North Wales family farm photography series scoops top prize

The Honest Agriculture series sees a 22-year-old student land top prize in the competition
The Honest Agriculture series sees a 22-year-old student land top prize in the competition

A 22-year-old student has won a major prize thanks to his series of photographs taken at his north Wales family farm.

Honest Agriculture, a collection of photographs offering a glimpse into the real world of farming, has won the national LPA Graduate Award for the best photography series.

Jac Williams, who is originally from north Wales and is a final year BA (Hons) Photography student at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, won the prize for his series of photographs taken at his family’s farm in Glyndyfrdwy, near Llangollen.

The collection of photographs shows the real world of farming in north Wales
The collection of photographs shows the real world of farming in north Wales

Mr Williams explained that the inspiration for the photographs came as a way of explaining his own background to fellow students.

He said: “After I’d moved to Cambridge I showed some photographs of where I grew up, and someone said they hadn’t seen anything like it before.

“Until I started discussing it with people who weren’t from a rural background, I didn’t realise how little appreciation and understanding there was of Britain’s farms, particularly small family-run farms which are worked all-year round.

The photographs were taken at his family’s farm in Glyndyfrdwy, near Llangollen
The photographs were taken at his family’s farm in Glyndyfrdwy, near Llangollen

“I was keen to document the culture I grew up with and hopefully winning this award can help me to share this with an even larger audience,” he added.

'Hardship and determination'

Kerstin Hacker, Course Leader in Photography at Anglia Ruskin University said the photos capture the "hardship and determination" of the farming community.

“Jac’s series Honest Agriculture does what a good photographic documentary series should do. It is current, well researched and the photographer has a deep understanding of the subject matter,” Ms Hacker said.

“His research discussed both history and current climate in the farming sector in north Wales, looking particularly at the impact of Brexit on small-scale farming.

The award, organised by the London-based LPA photography agency, has seen Mr Williams receive a number of prizes, including a mentoring session at the company’s Covent Garden headquarters.

It follows news of a photo showing the sun setting over a Cotswold farm during harvest scooping first prize in a competition run by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).

The British Veterinary Association’s (BVA) 2017 annual photo competition saw an image of rare and native North Ronaldsey and Dartmoor sheep grazing under the Milky Way in Northumberland bagging first place.