A Second Look at Inishmaan

Sometimes you don't have to travel far to discover and make great photographs. In fact, you don't have to budge an inch. All it takes is a browse through photographs you took previously but for whatever reason didn't consider worth further exploration in your editing software. Fresh eyes and the passage of time can give you a whole new perspective on them. You may even uncover a gem you had dismissed or overlooked. The two photographs above, both taken during the same shoot on Inishmaan, one of the Aran Islands, are a good example of what I mean. The first one captures the raging force of the waves as they batter the cliffs. The turquoise of the churning water is electric. You get a true sense of unstoppable waves clattering against immovable rock faces. You can practically hear the din. A clear winner. Job done. Move on, nothing more to see here.

But wait...

Not so fast. While I adore the first image, my ardour almost prevented me from seeing the broader narrative of the second image. Away from the island cliffs, the sea is less angry. It only grows wild as it approaches the cliffs. You get the full story as your eyes read the image from left to right. You can also see that the waves don't merely reach to the tops of the Inishmaan cliffs. The furthest rock face is being engulfed completely. What might you uncover if you went back through your work?