Drought Relief Country Fair

Recently I was asked to photograph a fundraiser in our local area. It was held down on the coast, just over an hour's drive away, and was to raise money for Aussie Helpers, which is a charity supporting farmers in need. Aussie Helpers is made up of unpaid volunteers and is not aligned to any other charity or religious association and receives no funding from the government. If you live in Australia you'll know how bad the drought is at the moment in some parts of the country* and you'll also know just how long they can last.

Rather ironically, when the day arrived last weekend, the weather decided it would kindly rain on us. I told the rain it was in the wrong part of Queensland, so please go somewhere else and let us get on with the fundraising. By mid-morning it did oblige, although after the rain it was rather hot, and even hotter for me as I forgot how warm the coast is even in Autumn and dressed a tad too warmly. Never again. 

Aside from the weather it was a good day none the less, even if I was rather nervous at the start, wondering whether or not my limited photography skills were enough to produce acceptable photos.

My favourite part was the Pie Eating competition, which I've never seen before and had fun photographing. There was also a Country Pageant, live entertainment and a variety of local stalls varying from handmade goods to fresh produce. The crowds weren't overly thick (due to the weather, I think) but those that did come enjoyed themselves and I think they still managed to raise a good amount, which was the whole idea anyway. 

I enjoyed myself; I'd actually like the opportunity to photograph more outdoor events.

So what did you get up to last (or this) weekend?

I hope you've had a lovely Sunday!

Sarah x

79% of Queensland has been declared in drought

To see more images of the Fair, visit my Flickr account.

For these photos I used my Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 lens and Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens mounted on my Canon 550D