A Blanket on Beinn an Eoin

[Andrew1]

Funny, in all the photos I've ever seen of Scotland landscapes, or in all the interviews on tv of Scots in the news or theater, or even friends or kin with strong roots to home, I have never, ever, considered Scotland a land of subdued low spectrum anything. If anything, when I think of Scotland, Billy Connolly comes to mind.

And by the way were you aware Mr Marra passed away a couple of days ago?

[Daisy Mae]

And by the way were you aware Mr Marra passed away a couple of days ago?

Sadly all too aware Andrew, we were robbed of a lyrical genius and a gentle and witty human being.

Thoughts of a nation are with Peggy, Matthew, Alice and all of his family.

[oleleclos]

I'm glad that Donald is the first to point out that monochrome photography is in itself "substantially altering the truth", but of course even this alteration can be done with integrity and deference to reality. How to do this is clearly entirely up to the photographer to decide; I just put in my two pennies' worth because Donald sounded unhappy with the image.

Perhaps also because the low contrast nature of Donald's work generally, refered to here, is news to me. I don't find that so on his website, where most of his excellent pictures are quite punchy.

Oh, and I did ask - and receive - permission before I posted a revised version of someone else's work :-) If I upset others by doing so, I apologise.

[Donald]

Ole - You did exactly what a good-quality forum would expect - you checked out that it was okay to post an edit and you did so to illustrate an editorial point. That's fine. No problem.

I think the the point I am making (and I know Sharon shares my thinking to a great extent), is I feel the creation of an image is very much an act that is intimately connected to the experience of the photographer at the time of capture. Now, I know some people write this off as touchy-feely artistic claptrap, but for me it is the only way I can make an image like this.

I am perfectly happy to see other people comment and make suggestions, either in text or by interpreting my images and re-posting them on here. But in the same way, I can never experience what you experienced at the moment you decided to capture an image and can never feel what you felt when you decided 'now is the moment', no-one else can ever know what I was feeling and experiencing out on that desolate piece of land from 5:30am - 9:30am on that October morning. And it is that feeling and experience that I try and put into this image.

So, when we cut through all that waffle, it comes down to that old adage of, 'There is no right or wrong.'

So, please do keep offering your constructive criticisms of my work and that of others.

[Daisy Mae]

Oh, and I did ask - and receive - permission before I posted a revised version of someone else's work :-) If I upset others by doing so, I apologise.

Hi Ole

It Certainly didn't upset me and if it came across that way please accept my most abject apologies.

The difficulty when someone revises or alters anothers image is that there is then a necessary comparison with the original and the viewer feels compelled to make a choice. In this instance my choice was informed by my knowledge of Donald's work and some of the ethos behind it .... also by being Scottish myself and having personal experience of similar vistas.

[oleleclos]

Thanks to both Donald and Sharon for clarifying; I'm finding my feet here, so it's nice to get feedback.

About Donald's touchy-feely artistic claptrap: Artistic, yes; claptrap, no. How else do you make pictures?

[KCBrecks]

There is only one word to describe that Donald - beautiful.