What’s In A Picture?

Recently I have been thinking a lot (yes, hard to believe, I know) about my images. Before and after I have made them. I was actually thinking, that the feeling I get from a scene, may affect how I shoot it, and also, how I edit the final image, depending on my own mood, and the feel I have for the image.

I’ve been asking people about some of my recent images. Just trying to get a handle on what other see, and it is fascinating. Different people see different things, and get different feelings from them. Probably based on their own mindset at that time. Some people probably just think “oh that’s pretty” or “oh that’s shit”, others look into the image in more detail.

I have really tried to capture mood and feelings as well as emotions in a lot of my recent landscape work. I find it therapeutic. Like an artist using a canvas to put their slant on something, I use the camera in the same way. Expression of myself I guess.

Anyone enough rambling. What do you see here in this image? At the time I took it, I was composing it to have the small piece of ‘rock art’ in one corner, and the lone tree in the other. The water leads you from one to the other. Then when I looked at it later, I edited it, based on what I got from it.

I see loneliness. Two things, close together, yet far apart, and both alone. Drawn together, but destined to always be alone. A few obstacles between them, but clear lines. But, you could say both of these objects are beautiful in their own space, and putting them together would ruin everything.

Probably a bit deep, and people are thinking “lay off the whisky JB” but I do like trying to understand images, and what, subconsciously, may or may not have been behind them. Did I see this in that way when I shot it, or did I just see it when I started editing? Almost certainly the latter, but who knows.

Okay that’s a bit deep for a Sunday morning (oo-er) so I’m off back to do some actual work.