Babich Wines came to me for a full refresh of their core imagery. The kind of wine photography that would underpin their brand for years to come. Their brief was clear: ditch the posed, styled portraits and go for something real. Genuine moments, real work, real people, captured right in the thick of harvest.

We spent two days out in Marlborough following the vineyard and winery crews through the rhythm of harvest. Grapes coming in, hands at work and easy banter that happens when people know exactly what they're doing. Harvest doesn't stop for a photographer, so a fair bit of this was about staying close enough to catch the good stuff without getting in the way. Especially when a lot of the process was all happening at once and I needed to be in three places at once.

Honestly, this is exactly the kind of brief I love. Letting people just get on with their day and trusting the best shots come from real moments, not directed ones. The golden evening light over the vines didn't hurt either. Some of my favourite frames from the shoot are just people mid task, caught smiling or properly focused with the vines rolling out behind them. This documentary style winery photography now forms part of Babich's long term brand image library, to be used across their campaigns, website, social media and trade materials.