Burnham-on-Sea - Day 2 - Part 2 (February 2020)

The theme for this second selection from day 2 at Burnham-on-Sea is the mud banks of the River Brue at low tide. It might seem like an odd subject but I was attracted to the curves of the river, the textures of the mud, the light shining off the wet surface, and the variations in colour and tone.

The results range from abstract studies to wider landscape views. The abstracts attempt to remove as much context as possible to emphasize the elements listed above. Gradually, the context is reintroduced to give more of a sense of place e.g. introducing the buoys sat on the mud, a bench on the bank, some distant boats, and views of the river mouth as it empties into Bridgewater Bay.

Although I don't consciously apply a step-by-step process when taking photographs, I do recognise adding and removing context as a useful way to explore a location. If I were to state the stages they would be: pick out the defining themes of the location; list the elements which make that theme visually interesting or attractive; record these elements in detail; and then gradually introduce more of the setting.

Looking back over much of my early photography, I can see that I was trying to apply that process in reverse. I was frequently trying to put all the features and visually attractive elements into one frame, often looking for ways to add more, when the real solution was taking elements out and being more selective.

I once read that composition is decision about what to leave out rather than what to put into a photograph. At the time I didn't fully appreciate this comment, and now I can't find the reference, but it definitely makes sense today and the measure of that is picking 'mud' as a photographic theme!