Replication Isn’t Always A Bad Thing

I was invited to takes some photos in a workshed in a little country town called Moculta, South Australia – located just outside of the Barossa Valley. 

It felt like going back in time to my Uncle Randys’ shed in the US when I was just a kid visiting from Australia. Immediately the smell, the tools, the little nick-nacks all reminded me of our visits back to one of my favourite places. 

I was invited to take some photos in a kitchen in a little country town called Moculta, South Australia.

It felt like going back in time to my Aunt Nancys kitchen in the US when I was a kid visiting from Australia. Immediately the smell, the utensils, the fridge covered in photos, all reminded me of our visits back to one of my favourite places. We would bake cookies or prepare salads using veggies fresh from the garden.

Our family trips back to Ottawa were never and will never be about going to Chicago to see all the big sights, staying in fancy hotels, or doing any extravagant activities. 

It’s about spending time in the shed, having a bud light with the men I always looked up to growing up and sitting poolside with the women who make the flights worth it with their companionship and delicious recipes. The midwestern lifestyle is a lot of hibernation during the colder months and as soon as that spring-time sunshine comes out, so do the deck chairs, grills, and boats. Its like the world comes back to life as the ice melts away for a whole different side of the state to be revealed. The locals soak up the months they have socialising and in a way, celebrating the fact that they have access to being outdoors again.

All of these thoughts rushed into my head when I stepped into this shed, and I looked up to see a sign that said “randy” on it. I love these little love letters from God reminding us that our memories are special and important. 

I wonder if all photographers use their childhood memories as a way to freeze time and create for their clients. Are we all working from a place of replication? Maybe a replication of emotion, a replication of a dream in our imagination, or simply a replication of our childhood? And maybe not even just artists do this… are we all missing the simplicity of being a child so much that we decide to have our own children, start vacationing to our favorite childhood places, or pick up hobbies that we learned amongst the streets of our neighborhood like drawing, climbing structures, or riding our bikes.

images by kenzi st george photography 2026