richardbenson.com

KEVIN THE PHOTOGRAPHER was born near London, and has lived in the city for most of his adult life. I, on the other hand, am from a rural background. When we decided to photograph farms and the countryside together, I also decided to record what he, as a dedicated urbanite, noticed about them. The country can seem very distant when you’re in a city, the growing of crops and raising of animals activities from another world. However, as we set off from London, we realised how close they can be. These beef cattle, the first farm animals we passed, were just 26 miles from Big Ben; they may well end up being eaten by people at the other end of that motorway. In nearby fields were milk cows, hay, vegetables and working farmers. With the farmer’s permission, we shot from inside the field to show what human life looks like to cattle. Funny how it’s farm animals that get all the credit for making weird smells and noises•