I have now received back the 5x4 negs from the last shoot at Little Stone Wood.

All nine of the images are self portraits of me standing in the woods, being embedded in the wilderness and with no hint of humanity around, which can be found in the gallery below.

The shoot I feel went very well. The weather is what I needed, a still wind and a overcast sky as I needed to use what can be called, the grey pallet produced by the light. Each of them also capture the texture of the forest, with entangled branches everywhere. There is also a sense of closeness which really emphasis what Little Stone Wood is like, a very dense and compact little wood that lacks space.

I feel the images that work better are the ones where I am more distant in the frame as they seem to emphasise being embedded in the landscape more. I also like the fact that I am looking away from the camera and into the forest, as if I am staring reflecting on the nature of the forest itself, and so helps the viewer to also look at the forest. I think if I was looking at the camera then I would probably become the focal point and the forest would just become my surroundings. But by looking at the forest myself within the picture then encourages the viewer to do the same.

I haven’t decided which ones to choose for my final submission, though I think that No27 and No25 are too good images. I’m distant enough in the frame not to dominate it, but I am still noticeable and the ground is about the right height to emphasise the texture of the forest. No26 doesn’t feel as if it fits because the ground is too high in the fame and doesn’t capture the forest the same way the others do and No24 I feel that I am too close to the camera and so dominate the scene too much.

But overall I think I have enough for my final selection of 4 prints for my final submission.