Aldeburgh Reflected

A new small project working on the threshold between reality and abstraction.

Hello, I’m Gill and I write a photography blog inspired by the landscapes of Suffolk and beyond. Please subscribe to read more of my writing and visit my website to view my images.

In the centre of Aldeburgh lies a model boating lake; a popular attraction that I remember from my youth. The lake began life as a military water tank and was enlarged in the 1960’s to provide a shallow body of water where children come to sail small wooden boats and dream of owning the real thing.

I have often found this lake an interesting place to spend time, sailing boats with my own children or exploring with the camera. This week I went back with a different idea. I wanted to see if I could portray this area of Aldeburgh in a more abstract way using reflections to depict a changing town that I feel has multiple identities.

The day I chose to visit dawned bright and blue with a gentle breeze - a perfect day for a bit of abstract photography.

Using a 100-400mm lens I created a series of images using reflections and the eclectic mix of architecture that surrounds the boating lake. I was drawn to the colours and patterns and the beautiful way in which the solid buildings were rendered fluid by the movements of light and water. As I photographed I loved the way the features of these buildings became soft and painterly gestures shimmering between abstraction and reality.

I took home about 100 images which I made during the morning. The original files were quite dark reflecting the blue of the pond liner as well as the sky. I decide that I wanted to lighten everything up bringing out the pastel shades of the buildings. I also decided to flip some of the reflected images so that they were orientated with the sky upwards.

Raw file and edited image

I processed about 25 images and reduced these down to a collection of 12 which I decided to print and turn into a hand made concertina photo book.

To do this I laid out my images and my artist statement onto an A3 sheet of Hahnemühle PhotoRag 208 paper. Printed on this paper the images took on a soft painterly feel which I loved. I used two sheets of A3 paper with 2 strips of images per sheet.

Images printed on two A3 sheets of PhotoRag paper

Next I cut each sheet into individual strips so that I had four strips in total to fold and glue together.

Individual strips cut and folded

I used a bone folder to create professional looking folds in the paper and stuck the 4 strips together using a folded flap on the edge of each strip and double sided tape.

Finished concertina book

I was pleased with the finished book but I felt it only showed a small sample of the images I had created. So I also produced a 24 page zine with a very short print run of only 20 copies and this is now available from my website.

I wanted to show in this post that it is possible to create a small body of work in a short space of time if you have an idea and a focus.

While these images represent a departure from my usual landscape work I really like the effects that the moving water has created and I am pleased with the over all body of work.

Aldeburgh is a place of contrasts and one that I have a complicated relationship with. I love it in the winter for its quite, authentic vibe but I tend to avoid the business of summer when the influx of visitors changes the quiet nature of the place.

I think this imbalance is part of the reason why this body of work appeals to me, because it shows a place that is constantly changing and one that I feel never quite reveals its true character.

If you would like a copy of ‘Aldeburgh Reflected’ it is priced at £10 and there are only 20 copies available. You can purchase it from my website.

---

Thank you very much for reading and until next time enjoy your photography.

Gill