Scene from the Water's Edge:

Part 3 – The Aim

 So this part of the story should be simple, right?

Previously I explored some of the possible reasons behind how and why water inspires me. I never really set out to have a ‘project’, it seemed to just happen by accident and suddenly click one day.

So likewise I never had a definite aim, not initially. But after spending a week on a photography residential with R & K Photographic I suddenly realised that my photography was going in a certain direction and at that point I decided to follow it and see where I might end up.

So I guess if there was never an aim, it would just flow in a fluid manner (no pun intended), growing organically. Well, not quite. In fact having this project has been a bit of a double edge sword. Initially it gave me a huge sense of purpose and encouraged me to wake up at an hour that is normally reserved for owls and voles. Then later I realised that I needed to do something with this project, an end goal to share with others. With this comes pressure that can sometimes detract from the enjoyment of the photography.

 

 

Instead of writing theatrically about what I was trying to achieve, I thought at this stage it would be easier to list some of the keywords that came from a scrapbook session I had when the project started to pick up momentum:

 

Calm, motion, stillness, peaceful, coastal, tidal, mist, reflections, simplicity, atmosphere, memories, senses, at one with your surroundings, smells, sounds, crashing, splashing, minimal, colourful, subtle, pastel, and moody.

 

 

From this list I then managed to start piecing together what the project meant to me and if I had to describe my reason for showing my work, then it would need to achieve in part:

Images that:

Draw you into the scene,

Show perfect stillness or great motion,

Calm you (main focus),

Bring back childhood memories,

Display the subtle colours that can be witnessed at either end of a day

 

Obviously what an image means to one person can be completely different to that of another, however, by setting a tiny seed from the above, hopefully I could get across my inspiration, and therefore the aim behind what is about to be exhibited.

For me this whole process has been a fantastic learning process, especially with the purchase of my first large printer and all that printing for yourself brings with it. From that point of view I have already achieved more than I ever set out to achieve and therefore for me, the project has completed all possible aims, to advance my photography and be enjoyable.

 

More to come in Part 4...