Lunch in the Crates

I made this portrait just outside Citrusdal at the end of summer, when the picking season is almost over and the orchards start to quiet down. I had stopped at a padstal to buy fresh oranges when I noticed him taking his lunch break, sitting inside one of the large wooden crates used for harvesting and storing the fruit.

He sat in the shade, resting, the dust of the day still on his hands and clothes. There was something honest and unguarded about the moment: a man pausing between long hours of work, framed by the tools of his labour. As with all my portraits, especially of older souls, I approached him with respect and asked for permission. He nodded gently, allowing me into his space for a brief moment.

This photograph holds that quiet pause, a simple, human moment at the tail end of a long season, captured with care.