I’m excited to share this recent portrait I shot for The Observer Magazine of the wonderful Holly Dawson and her beloved hens, marking the launch of her new book All of Us Atoms, published by Canongate.

This shoot was an absolute joy. When Holly mentioned her treehouse and chooks in the garden, I knew we had to make the most of her beautiful, personal setting—it felt like a perfect reflection of her story.

This assignment also served as a reminder of one of my go-to pieces of advice when people ask how to build a career in photography: aside from knowing how to take a good photo, being available and saying “yes” goes a long way.

The call from Alex at The Observer came in the night before the shoot. She had a story she needed covered in Lewes the very next day, and wanted a fast turnaround (as is often the case with editorial work). I was free, said yes immediately, and soon found myself on the phone with Holly, planning the shoot. As soon as she described her garden and treehouse, I knew we were in for something special.

Not long after that call, I received another request from a different publication for a shoot in London—also the next day. I knew I could make it work. I booked my train to Lewes for the early morning and set off at 7am. By 9:30am I was on the ground, meeting Holly and her hens at 10am. We mapped out the shoot and were wrapped by noon.

From there, I jumped on a 1pm train back to London, edited the shoot en route, delivered final images to The Observer by 3pm, and headed out for the second portrait session at 4pm—just in time for a 4:45 start. Both sets of edits were wrapped and delivered before 10am the next morning.

A busy day, but one I’ll remember fondly. I’m so proud of the resulting images and grateful to have been trusted with this story. Huge thanks to Alex at The Observer, and of course to Holly (and her hens!) for such a warm welcome.

Keep an eye out—I’ll share more about the second shoot soon, once it’s published.