The Impossible Shot?
The Start of a Mini Project
When cloud and rain roll in over Dartmoor, my creative options for photography often feel more limited. The tors come to life when light catches them, but under grey, overcast skies they lose a little of their magic.
I am currently in Scotland, where rain and cloud are even more frequent, but here that extra water opens up new opportunities. Waterfalls scattered across the landscape come into their own in these conditions. Even in winter, without foliage, there are still strong and interesting compositions to be found.
With that in mind, I set out one evening to visit a waterfall I had never seen before. I do not think I had even come across a photograph of it, but I had spotted it on the map and, with no other plans on a damp and overcast evening, it felt like the perfect excuse to explore.
On arrival, I was immediately drawn to the multiple streams cascading down the dark rock. It did not take long to realise that the surrounding landscape was adding nothing to the scene. This was going to be a tighter composition with a longer lens, and it was always going to be black and white. The contrast between the dark rock and the flowing white water felt like it would work beautifully.
There was just one problem. There was no clean shot.
The waterfall can only be viewed from a small, fenced viewpoint, which limits movement quite significantly. The fence is there for good reason, with a steep drop beyond it, so stepping over it was never really an option. Even if it had been, branches framed the scene in a way that would have crept into almost any composition.
It was one of those moments where a drone would have been ideal, allowing a clear view beyond the branches and a chance to capture the scene properly. From where I stood, though, that clean composition simply was not possible.
Despite that, the photographs I did take sparked an idea.
There are countless waterfalls in this area, and I found myself really enjoying the process of capturing these high contrast black and white images. It felt like the beginning of something, so I decided to turn it into a small project. Over the next couple of weeks, I plan to explore more of these locations and build a set of images around this theme.
The photograph I had in mind that evening may not have been possible, but the experience led to something just as valuable. No matter the conditions, it is always worth heading out with the camera. You never quite know where it might lead.
Inverlochy Waterfall, Argyll, Scotland - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 120mm, f/8, 1.3 sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
