Tuesday 5 February 2008

Changing Seasons........

They say the path of good intentions is lined with distraction, well, thats wot I say anyway. Blogging, great idea, i'll do one just when I've satisfied all those other good intentions !! Now here's the thing, guess I am not really cut out to be a blogger, a photo update a month I said. well, some things are worth waiting for .... perhaps !!

August - end of a varied Scottish summer, not as wet as our neighbours down south but also not as warm, but as I always say its the weather that creates such stunning scenery and light.
Our local forest is a mix of managed pine and larch but has been neglected for so many years it has become a real dingly dell world - am sure there are fairies hiding if you look closely




September - the start of the photo season now all that hard sunlight is calming down. Freelance commission work has started to go quiet so time to do some personal work, for print sales, and for the sole (very important).

Also saw me doing a few training courses, this one was on general Landscape so for our field trip we visited the village of Balquhidder, cute place, ideal for chocolate box piccs. Not my normal style but sometimes its good to step outside your own little box.

This was all about taking a different view of what we see by isolating and emphasizing the subject with perspective and colours .... blah blah blah


October - Now things are really getting interesting, the heather is turning golden brown and the sun with its autumn softn glow - this is why we moved to Scotland ! Took our first holiday in years up to the Torridon area, absolutely stunning scenery.



By this time wifey has got the photography bug badly and I am now the one getting bored waiting for HER to finish taking photos !!. "what, you've already taken several 100 shots of the rock, how many do you need ??"




These are traditional Scots Pine, once dominating the Scottish Landscape most became old newspapers or Habitat Furniture. Such a shame as they are incredibly graceful and every one unique (the trees, not Habitat chairs), unlike the Norwegian Spruce we have today , being grown for rave party fliers and Ikea furniture no doubt - thats progress !!




November - the black month - wet, cold, but you can always find something worth getting the camera out for. Glen Etive, a stunning we spot not too far from home with the most amazing waterfalls. All we need is lots of water, well no shortage of that coming from the sky up here. What the photo doesn't real portray is the shear noise of the water, so powerful.











Now, whilst looking thru my earlier stuff, you know, those pics you take that never see the light of day, I found this. Technique used : Walk into in an Edinburgh tenemant block to collect sons stuff when moving flat, stick the camera on the floor pointing up on a self timer, put camera back in bag then forget about it for 3 months. It was only after viewing on my pc that I saw what the architect designed - inspired.



December - The month of 'portraits for xmas' frenzy - but not this year, and it doesn't seem to be just me. So, back out to build up the personal library - think I am getting the message !
Had a few ice days, wonderfull stuff, wifey with her macro lens 2 inches from an icicle and me with my wide angle taking in the whole of Scotland ..nearly !


By contrast had a day with 'tree of life' model Kate, she came back to Scotland for more cold punishment ... she has now moved from South England to Arizona for her modeling, sensible lass.




We (ie wifey) found this old tree stump being dug up by man with JCB getting ground ready for planting (think Henkle is running out of those wee wooden pins to hold the chairs together)
She sees it as a subject for closeup work, well yes, but I had different ideas as you can see. Its still in the studio to keep dry getting in the way but it is a fantastic piece of natural wood, even if it is from Norway, one day it will be the base of a glass top coffee table, but without a silly Swedish name that no one can pronounce.



January - Now well into my 'lone tree' phase found this young thing.. well.. it will be a tree one day when it grows up. This 'twig' stood about 8 inches high, whilst I was standing up to my knees in snow, rather bizaar really. I was trying to get to a waters edge but chickened out, was getting far too cold and wet - wot a wimp eh !

Not a huge amount of snow this year but enough to make life interesting, inspiring, and fun. Now getting to grips with new toy, a super-wide angle lens, cool !!!





.... and finally a few shots inspired by work found on a French run site, www.artlimited.net, there is some truly wonderful work to be found here, its intended for all 2D artforms but is rather dominated by photography. Both taken on different days last week during brief gaps in howling gales, one of those chance times being in the right place at the right time.

7 comments:

Maggie Christie said...

Fabulous pictures. It took me a while to see the girl in the tree, and it's a beautiful shot. Lovely contrast between bark and skin, blah, blah. And Glen Etive. I have fond memories of that place, having visited it on my honeymoon. Very bitey midges, as I remember, and a Golden Eagle on a fence post just feet away, and no, I couldn't get the berludy camera out in time...!

Wizzard said...

your year in 13 pix - brilliant.

I too had to look carefully to see Kate in the trees. Fantastic. Jealous of your new lens!

Wxx

Fennie said...

And I missed the girl all together (thanks PM). Wonderful pictures, and I am nostalgic for the mood of the Highlands. Still the grey northern light seems to haunt me like a blanket, that I want to throw off, even when the sun is shining.

But it doesn't show in thee fabulous pics. Love the one of the falls.

CAMILLA said...

Fantastic blog HS, and I just love your pictures. I bet you have some great photography on walls at the Steading. I especially love the water-fall picture. Son bought me a camera with zoom lens for birthday, just got to know how to work the thing.!

abcd said...

Wonderful photos though I am sure you don't need me to tell you! They would make a gorgous coffee table book or may they have already??

Westerwitch/Headmistress said...

My lens wasn't two inches from the icicle - I ended up touching it and nearly breaking it.

AND NO my lovely piece of wood will NOT be turned into a table thank you very much . . .sounds of chain saw revving up and lots of muttering. . . . . .

Westerwitch/Headmistress said...

The icicle - not the lens . . . whatever . . .