Author: Terry Donnelly

On our way to the Quiraing mountains, Mary Liz and I detoured to check out an old stone sheep pen that was set off, away from the road. About the time we walked in and started to look for photos who shows up but the crofter himself, Calum MacDonald with his trusty dog Pip! His purpose that day was to round up a couple dozen sheep for their annual sheep-dip plunge but he was willing to chat for a while, discussing the crofter’s waning lifestyle; those skills learned from his father and now being continued with his herd of sheep but  more as a tradition than that of a business.

The afternoon highlight for us both was watching Pip herd the sheep while Calum strolled along offering minimal commands and hand signals.  Once the sheep were at the stone pens, Calum managed the gates while Pip penned the herd with a firm stance and stare. It was a beautiful performance to watch, and made us both wonder how many generations of crofters and dogs have worked sheep into those stone pens over the years, and how they will continue.

 

A Series from the Orchard at Froggsong

Circumstances dictated that Mary Liz and I stick closer to home than usual this season. No grand expeditions or road trips seeking fall colors. While missing the opportunity to visit new and familiar  photographic hot spots, I’ve had time to mark the season’s progress closer to home.

Of the two or three nearby locations I’ve been revisiting these past weeks, one is this small, mature orchard with maybe two dozen fruit trees which I’m told is about 45 years old. It is adjacent to our friends’ Froggsong Gardens.

Specifically there are two trees in this orchard I find engaging for various reasons; reasons like the evolving colors, the shape or gesture of the branches and the relationship of these trees to their surroundings.  The ultimate force inspiring me to photograph them however, is the quality of light and the moods it creates filtering through these trees.

Typical of the soft Pacific Northwest light, conditions here are laden with atmosphere, often foggy.  With these photographs, I worked to capture variations in color and intensity of that light, and the magic it creates among the trees; the way it penetrates, sometimes glowing on the branches, then dense and seeping down to the ground beneath the canopies.

For a number of years I’ve been working in this orchard with my mind set on a collection of the four seasons. I think I’ll remember 2018 as the year I watched it in autumn.

I’m thrilled to announce the acceptance of these two images in an international juried exhibit “In Gratitude” at the Lightbox Photography Gallery in Astoria, Oregon. The exhibit opens November 10th and runs through December 5th and features the work of 23 photographers.

View the Lightbox web page for more information HERE