From a personal view too, I have been surprised how emotional the experience of the felled trees has been and feel that maybe it is time to experiment with a different subject. I have decided to focus on the mountains of Skye and the Black and Red Cuillin in particular. I am keen to capture the reality of the black craggy basalt Black Cuillin and the treacherous scree slopes of the Red Cuillin. Both are challenging and foreboding to seasoned climbers and at the same time have a fascination to many – including me. They contribute significantly, in my view, to the reality of Skye and whilst they are the focus of many subject-oriented landscape photographers for me they act as a metaphor for the essence of the Island, its climate, hostility and isolation.
I have a series of images in my mind that show the reality of the Cuillin peeping through a covering of snow and the almost continuous cloud that hovers over the tops of these hills. Through the murk of both peeps a strong, resilient and over-powering being that exudes the reality of Skye. In terms of strategies, I return to metaphor alongside activation by music and attenuation by calming the chattering monkeys of my mind and through the Onion Diagram constructs of dynamic and perceptual awareness and zonal flow. This feels like a step up in my previous practice as I start to realise the more complex and connected constructs at the centre of the onion by using the more abstract strategy of attenuation.
This first day of practice is about trying out high key imagery as well as experimenting with a subject not tackled since my MA. The conditions were less than ideal. The clouds over the peaks extended further over the mountains than I had hoped.
Mountains High Key 1 – Alison Price, February 2022
Mountains High Key 2 – Alison Price, February 2022
Mountains HIgh Key 3 – Alison Price, February 2022
I am not sure whether I have the tonal balance right. The images seem as if they are teetering on the edge of being normal black and white images.
