In October we made our annual spoooky Halloween trip to some log cabins at Skeagh Lough in County Cavan. This is something my friends and I have been doing for about 15 years, indeed we reckon 10 years of that we have gone to the same cabins. And while the weekend is very much about catching up and chilling out I do like to take the camera along. Normally on one of the mornings I’ll take a wander along the lake or into the forest and see if anything captures my interest. Over the years I’ve shared some images I’ve captured of the Flora in the area. I rarely shoot landscape images however, indeed I have only ever published one which I took on my visit in 2010 entitled The Abandoned Boat which also happens to be a best seller.
This year, and I’m not sure why but the colours seemed so intense; ranging from deep browns to lush reds and everything in between. I got up early one morning (not that early, it’s not that kind of holiday!) and grabbed the camera, a lens, the tripod and a handful of filters and took a walk down to the lake. Wow it was so calm, not the faintest hint of a breeze brushed the lake. The reflections of those vibrant colours draped in early morning light was amazing.
I set up the camera on the tripod knowing I wanted a panoramic, although this image is from a single frame. I had to juggle a little with a couple of ND Grads to manage the brightness of the sky and the reflections on the water, particularly on the right side where the sun was rising; and used a CPL to accentuate the vibrant colours.
Nothing new there John; so why does this image look so different then? Well spotted my astute observer! I have been fascinated by Michael Orton imagery for years, specifically what is now known as the Orton Effect. Michael Orton developed this process back in the film days to produce a very saturated, vibrant image that was almost dream like. I fell in love with this the first time I came across but never felt confident in my work to attempt to produce one of my own. No doubt by now, if you have followed by blog this year, you may have figured out I am going through somewhat of a metamorphosis as an artist; and am beginning to explore areas that I would have never considered in the past. And here is an example of another path I am pursuing; focusing on an “impression” of a place & time rather than an “absolute record”.
