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

After the success of the day at Lochain Dubha on Wednesday, and the positive feedback from fellow PhD students about those images, I decide to return to Loch Cill Chriosd.  I have not been there for a while and want to see whether spring has sprung.  The reeds are now peeping through the water’s surface and looking much stronger than on my last visit in mid April.  As I wander along the water’s edge, I am hopeful of some movement of the reed heads and interesting shapes and reflections in the water.  The skies are grey above and the water has a leaden feel.  The reflections are dark and dynamic.

I decide to use multiple exposure to give depth and luminosity to the images and also to provide a glimpse of life below the surface.  I am confident in making the adjustments between the shots and soon begin to lose myself in my art and the images I can see in the water.  As I work the skies above get darker which means that I am not able to achieve the fast shutter speed I need to freeze the movement of the reeds in the second shot.

As I retrace my steps, there are many small lambs playing in the burn and I notice that the colours of Blaven in the distance are more spring like – fresh greens and yellows rather than the golden and orange hues of autumn and winter.

I reflect on the images I have taken, and I realise that some are rather cluttered and although the reflections on the water are dynamic and interesting, they do not stand out.

As I move along the edge of the loch the reeds become more sparse and the images, become more effective – as the movements and shapes of the water emerge.

I am pleased with these images and feel that I have captured the depth, luminosity and the natural patterns and shape of Loch Cill Chriosd.  Not only that but I feel that I am now becoming more accomplished at multiple exposure work and am excited about the many different combinations of images still to explore and experiment with.