Photographing water is more than just capturing it as part of the landscape.
Whether streaming from a spring, collecting in pools, or flowing in rivers, water is ancient and elemental. It is essential to life. River water is a force of nature that follows its own powerful rules of movement, acceptance and shaping. No wonder our ever-evolving rivers have been used so often as symbols for change and the passage of time.
If a river were to take and choose its own images, what would it do? Photographers and video makers can give water a visual language that is both emphatic and fluid. They can provide unexpected perspectives and direct the viewer’s attention and mind’s eye to the contrast between the man-made and the natural, the large-scale and the tiny.
Look down from the air via a drone and water is a sinuous, living part of the earth. Stop and focus closely through a macro lens and beautiful details of plants and insects emerge. Have patience and photographic skill, and the wildlife along riverbanks rewards you with colour and fascinating variety.
Local photographers have come together through the First Ripples sessions and are collaborating on joint ideas and activities. See their first Blog with their images on ‘Our winter waters’.
Keep watching this space for more news on other emerging groups.