Working with wool has come to my attention in a big way after starting to look at the lives of crofters, Werner Kissling who I have previously mentioned along side wool working has really sparked my interest into this reviving art. When shooting for my Final Major Project I visited an active weaving mill, using the traditional machines that had been restored (by Bob), these machines are still machines however, no where near the simplicity of the weaving that Kissling witnessed. One woman simply put stakes in the ground and used these to hold the wool while she wove. There was however an advantage to her method, she could expand her loom in any direction, that and the younger women would do the waulking for her, a four hour session were the wool is twisted and beaten, this bound the fibres for better insulation.
Whilst visiting the weaving mill and taking my photographs I took some short segments of video as a side project. In the mill it is required that everyone wears ear defenders, so when you watch the idea you can imagine how loud that the mill is. I don’t work with film often although I have been trying it out recently and trying to add Premiere Pro CC to my addition skills. I really enjoy working with film because having what would have been your still photograph moving helps you to tell your story. However, looking at most of my photography work I may have to film things out with my usual photography subject,
Ruaridh Cameron 