Notes and Images from a Small Island (Practice 11 Day 7)

I decide to head to Loch Cill Chriosd to see the changes in colours already underway a couple of weeks ago.  As I approach, the loch has a sense of chaos after rampant spring and summer growth, and the remains of the water lilies are hard to spot among the reeds.  The scene provides a clear sense of seasons turning and there is a soft musty smell of decay in the air.

The lily flowers have gone but the large plate-like leaves remain, with their rich brown, almost black leaves punctuating the surface of the water.  The underwater tendrils of this prolific but tender plant also remain providing hope and the means for growth next spring.

I hoped for a calm loch but there is a gentle breeze, rendering my plans for the shoot inappropriate.  I had hoped to take some multiple exposure shots, edging the second shot a tiny amount to give the sense of an impressionist painting.  But for now, it is time to continue with capturing the reality of the autumn season on the loch.

When working in a local area and returning day after day, week after week, and month after month, it is often difficult to observe or recognise the imperceptible march of time and the tiny changes in nature.  It is only when the images are combined in a series that the true extent of the march of the seasons becomes apparent.  This is the loch only a couple of weeks ago.

I wander along the edge of the loch trying to catch a glimpse of the golden, brown, black leaves of the decaying lilies struggling to get a clear line of sight to capture them.  As always, the reeds sway almost continuously and occasionally vigorously, even in a gentle breeze – their fragility in plain sight.  Although I look for a gap to capture my images, my goal is also to capture the chaotic, and claustrophobic nature of the loch at the end of the growing season.

Another change in the loch is the emergence of algae apparently fuelled by a combination of carbon dioxide and sunlight which affects the relative turbidity of the water.  This can be caused by debris and animal waste which causes the temperature to rise and the algae to grow.  I wonder whether this is a build-up of natural debris over the spring and summer season.

I am pleased with these images.  They provide a sense of the Being of the loch, the changing seasons and in due course some contrast to the images of blooming white flowers of the water lilies taken earlier in the year.  It is only when these images are shown together that the marching pace of time becomes apparent.