A TOCUMWAL university student is using Lego and photography to promote Australian agriculture in a whole new way.
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As micro Lego photography gains popularity, Aimee Snowden is using her creative skills to reach a new audience.
Snowden started the Lego Farmer about six months ago after being inspired by other Lego photographers and realising that no one else was creating images from a farming perspective.
“Once I got onto a Lego farming figure, I got into it, posted it online and it’s gone from there,” Snowden says.
“I’ve had a very positive response.”
The Lego Farmer has 4600 followers on Facebook.
The agricultural business student has moved back to her family’s mixed irrigation property to finish her degree by distance.
Snowden shares her love of photography with her mother Lynda Snowden, who also publishes a daily photography blog titled Farm-ily, which tracks everyday farm activities.
“We sometimes compare notes on photos and camera settings, and will occasionally go photographing together but our blogs have different purposes, so our photos are very different,” Snowden said.
The purpose of the Lego Farmer is to get agriculture into a different space.
“In using a different medium to talk about agriculture, I can talk about what happens on a day-to-day basis, with something that’s a bit creative,” Snowden said.
“I think by using Lego it’s targeting a whole range of audiences — little kids but also those of us who played with it when we were younger and those with children who play with Lego.
“Some people take it seriously, others use it to show their kids and look it up each night, others think it’s a good laugh.”
Agriculture hit the national agenda this week when ABC TV’s Q&A was broadcast from the Royal Sydney Easter Show.
The promotion of agriculture in a positive light was a dominant theme of the discussion, together with foreign investment and coal seam gas.
Snowden said she wasn’t surprised the topics and wants to be involved in promoting Australian agriculture and its potential.
“I want it to be a positive story, because there’s a lot of negativity around agriculture and farming in general,” she said.
“If some people get a laugh (from the Lego Farmer) or it means somebody thinks about agriculture in a different light, that’s really good.”
Together with the blog and social media accounts, Snowden is already starting new conversations.
“I use my blog as my base but I also have social media accounts — Twitter, Facebook and Instagram,” she said.
“A lot of conversations are happening and it’s been really good because people are talking about the photos and asking questions. If somebody wants to take the Lego Farmer into classrooms to educate on agriculture that would be great, otherwise I will take opportunities as they come.”
Find the Lego Farmer at legofarmer.com and on Facebook.