Greta van der Rol

I like taking pictures. Have done for a long time and of course, in this digital age it's even easier. Since I've been writing, photography has become more than just a way of making something pretty (or interesting) to look at. I've become a voyeur. Yes, that's a good work. I look at details; consider how to describe things, note how light plays on the object of my interest, perhaps what it sounds like. I try to find the words that go with the image. How would I express myself if I was describing this in a book, I think to myself.

Take this one. The molten metal sea reflects the clouds, a whitish glimmer on scarcely moving water. Follow the curved blue line of the sky from the deep azure of the zenith towards the paler blue of the horizon, where a boat bobs, while nearby the shadow of our vessel lends a deeper green to the languid swirl of the waves. Further away a heavier cloud mass, mottled and angry, betrays a change - but perhaps not just yet.

So it's more than just an image. You break down the elements of the image and then assign importance to those elements as you search for the words to use so that if the photo isn't there, the reader still has enough information to paint their own picture in their heads.

Of course, seascapes are an important feature of 'Die a Dry Death'. I've done my best to convey those scenes through my words. Time will tell if an editor agrees with me that the writing works.