Notes and Images from a Small Island (Practice 4 Day 6)

I decide to take a break from the sea and continue working with waterfalls and where better to go than Sligachan in the heart of the Cuillin?  I think going to a different location might help me find inspiration and start to realise my intent to photograph the shape of water.  It is a short walk to the falls from the car, walking on a rain-sodden and rocky path, often requiring me to leap across from boulder to boulder to make my way.  No mean feat with my heavy camera bag and tripod.!

My plan is to focus as tightly as I can on the water, leaving out much of the context of the shot.  I take a couple of test shots, as I always do, before changing the settings to multiple exposure.  It is always a bit of trial and error with multiple exposures changing a great deal depending on the light conditions and the subject, and whether it moves or not.  In this case I have a very fast moving subject!  The water is flowing very fast and spilling over the black rocks of the Cuillin.

As I work in one location I am often scouting for others between shots.  The waterfalls are down below the path and so I weave my way over the boulders to get a lower vantage point.  As was the case on my last shoot, the angles are tricky and it is often difficult to get a good line of sight, or scramble down to the level of the fast-flowing water.

I feel happy with my camera and the work I am doing today, although technically the multiple exposure choice is quite demanding.  However, the more of this work I do, the more intuitive it becomes, and it no longer feels it impedes the ‘flow’ of my work.  As I leave the waterfalls for today I feel more positive about what I have captured but it is only when the images are viewed on the computer screen that I can see the depth and luminosity I have achieved.

For me The Shape of Water 46 works best and I think the images entirely focused on the moving water have some potential.  I plan to return to the same venue tomorrow, when I hope to have a sunnier day – brighter light and some sparkling highlights will, I hope, provide me with the added depth and luminosity that are lacking in today’s shots.