Here is a collection of photographs that I took on a moorland walk this week. After researching the relationship between photography and meditation, that was something that was strongly directing this shoot. I spend a lot of time on Dartmoor, whether that being specifically to take photographs or not. I find walking on the moor a somewhat therapy, A place where you can take a minute to reflect on everything that is going on around you in life. Where no judgement is found, merely inner peace and happiness. No matter how good or bad the weather is, the feeling of being alive is captured with a sense of knowing that this is what living life is all about.
During this shoot, my aim was to capture the horizon line in the same place in every image. Achieving this gives a uniformed feel to the series of images as it gives them a level of continuity. Keeping one thing similar in the photographs reflects the constant feeling that I am gathering when I am on the Moor. I also think that when I share a collection of images, if there is a similarity in the photographs, then this could increase the likelihood of making my viewer feel at peace.
I think that this is the best shot that I took on my journey. The sky was not this clear in the original photographs, I took out the clouds and made it one tone. The simplicity of this shows a clear line between the land and the sky which I think can connect well with the message that I am trying to capture in my work. Our feet connect us with the land, the physical connection between us and the environment we are in. This is reality, which represents all the things that are going on in our lives. Then we move up to the sky, representing our thoughts, mental state and level of contentment. With the sky being empty we are achieving the feeling that I am feeling when out in the landscape. A silent inner peace, an “Untitled Thought” that combines all positive thought of happiness, contentment with thyself and truthful meaning to what life is about.
I understand that not everyone looking at my photography is going to emotionally connect with the images in the same way that I do which is why I feel like I need to start to make my intentions a bit more clear. I think by using the contrast of the sky and land, it creates a feeling that people are not tuned in to looking at. Usually, in landscape photography, the sky and light coming through the clouds add the mood to the image and directed the viewers feeling to the image. However, take that away, as I have done in this photograph and the viewer is not directed by the mood set by the clouds or the weather. Perhaps allowing them to discover an alternate meaning to the imagery.
Going forward, this is something that I am going to explore further as I want to push the meaning of my work further to deepen the level of thought that the viewer has when viewing my work.