Growing up on a farm in Weethalle, in central western New South Wales, Jemma Luelf witnessed firsthand the hard work and heartache of life on the land.
And after being given a camera in her early teens, she began documenting that life in all its wondrous joys and harsh realities to share with others.
“For my 13th birthday we went into town, and I got my first camera, and I thought it was pretty amazing,” she said.
Now photography has become a passionate hobby.
Jemma, 20, said she was mainly self-taught, laying the foundations by playing with her camera and experimenting along the way.
She said her mother also provided a lot of inspiration.
“When I was younger, Mum always had a camera and I just remember her taking it everywhere and she always took good photos,” she said.
Jemma’s mother, Georgie, said her daughter’s interest in capturing agricultural shots, particularly on their family farm Iona, was one of the aspects of her daughter’s work that made her proudest.
“It reinforces how much we know she loves where she lives, the lifestyle, and what we all do here, and it is actually a really special part of it,” Georgie said.
Since finishing school in 2021, Jemma has worked as a jillaroo on a cattle station in the Northern Territory, on a merino stud on the South Island of New Zealand, and alongside a livestock vet in the central western plains of New South Wales.
Her camera has been with her every step of the way, and she regularly posts to her Instagram account, TheYardUp.
Making memories
While she’s photographed all the places she’s lived, some of her favourite photos were taken on the family’s property three years ago when she was scanning ewes in the yards with her Dad and younger brother Henry.
“It was hot and dusty. It was the middle of summer. Everyone’s sweating, the dogs are tired and panting,” Jemma said.
“I had my camera there and took it out and took photos of dad and Henry.”
Jemma said she enjoyed looking back at the photos she took of Henry because of the memories associated with it.
“He’s sweating and he’s all dirty and it brings you back to [the thought that] everything that you do is for a reason, and that we do appreciate it, we do love it.”
Along with landscapes, Jemma is a fan of photographing the people and characters in rural communities.
“Everyone has a story, and often a photo tells more than words, and I think if you get say one photo of a person you really can understand a lot more about them,” she said.
Photography a ‘grounding’ force
Georgie Luelf believes the camera has aided her daughter in discovering her true self.
“She’s always watched people and always been really interested in people’s stories and what’s happening around her,” Georgie said.
“I think it’s really special that she’s found a camera as part of a way to follow up on that part of who she is.”
Jemma said she loved taking landscape images, because nature always made her feel grounded.
“It kind of makes me stop for a moment and really look at where I am and appreciate what I have here,” she said.
“It just centres me. It centres everyone, I think, if they do get outside and look around.”
While she loves her hobby, Jemma is about to commence studying a Bachelor of Animal Science at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga.
And she’s taking her camera with her.
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