The Pool

Overview

This series is photographed entirely in one small pool in the woodland near my home. The pool, which is no more than 2 metres across, is fringed by grasses & ferns, and surrounded by birch trees. ‘I walk past it every day and, although nothing extraordinary, it constantly grabs my attention’. The images explore the layers of shapes and shadows reflected in the surface of the pool – a hidden abstract world which is at first chaotic and lost to the naked eye. By singling out and focussing on individual elements, these complex and competing patterns are simplified and a sense of depth created.

Reviews

"There are stand out pictures in the book, the delicate hanging grasses, the blurred rings of a splash of water, the silhouettes of hard ferns, the delicate strands of grass and the occasional spider sitting and waiting. It's not the individual pictures that have the big effect though - it's the state of mind they put you in when you sit and absorb the whole book. The work reminds me of Josef Sudek, and not just in the beautiful warm tones but in the creation of an inner world - an escape from reality, a jump back in time." —On Landscape magazine

Author Biography

Iain Sarjeant is a photographer based in the Scottish Highlands. His photography explores both natural and man-made environments, and the interaction between the two. His work is often concerned with change - human impact on the landscape but also the reverse, where nature regains its hold. He is drawn to ordinary places - whether in an urban setting or in his local countryside - seeking to find interest in the commonplace.