Notes and Images from a Small Island (Week 1 Day 5)

It is a cold morning but dull rather than the sparkling morning I expected.  As I stroll down to the loch the sky looks like the bleeding paint of a watercolour wash.  I decide to take similar images to yesterday and begin in earnest.  It is interesting how easy it is to forget exactly what you did on a previous occasion and even the day before.  As I scrutinise the images, which I tend to do at the start of the shoot, I realise that no two days are the same and even similar framing, light and technique yields very different outcomes.  I take the high road along the shoreline as the reflections and shapes in the loch are clearer at the elevated level.  Although there is no sparkling light, occasionally a flash of brightness can fall on the reeds and elevate the image.  That is what I am looking for.  That moment in time when everything comes together to make the outcome more than the sum of its parts.  This morning is not one of those when I immediately feel I have some good shots in the bag.

As I retrace my steps I see the loch and the reeds from an entirely different angle and then the sun settles on the Red Cuillin and the loch is awoken.  The golden colours of the Red Cuillin and the blue sky make for some images ablaze with light and colour.  I immediately see the abstract potential.  However, I choose to take a straight shot, without intentional camera movement, and leave the shutter speed slow so the reeds are sharp and the movement of the water is captured.

A quite splendid end to my first week back in Skye.  To remind you, I have spent the week shooting in the early morning, before sunrise, to record and understand this time of day and the photographic opportunities it presents.  It has been a while since I picked up my camera and regardless of the weather I think it took a few days to get back into shooting mode.  I look forward to next week when I will be photographing these familiar places around noon.