Notes and Images from a Small Island (Week 2 Day 4)

The gale force winds have subsided and the temperature has risen but there is still a chill in the air as I walk along the shore of the loch.  I decide to focus on the many trees that surround the loch to give a sense of being surrounded by trees as well as capturing glimpses of the loch through the trees.  I continue working with a 50mm lens and use intentional camera movement to give a sense of what is a dull day.  Having said that, the benefits of a dull day is deep colour saturation.  I walk a considerable way, disturbing the many sheep that frequent the shoreside and the coppices of trees along the single-track road.  I keep a check on my shutter speed and look at the images I produce as I go.  It is always a delicate balance between too much movement that creates a colourful mashup and slowing down too much and creating an image that looks like I have camera shake.  My supervisor spoke of the painterly feel of my images and I attempt to capture this aesthetic with a wider angle of view.

I retrace my steps – seeing different photographic opportunities and vistas as I go.  I see that, during the gales yesterday, the broken reeds have accumulated in the loch.  As I walk, I reflect on Jacques Derrida’s words about glimpsing through the crevice and think about the various ways I am seeking to do this with my images.  Today I have captured glimpses of the sky, the water of the loch, the reeds through the trees and the Red Hills beyond.