Viewing Familiar Places with Fresh Eyes

I have now completed my most recent period of practice on Loch Cill Chriosd but in doing so began to think about whether I wish to expand my work to the immediate environs of the loch.  One of the reasons for doing this is in terms of considering whether focus on a single location might provide a more coherent body of work and the other is that I have lost a significant “dwelling” place – the forest of Skinidin that has been felled.  However, at this stage in my PhD I feel I need to work where I feel comfortable and have more potential to activate creative flow.

Today I decide to do a recce and take some shots with my iPhone.

Along the loch’s shores are groups of indigenous trees, under which sheep graze and sleep overnight.  The ground is uneven (from the continual movement of the sheep) boggy and dappled with light and shade as the sun changes direction through the day.  I also know it is subject to fog and mist at certain times of the year.  These wooded areas afford glimpses of the loch and provide different reflections, vantage points and perspectives.

There is a burn that feeds into the southern end of the loch which requires more of my attention over the next few months.

The loch is relatively shallow at this end and is often subjected to the ravages of the southerly winds.  There are also more substantial woods that I need to explore.

I walk along the eastern side of the loch to the lone silver birch tree that I often visit.

I am surprised that even though my walk is familiar, that I have covered over 2 kilometres.  What I consider to be a relatively small loch, extends over a considerable distance, and thus has many points of interest from a photographic perspective, as yet little explored.

As I begin to plan my next six months of practice, I need to identify areas of the STAR and Onion Diagram where I need to do more work.  I need to review the images taken to date and determine whether I need to find new locations or develop my scope in already established areas.  Of course, the nature of my work is about Being, Dwelling and Entanglement and ultimately Allure and so I need to ensure that I am making choices based on these key concepts when choosing where to capture my images.