This series was seminal for me as a social documentary photographer. It formed part of the exhibition paper for the Advanced Diploma in Photography at Massey University under the mentorship of Wayne Barrar and was my first series to combine images and text. It was exhibited in a group show at “The Exchange” in Wellington in 1999. The group focused on the stories and landscapes of the Wairarapa area and offered me the opportunity to document the thoughts of my good friend, Geoff Stone.

I had three trips to the Wairarapa with Geoff where he took me to places that were important to him. Along the way he talked about those places and their significance. I later returned many times to take photos in the area that would do justice to his words. This piece was exhibited as a multi grid panel combining silver gelatin photographs and text.