Shear character

Photos James Braszell

James Braszell is back on the handpiece, shearing with a team out of Ballarat, Vic, with runs as far away as St Arnaud or Forbes as he saves up a bit of coin. But he still snatches moments before, after or even during shearing to capture brilliant images of the essence of the wool trade – characters hard at work in the gorgeous golden or dappled light of a historic shed. “I don’t even know what half the functions on my camera do, but if you ask me to take a nice photo in a shed, I 100% have the skills to do that,” he says. “You won’t find better light than a shearing shed early in the morning or during the last run of the day.”

Having grown up in Miners Rest, Vic, James began working as a rousie straight after school, and learnt to shear over 10 years ago. He began bringing a camera to jobs and became known for his photography after posting on social media and printing some images on canvas by request. “I was travelling interstate on days off to take photos and it grew from there,” he says. “I was just earning a bit of pocket money – you know, enough for a box of beer at the end of the week.”

In 2019 he decided to try full-time photography, buying better camera gear, and booking weddings and family photography sessions, many of which had to be cancelled because of COVID lockdowns. So, as soon as he could, he hit the road, travelling for months at a time for the next six years through outback Australia shooting shearing sheds and anything else that came his way.

“I love Australia and I love its history and its culture” James says. “You meet some of the nicest, best people and they’d do anything for you.”

He singles out Dave Wyllie (p84) who lost his right arm in a car accident, and then taught himself to shear left handed and knocked up his own prosthesis to help. “If there’s anyone who has a right to whinge it’s Dave,” James says. “But he doesn’t. He just laughs all day and he’s a hell of a nice guy. He’s genuine, he’s down to earth, he’s your typical country Australian. He’s shorn, he’s rousied, been a wool classer and been on the press. He’s not interested in being a millionaire or anything – he just loves the lifestyle.”