I got the opportunity recently to shoot a team of sheep shearers carrying out the difficult and tough work that they undertake for a living. Id seen the odd sheep sheared in the past of TV but when you come to see it in real life, hell, what a skill. These guys really work for their money.
You’ve no idea just how sharp their shearers are. Its only the skill of the shearer that the sheep dont end up with cuts all over. The inexperienced Im told do make those type of errors but learn from each sheep they shear. There’s a certain way to hold these shearers which only comes with further experience.
Each sheep is counted in and counted back out again. A counter is placed close by so each shearer can claim their rewards,
one price per sheep sheared. Im told that a pretty good average shear for a highly experienced sheep shearer is somewhere in the region of the 300 mark. Watching these guys is tiring work, i cant imagine how their backs must feel.
Sadly the market for the sheep’s wool has nearly collapsed. This is due to the current issues we’ve been facing of late. The biggest market for this wool is China and the carpet makers of the world. Once these fleeces were all bagged up, they are heading for mass storage until the markets shifts and the demand grows again