Many of my images contain water, sometimes as a passive inclusion, at others more directly contributing to the image but usually not the intended subject of the photo. How about I make water the subject for a change? Wouldn’t that be a different angle? Could this be too big as a topic? Yes, so what shall I do about that? I know, I’ll focus on working water and try to produce a set of images that provide a definition of the character of “Working Water”.
“Working Water” is an expression that I coined and refers to water working in its own right, as an agent of humankind, for transport or recreation and for industrial applications adjacent to rivers or coastal locations. Finally, in my project, water has been “worked” to provide an explanatory representation (image) of the character of water at work.
Working water can be found as a pond, lake, stream, river or sea. Water is never static and continually circles around the Hydrological Cycle: at some points it will be liquid, some gaseous, and sometimes atmospheric (clouds).
In terms of working water as an agent of people, the kind of applications intended are power generation (by turbine), hydroelectric power generation, power generation control (cooling towers, river and sea), milling of cereals, distilleries, breweries, tanneries and so on.
Using water for transport involves shipping activities both inland and at sea, vessels devoted to specialized tasks such as commercial fishing, both inshore and in deeper waters, transportation of bulk cargo and passenger or vehicle ferries both inshore and at sea. For these examples, harbours, terminals, storage facilities or dockyard support operations, are required.
Recreation can be afloat by means of (generally) smaller scale craft e.g. small sailing vessels, dinghies, barges, canoes or kayaks at offshore, coastal, riverbank, lake or canal locations. Recreations at the riverside can encompass fishing, camping, bird watching and wildlife studies. Many rivers also have long-distance pathways for cyclists and walkers.
For industrial Applications, chemical plants, refineries, steelworks, oil production / drilling platforms, as well as shipbuilding can be reviewed. These are typically situated on the coast, offshore or in estuarial locations. Smaller facilities may operate at inland riverside positions and some coal or gas-fired power stations have been located at riverside locations where operation of associated cooling towers is acceptable.
To present my work, a series of images was prepared as an exhibition set, along with a journal containing a more comprehensive set of images, as well as pictorial essays, looking at selected topics relating to Working Water. These have to be illustrative examples and are by no means exclusive, as this is a potentially huge topic. I could have made use of a steam engine for example, as water is definitely working in this instance but this, for now, is something left for another time! The idea of my journal was to augment my exhibition, by providing an idea of all the issues that cannot be addressed with a modest number of displayed images.
The following images are those (in order) included in Working Water arranged under the section headings. (Working Water is available in book form, please contact http://www.Prospect-Photography.com for details).
Section 1. River Nene
Section 2: Reservoirs:
Section 3. Cromarty Firth:
Section 4. Felixstowe and Harwich:
Section 5. Industry:
Section 6. Beauly and Affric:
Section 7. Harbours and Ports:
2021 Prospect: Photography