photographers filling this little gap that glorifies the bush to show what Australia looks like," she said.

"I live half an hour from the Warrumbungles, that is the view out of my backyard, but I never really saw the beauty in them until the past two or three years. I guess you never really notice something until you leave.

"[In NSW] we don't have the red cliffs of the Kimberly or Uluru, but we do have beautiful paddocks and trees.

"I like to think of myself as a bush poet, but the visual version."

With a handful of awards under her belt, including runner-up in the photography section of the Outback Archies Art Prize, Georgia has been overwhelmed by the response to her work.

"It is insane to think that people who are curating galleries in Sydney think that my work is worthy," she said.

"It's usually just me in my bedroom thinking oh I like this photo I've taken, I'll share it."

When asked if Georgia aims to showcase the possibilities of the bush through her photography, she said it was always in the back of her mind.

"A majority of my followers are from Sydney and Melbourne so if I can show them what we've got to offer, maybe they'll come out for a trip one day," she said.

"If one person comes out for a trip because they saw one of my photos, that is a win."