It was a beautiful autumn day, I had to reach for my jacket in the morning as the temperature was in the single digits. It was mid 20s by lunchtime so we decided to sit out in the gardens instead of standing at the tasting area. Hanging at the Ugly Duckling Wines for a late breakfast and wine tasting is a pretty good use of a Sunday I would have thought.

At lunch time, the crowds were minimal, there were a few bus arrivals but at this stage the numbers were low. I have been to Ugly Duckling Wines before on West Swan Road, I was not in the mood for a big meal, so the cheese board was a pretty good option. I had this before so I knew what we were getting. What I love about Ugly Duckling Wines is sitting in the grassed area, it is a fun and casual location, there is an old seeder in the middle of the ground as a showpiece and a newer Fiat tractor and trailer parked in the yard. I couldn’t believe it, we didn’t even bother tasting any wines this time, we were happy just sitting in the sun. The tasting area offers a photographer plenty of light and subject matter, what a mistake to not utilise on this fantastic autumn day.

I like driving around the Swan Valley looking for the old agricultural implements to photograph. We had already been up to the road train assembly area to see if there were any trailers being hitched, but we were a little disappointed, this ANZAC day long weekend just had trailers parked in the yard. In the future, I will drive around the back streets looking for old farmhouses and chalets, even old sheds make some great photography subjects as well as Swan Valley landscapes. We had good light and plenty of inspiration, all I needed was the right inspiration and ideas.