• 29th April 2025
• 9am
• Overcast, bright

This recent digital shoot was alongside a test run, with a new analogue camera (the roll of film failed) I concentrated on the lake area, I hadn’t really worried to much about what the result might be and instead tried to be more mindful and intuitive. I noticed some interesting textures and shapes, when I studied aspects of the landscape up close. In particular, again I am drawn to the reflections in the water and the way you can see both what is above and below in the same frame. This reminds me once more of the effect created by Nicholas Hughes in his use of layering, albeit these are a single image. Below shows an original image as shot and then one that I adjusted in photoshop using curves. (Photoshop often evades me but for this module I have worked at trying to understand it better, recognising that this will be essential in refining my finished work)

Example 1

The Lake at Dacha 1, Taylor, L. 2025

I see this as the beginning of a more focussed stage of practice. I have revisited the same area several times to observe and understand its characteristics. In a later post I show the result of a more successful analogue shoot here.

I like the black and white versions of photographs, when there is a lot going on in the frame. For example, in the photo below, the willow tree that is partially submerged in the lake is reflected heavily in the water, along with bright gaps of sky, and the shadows from the branches and leaves being cast on the tree trunk itself. In the black and white version, it could be good to use this in an overlay experiment to make the most of the light areas. This is something I will give more thought to as I don’t have a suitable image to use in conjunction at the moment.

Example 2

The Lake at Dacha 2, Taylor, L. 2025

For 7801 I did a number of shoots here and discussed the motivation for this. I find myself at the stage where I want to turn the camera towards the place itself and see beyond its ‘use’ or function. The post I wrote about this previously can be found here: https://lucindataylorphotographycouk.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=115&action=edit