Damien is a young conservationist working as the Grazing Assistant at the Downlands Trust who manage conservation grazing at several sites in London’s southern boroughs, including Croydon. We met when I worked with his organisation on a stills documentary commission which became my photographic series ‘Rural Croydon’. 

Born and raised in Croydon, Damien started his own flock of sheep almost exactly a year ago. About 10 minutes drive out of Croydon, in a large glade in the woods, you’ll find Brithdir Flock, a small herd of Beulah Speckled Face sheep.

I am working on a self-funded project documenting Damien’s challenging journey as a young shepherd whose story depicts a rare connection between urban living and traditional farming, and I want to celebrate that. 

I began visiting Damien and his flock in summer and plan to photograph them regularly throughout the seasons, witnessing a full cycle of shepherding.