In many ways, Monhegan is the perfect place for the photographer that loves the monochrome image. So much of the island is tints and shades of grey already! The foggy mornings only add to the sensation since fog mutes color. There are some images that just cry out to be done in black and white so I offer this small collection of photographs to conclude my series of On Location - Monhegan.
I've chosen 12 photographs - my "Good Crop" - for this monochrome folio. Some are also represented in color in my Sense of Place - Monhegan folio. For me, they worked either way. But a few just had to be done in monochrome.
If I had to pick just one of all the photographs I made as the icon of my experience on Monhegan, it would be this image of the gull. The delicate tones of the wing stand in contrast to the rugged texture of the rocks and, for me, Monhegan was a study in contrast...the little fishing village and the dense woodlands....the houses hugging the security of the cove while the cliffs dominate the eastern edge of the island with their dizzying heights and sense of danger...the summer residents who come from "other worlds" and the few hardy souls that brave the winter isolation in this one small world. Yes, the gull photograph says it all for me. He is facing into the wind...lifting his wings to soar above the waves...just like this tiny island does every day. Both gull and island stand in splendid isolation in this landscape of stone.
It wasn't easy to pick my icon...it never is. I have to do a lot of thinking about the whole experience and what I find is that the icon is rarely a "pretty" picture. It wouldn't be what the Chamber of Commerce would choose to represent their town (not that Monhegan has a chamber of commerce of course!). That's because an icon is an intensely personal expression of one persons experience of a place and a time. No two photographers would come up with the same image. That's what makes the exercise of searching for my icon so enriching for me. It is an exercise I encourage you to try the next time you travel to a special destination.
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| Solitary Gull - Into the Wind |
If I had to pick just one of all the photographs I made as the icon of my experience on Monhegan, it would be this image of the gull. The delicate tones of the wing stand in contrast to the rugged texture of the rocks and, for me, Monhegan was a study in contrast...the little fishing village and the dense woodlands....the houses hugging the security of the cove while the cliffs dominate the eastern edge of the island with their dizzying heights and sense of danger...the summer residents who come from "other worlds" and the few hardy souls that brave the winter isolation in this one small world. Yes, the gull photograph says it all for me. He is facing into the wind...lifting his wings to soar above the waves...just like this tiny island does every day. Both gull and island stand in splendid isolation in this landscape of stone.
It wasn't easy to pick my icon...it never is. I have to do a lot of thinking about the whole experience and what I find is that the icon is rarely a "pretty" picture. It wouldn't be what the Chamber of Commerce would choose to represent their town (not that Monhegan has a chamber of commerce of course!). That's because an icon is an intensely personal expression of one persons experience of a place and a time. No two photographers would come up with the same image. That's what makes the exercise of searching for my icon so enriching for me. It is an exercise I encourage you to try the next time you travel to a special destination.
4 comments:
I love this practice of choosing an icon while travelling. Thanks for this idea as I will begin to implement it wherever I go or stay!
I will begin to implement this wonderful idea of icons... wherever I travel or stay! Thank you for your wonderful photography and insights.
Thank you! Yes, by all means, try to find your special icon of experience the next time you travel. It is a very enlightening activity. If you can't isolate one image that "says it all" then perhaps you haven't really experience the essence of the place!
I love that you shared your icon with us and it makes perfect sense. If Monhegan Island had a Chamber of Commerce, I think that they would want to use this image. :)
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