If I may, I might disagree on one thing you said when talking about your favourite from the day: "My image...has little impact". I don't agree with that. Subtlety, colour and careful light can have what I think of as a lasting impact. Which image would you go back to repeatedly: one that hits you between the eyes, or one which you spend time studying? That's what impact means to me - an image you want to look at more than once, and which has significance to you - it's made an impact on you.
On a separate point, I was interested in how you think your style has evolved. Some photographers seem to be instantly recognisable and seem to have found a 'formula' which they stick to. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, but personally I would prefer to be open to change.
Thank you very much for your comments Mark and I do agree with you. I would much rather hang an image on my wall that intrigued me rather than one that had nothing more than the initial impact. I suppose I was thinking about social media when I wrote that and here impactful images always get more engagement.
Regarding my style when I look at the images I was taking 15 years ago they are more contrasty, more obvious in their composition and I don't feel they were very well observed. I don't think I had developed my voice and I didn't have much to say with my images. They also weren't that well processed. I wrote a blog post about this back in August 2023 and you might find it interesting https://gillmoon.substack.com/p/embracing-change
This is fascinating. Attention and immersion in a beautiful wild landscape — what could be better for the soul? This in particular struck me: “finding a special place that gets under your skin and keeps calling you back.” For years, I would return each summer to a place called Brewster Flats on Cape Cod and sit in the sand and make a few watercolors when the tide was way out. I was attracted by the deep blue pencil line of the sea at the horizon - a mix of ultramarine and indigo. And by the surprising variety of colors in the grasses and hummocks of sand revealed by the escaped water. And of course the light. It finally occurred to me that during these sessions, the place had its way with me, holding my attention and in return giving me such a feeling of connection and peace.
Thank you so much for your comments Julie and for sharing your experiences of your special landscape. I think places become important when we start to notice all the little nuances that make them interesting. Art and photography is a great way to facilitate this and being somewhere special is definitely good for the soul. 🙂
Hi Gill, I enjoyed reading about your experiences up here. I did just wonder if anything I had said might stick in your craw regarding what I think of landscape photography! And now you mention 'wishy washy' I know it did. But I love your wishy washy images and if i were cleverer with words I would call them subtle. Any how wishy washy is meant as a subtle compliment! I wishy I could emulate the same results! Its too easy for me, living here, to take what I see on a daily basis for granted. Regarding weather and conditions I often say the best days are the worst days.
Thank you very much for your comments Innes and for reading my blogs. I would just like to reassure you that I haven't taken the term wishy washy to heart - my partner uses the same phrase for my work so there is definitely a theme.
I love your part of the world and always feel inspired when I am there and I agree with you that the best days can be the worst days - blue skies have never been inspiring to me.
I hope to be back in Ardnamurchan next year so I may well bump into you again. 🙂
Loved reading this. Your description of the location makes me feel like I'm there...I hope you don't mind me "borrowing" this idea for a future posting..with full credit to the author, of course...
Thank you for taking me to such a beautiful place Gill. I can see why you have your preferred image - the foreground has just enough detail to pull you in and then the soft blending of sea and sky with just a little detail in the headland. Plenty of drama here for me.
While I love that image, my preferred one is the first one. I think it is because it has slightly stronger lines zigzagging into the scene, which makes it a little more geometrical and dynamic. Great to learn a little more about my personal preferences by studying other people's work.
Thank you so much for your comments James and I am so sorry for the slow response. I am glad you enjoyed the images and it is interesting to hear which is your favourite.
Hi Jill. I love the subtlety of your favourite image from that day too. You say "Over the years I have learned that I like painterly images, that subtlety is preferable to impact,...", and this goes for me too. You have inspired me to look back at photos I took at a beach in New Zealand, when it was also raining or cloudy, and though I had expected something different, the landscape in soft colours turned out to be some of my favourite images from that trip. If you like, I can show you one.
Thank you for your comments Karin. I think the landscape in the rain can produce some lovely subtle images. Feel free to send one across, it would be nice to see. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this post. Your photos really got me. I’m going to think about what you wrote a bit more. I just take pics by intuition, scenes that speak to me. But never really thought about it. I guess I’m trying to capture contradictions. I guess.
You really struck a chord in me when you talked about a place calling one out. I used to go down by the river and just sit and meditate and just sit and look at the beauty of our land. I live in Montana right by the Madison River. We get fly fisher people from all over coming to fish here. But where I sit, there is not much traffic. The trees, the mountains, and the river especially talk to me. 'Berta
Lovely work Gill. It would be very interesting (well, to me anyway) to see the work from your workshop participants as well, it's always amazing to see how other people perceive things around them. Maybe a topic for another post one day.😊
Thank you very much for your comments Ross. I love seeing what everyone makes of a location because the images are always so varied. I think that is the beauty of workshops. Definitely an idea for a post one day. 🙂
I am thrilled to discover your posts. I love in California and the landscape is a constant subject and inspiration for my work. I love how you write about it. I’m a photographer, but my posts (only 3 so var) are about words. You inspire me.
Hi Gill. Very thought provoking.
If I may, I might disagree on one thing you said when talking about your favourite from the day: "My image...has little impact". I don't agree with that. Subtlety, colour and careful light can have what I think of as a lasting impact. Which image would you go back to repeatedly: one that hits you between the eyes, or one which you spend time studying? That's what impact means to me - an image you want to look at more than once, and which has significance to you - it's made an impact on you.
On a separate point, I was interested in how you think your style has evolved. Some photographers seem to be instantly recognisable and seem to have found a 'formula' which they stick to. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, but personally I would prefer to be open to change.
Thank you very much for your comments Mark and I do agree with you. I would much rather hang an image on my wall that intrigued me rather than one that had nothing more than the initial impact. I suppose I was thinking about social media when I wrote that and here impactful images always get more engagement.
Regarding my style when I look at the images I was taking 15 years ago they are more contrasty, more obvious in their composition and I don't feel they were very well observed. I don't think I had developed my voice and I didn't have much to say with my images. They also weren't that well processed. I wrote a blog post about this back in August 2023 and you might find it interesting https://gillmoon.substack.com/p/embracing-change
Another post covered how my processing style has changed and you can find that here https://gillmoon.substack.com/p/editing-our-photos
I hope that helps.
This is fascinating. Attention and immersion in a beautiful wild landscape — what could be better for the soul? This in particular struck me: “finding a special place that gets under your skin and keeps calling you back.” For years, I would return each summer to a place called Brewster Flats on Cape Cod and sit in the sand and make a few watercolors when the tide was way out. I was attracted by the deep blue pencil line of the sea at the horizon - a mix of ultramarine and indigo. And by the surprising variety of colors in the grasses and hummocks of sand revealed by the escaped water. And of course the light. It finally occurred to me that during these sessions, the place had its way with me, holding my attention and in return giving me such a feeling of connection and peace.
Thank you so much for your comments Julie and for sharing your experiences of your special landscape. I think places become important when we start to notice all the little nuances that make them interesting. Art and photography is a great way to facilitate this and being somewhere special is definitely good for the soul. 🙂
Your photos are indeed like paintings, I was transported to the lovely landscapes you visited. I especially loved the rock and sand formations.
Thank you very much Marilyn, I am glad you enjoyed the images.
Hi Gill, I enjoyed reading about your experiences up here. I did just wonder if anything I had said might stick in your craw regarding what I think of landscape photography! And now you mention 'wishy washy' I know it did. But I love your wishy washy images and if i were cleverer with words I would call them subtle. Any how wishy washy is meant as a subtle compliment! I wishy I could emulate the same results! Its too easy for me, living here, to take what I see on a daily basis for granted. Regarding weather and conditions I often say the best days are the worst days.
Thank you very much for your comments Innes and for reading my blogs. I would just like to reassure you that I haven't taken the term wishy washy to heart - my partner uses the same phrase for my work so there is definitely a theme.
I love your part of the world and always feel inspired when I am there and I agree with you that the best days can be the worst days - blue skies have never been inspiring to me.
I hope to be back in Ardnamurchan next year so I may well bump into you again. 🙂
Loved reading this. Your description of the location makes me feel like I'm there...I hope you don't mind me "borrowing" this idea for a future posting..with full credit to the author, of course...
I don't mind at all Ernest, I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Thank you for taking me to such a beautiful place Gill. I can see why you have your preferred image - the foreground has just enough detail to pull you in and then the soft blending of sea and sky with just a little detail in the headland. Plenty of drama here for me.
While I love that image, my preferred one is the first one. I think it is because it has slightly stronger lines zigzagging into the scene, which makes it a little more geometrical and dynamic. Great to learn a little more about my personal preferences by studying other people's work.
Thank you so much for your comments James and I am so sorry for the slow response. I am glad you enjoyed the images and it is interesting to hear which is your favourite.
beautifull photos, wonderful writing, Gill. Makes me feel like I was there.
Thank you very much Ernest, I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Love it Gill..."the landscape is the greatest teacher"
Great shots and interesting read.
Thank you very much Philip, I am glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Jill. I love the subtlety of your favourite image from that day too. You say "Over the years I have learned that I like painterly images, that subtlety is preferable to impact,...", and this goes for me too. You have inspired me to look back at photos I took at a beach in New Zealand, when it was also raining or cloudy, and though I had expected something different, the landscape in soft colours turned out to be some of my favourite images from that trip. If you like, I can show you one.
Thank you for your comments Karin. I think the landscape in the rain can produce some lovely subtle images. Feel free to send one across, it would be nice to see. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this post. Your photos really got me. I’m going to think about what you wrote a bit more. I just take pics by intuition, scenes that speak to me. But never really thought about it. I guess I’m trying to capture contradictions. I guess.
Thank you very much for your comments, I am glad you enjoyed the post. I think contradictions / contrasts are what make images interesting.
You really struck a chord in me when you talked about a place calling one out. I used to go down by the river and just sit and meditate and just sit and look at the beauty of our land. I live in Montana right by the Madison River. We get fly fisher people from all over coming to fish here. But where I sit, there is not much traffic. The trees, the mountains, and the river especially talk to me. 'Berta
Thank you very much for your comments Roberta. Your river sounds beautiful. 🙂
Lovely work Gill. It would be very interesting (well, to me anyway) to see the work from your workshop participants as well, it's always amazing to see how other people perceive things around them. Maybe a topic for another post one day.😊
Thank you very much for your comments Ross. I love seeing what everyone makes of a location because the images are always so varied. I think that is the beauty of workshops. Definitely an idea for a post one day. 🙂
Me again correcting a rather serene typo: I live in California. And also love there, haha.
I am thrilled to discover your posts. I love in California and the landscape is a constant subject and inspiration for my work. I love how you write about it. I’m a photographer, but my posts (only 3 so var) are about words. You inspire me.
Thank you very much for your kind comments Bonnie. I will check out your Substack. 🙂
Those sand patterns are 👌👌
Thank you Davor, they are amazing.