Notes and Images from a Small Island (Practice 4 Day 2)

After over a week of seasonal stormy weather we finally have a good day.  The temperature has plummeted but the sun is shining and the water on the beach sparkling.  After taking some shots of stormy weather earlier in the week, I decide to continue the theme of the shape of water and head out onto the beach.  We have spring tides at the moment, and the beach barely dries out between the high tides.  This provides lots of opportunities to photograph the light on the lying water and beach debris – much seaweed and large numbers of shells.  After taking a few shots of the standing water on the ridged sand I head to the many pools and channels along the beach.

My aim is to capture moving water and what lies beneath, with the shape of water being determined by the direction of the sun and the wind and the resultant movement of the water.  As I begin my work, I am conscious of the strength of the sun and the strong reflections and also the saturated colours on the beach.  I find a low channel of running water.  The bottom is covered in shells and many covered in algae.  I immediately see the potential and take shots from different angles, as the movement on the surface of the water changes continuously.  I like these images but wonder whether the shape of the water theme is fully achieved or whether the subject might be seen as what lies beneath.  Nevertheless, this is an experiment and at this stage I am playing with possibilities with a view to honing my technique and developing ideas.  I think this is something that I can assess in the weekly critical review of my work as I produce more images of the shape of water.