Impressions and Reflections
Reflections are a popular subject for many photographers. I am one of them. I find reflections from whatever surface interesting, even arresting, because of the way in which they so often offer an altered reality - at once recognisable but at the same time different. This immediately creates a puzzle for the viewer which hopefully leads to closer engagement with the image thus triggering new thoughts and ideas.
I made this photograph during my recent visit to Brittany and to the island of Belle Ile. It is an image that uses the reflections of two houses that overlook the main harbour in La Palais; the island’s main town. Evening was coming on and the light was slowly changing from the harshness of the day to the softer sunshine of late afternoon. This is a time of day I love because colours become more vibrant but without the distorting oranges and pinks that are so popular with many photographers seizing the ‘golden hour’ before sunset.
I enjoy this particular image because, for me, it is not immediately obvious what the subject is. And unlike images that use the technique of longer exposures and Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), this image captures a moment of light and line which, when combined with lovely, subtle colours, reduces the subject to its essentials.
If you had been standing beside me that lovely evening on Belle Ile, I am in no doubt that you too would have been admiring the loveliness of the pretty white houses that ring the harbour, offering a solid counterpoint to the constant bustle on the water, and the ebb and flow of people - similarly enjoying the pleasures of just being there.
As most photographers will understand, the defining difference between painting and photography is that, while the painter starts with a blank canvas and decides what to include in their work - and how - their photographic opposite numbers must start with the scene in their viewfinder and then choose what to exclude and how to arrange the remaining elements to create an image that conveys the essence of the scene, and the ideas or emotions the photographer seeks to communicate at that particular moment.
Harbour scenes are necessarily cluttered and messy. Sometimes a straight image is enough to convey the mood or uniqueness of the moment: boats, nets, rigging, lobster pots, etc. However, that evening in Belle Ile, I was confronted by lots of people socialising outside the many bars and cafes along the harbour’s edge. These elements would have distracted from the simplicity of the image I wanted to make.
By using the reflection of the houses in the water I hope I have managed both to make an image that emphasises their simplicity of design and evokes a stronger emotional response in terms of time and place.
I find it intriguing that the emergence of Impressionism in the latter half of the 19th century is often seen as painting’s response to the challenges posed by the emergence of photography at the time. Previously, accurate and detailed portrayals of people and landscapes had been the sole preserve of painters. The emergence of the photograph, and its relatively easy and inexpensive accessibility, for the first time gave people the opportunity to have their own image or places they liked captured on film.
Today, I therefore find it intriguing that photographers like me, are increasingly drawn to making images that are ‘Impressionist’ in style because we too are attracted to depictions of light and its changing qualities, ordinary subjects, unusual angles, and the inclusion of movement as a key elements of human perception and experience.
