Notes and Images from a Small Island (Practice 8 Day 7)

After having a very poor photographic experience on Day 6, I decided to take a break and walk, do a reconnaissance of the wider forest, find new locations, and give myself time to think and reflect.  My reflections led me to conclude that it is all too easy to return to subject-oriented photography and be seduced by the sensory qualities of Skye.  Rather than embrace the new reality of the land where the forest once stood at Camus na Sgianadin, I had allowed my emotions to drive my practice.  I failed to appreciate that a new topography had been revealed and a different landscape had emerged.

My exploration revealed that there is much forestry work ongoing in the forest and many of the paths are closed so it was not possible to get to a higher viewpoint to look down on the changing landscape.  I was also not able to gain access to the sites where other tree felling activity had taken place.  I did however take a few fracture shots and found a new area of the felled forest with potential for future imagery.

While this first image shows the fracture of a landscape where trees have been removed, it also shows the hope of new plantations.  It shows three different layers of the landscape:  the top is the landscape of fracture, the middle is where the new growth occurs and the bottom is the indigenous trees and bushes.  The landscape is constantly changing, and while it is slow to recover, over time there is new growth.

This second image shows where trees have been felled and the resultant fracture of the land.

And yesterday as I walked through the recently-felled area, I found a different perspective of the landscape from the beach.  I intend to visit this area on my next practice day.

While my reflections are not yet showing me a path to capturing the new reality of the landscape I hope I am making progress . . .