On a warm late spring evening last week, members of Irvine Camera Club headed down to Greenan Shore just south of Ayr for a very enjoyable few hours of photography. After a long lockdown winter we are relishing the opportunity to spend time outside together not just talking about our hobby but actually practicing it as well.
Greenan is lovely spot, especially when the sun is shining and wind is gentle. With our cameras and tripods at the ready, we headed down to the beach from the car park. The old ruined castle clearly dominates the scene, perched precariously on the cliff above the shore. Looking back towards Ayr the big sky was filled with fluffy cumulonimbus clouds which added texture and interest in the late evening sunshine.
We had set themes of “castle in the landscape”, “reflections” and “patterns”. The challenge to the group was to try to bring a different interpretation of the place through our photography. Of course, it was inevitable that there would be many photographs of the castle taken that evening, but it is still fascinating to see the variations in technique and style that were used.
There is a quote by the famous American landscape photographer, Ansel Adams, where he said that every photograph has at least two people in it; the photographer and the viewer. What he meant by that was that photographs not only tell us something about what the photographer was thinking, but they also trigger thoughts and emotions within us as the viewer of the image. Now, it takes a bit of effort and time to fully appreciate a photograph and in a world of instantaneous online gratification, we tend to consume images very quickly, perhaps only pausing briefly to click the “like” button before we continue to swipe through the timeline. Ideally, we should slow down and really look at an image, give ourselves time to react to what we see and to perhaps ask ourselves questions about what we think the photographer was trying to say.
Despite the fairly limited choice of subject matter down on Greenan shore, our club members have each shown their own unique approach to what they experienced, taking their time to appreciate the environment and thinking carefully about how to record it. I hope you enjoy looking at some of the images that they made that evening. Perhaps they may even inspire you to get out and about with your camera. As always, you are welcome to come along and join us on a club night, either on Zoom or on location every couple of weeks during the summer months. You can find out all about us at our website www.irvinecc.co.uk
