An Image Can Tell A Story

An Image Can Tell A Story, a photo by jasontheaker on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I normally don’t take images of human objects in natural landscapes unless they are old and nature has begun to reclaim them. Its kind of an obsession of mine, based in the resentfulness of human disrespect for the environment. Selfishness and greed are continually used for justification in the destruction of our natural environment and it pisses me off in a big way! Its kind of like footprints in fresh snow, I’d prefer to see the snow without them. Anyway I’ll get off my soapbox.

For some time now I’ve been interested in the way photography is a time-based medium. I think it’s to do with my love of animation that I keep trying to look for movement in unusual areas. This shot for me is trying to juxtapose the formal human geometric stones against the natural long trails of the scum, as it ebbs and flows graciously down the river. (Created by white water further up stream). I find the soft and hard forms work well juxtaposed against each other. They bring to the table more power than the sum or their parts.

This shot was taken at Thruscross Reservoir (or just down from it). When the reservoir was built and subsequently filled in 1966, an unfortunate village was sacrificed and flooded. When I was a kid we had a sever drought and I remember going there and walking around its streets. Even walked over the bridge and went in the dilapidated church. Quite a strange experience, knowing it use to be a real place. Felt a bit like the shots of the titanic underwater.

‘Apparently’ until recently the buildings were complete and when the water level went down you could see the church steeple (with bell still intact) kind of like a ghost story, or it could be an urban myth. I also I seem to remember as a kid, one of my family members telling me that my grandfather had something to do with it. He was an electrician / builder and probably sorted out something to do with the houses. I kind of want to write this down before I forget and its lost in history. Anyway let me keep this short, hope you like it!