Notes and Images from a Small Island (Practice 4 Day 5)

Another stunning day as I make my way to a small burn flowing into a sea loch at Skinidin, just outside Broadford.  Rather than returning to the sea, I plan to photograph a small waterfall and try to give a better sense of the shape of water in my images.  After working with slow shutter speeds for the past week, I decide to try my hand with multiple exposures.  I am unsure as to how this will work, so it is very much an experiment.  I will not know how the images have turned out until I look at them on the computer.

The ground is wet and slippery (after a high tide) as I try to find a spot with a good angle of view.  I want to frame my images tightly around the fall of the water and the turbulence at the foot of the falls.  By Skye standards, the falls have a very small drop and the amount of water spilling over the rocks is light compared with the huge falls that can be seen elsewhere on the Island.  This is an experiment today.  I will then assess the outcome and decide whether to find a different waterfall that might provide more options and potential or perhaps try my hand with a different subject.

As I work on a fairly precarious ledge, damp from the recent high tide, I feel that the angle of view is a little tight.  I decide to walk back over the bridge and check out the view from the other side of the burn.  It is then that I realise that I had probably moved from the best spot!  I leave a little despondent and not hopeful that my images will provide a basis from which to continue with The Shape of Water project next week.  However, when I view the images, I think the technique and subject has some merit and does rather capture the shape of water I had in mind when I set out on this project.  So, after a critical reflection of my work to date, I intend to continue with photographing waterfalls and see what emerges.

I am showing these images in chronological order as I shot them.  The first five shots are created using slow shutter speeds and then I move onto multiple exposure work.  I think the impact of merging multiple images in camera has a dramatic effect on the outcome.  The later images really give a sense of depth and luminosity whereas the earlier ones appear rather flat and linear in comparison.