An altogether better day.  After seeking the advice of a few Skye residents about their interpretation of ‘staying local’ and their opinion of me continuing with my photographic research, I decided to combine my daily exercise with a walk through the trees with my camera.

It is a beautiful cold, crisp and icy day with blue skies and clear air.  I decide to pick up where I left offmy first practice period by working with multiple exposures and using trees as my focus.  I am looking for abstract and semi-abstract impressions capturing some of the essence of the being of a tree.  I start in a forest of trees covered with lichen which I think will provide rich photographic pickings.

I start by using the 50mm lens but soon change to my trusty 70-200mm which provides me with flexibility with focal length and allows less light into the camera.  The spot I have chosen is not working and I glance across at another stand of trees through which the loch can be glimpsed.  There are also some golden grasses which provide foreground interest.

I leave my previous location behind as I focus on the glimpses through the trees of perhaps the unnameable glimmer and certainly the loch, mountains and skies.  I glance at the back of my camera and realise that my mojo has returned and that I am starting to produce more exciting images.  The dark rich colours of deep winter provide earthy shots and some intentional camera movement hopes to convey the dynamic life of the trees.  The sun is dropping fast behind the Beinn na Caillich (Hill of the Old Woman) but the low horizontal light provides interesting light and shade in the images.

My mood changes because I am taking photographs of aspects of the landscape that speak to me.  Like at Loch Cill Chriosd working with the reeds, I am happy among the trees and working under the canopy.  These are a selection of today’s images.

I think these images demonstrate a connection with the subject in a way that has been missing from my efforts earlier this week.  In order for my images to work I need to be in attuned with the subject and the natural environment in which I am working.  I need to be able to lose myself in the landscape and enter the life or being of my subject.  When these factors come together I enter what might be considered as artistic flow.

Would be very interested to have your views . . .