"Mirror Man", St. Fillans, a photo from Perth and Kinross, Scotland

Photographer's Note

Please click here for a larger version of this photograph on "beta" TE.

This curious artwork, made up from multiple fragments of stainless steel, stands about ten feet tall and was installed in the shallow waters of Loch Earn just in front of the Four Seasons Hotel in the little Perthshire village of St. Fillans. Called "Still" by its artist, Rob Mulholland, it replaced his previous two dimensional installations in this place which have been photographed by Ann Jackman. Locally the statue became known as "Mirror Man".

It was a rather dull and breezy late afternoon when I took this so I used a ten stop ND filter to increase the exposure in an attempt to smooth the appearance of the water of the loch. As well as the weather being cool, the air was filled with evil biting midges so I quickly returned to our hotel where I was able to catch a shot of some other keen photographers having a go!

Interestingly, shortly after our stay at this hotel, the hotel was sold to new owners but the previous owners (who had commissioned the artwork) decided to uproot it and take it away. However, following objections from the local community, I believe that it is about to be reinstated in its original place!

ISO 100, 30 sec at f/14, focal length 70mm. 10 stop ND filter.

Tue, holmertz, snunney, dale54, jhm, jean113, macjake, worldcitizen, romanaa has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Tue (71862) 2019-03-22 7:07

Hello John,
A great photo of this interesting work of art. You placed it really well in the right hand side of the composition. The smooth water and the misty background create a very special mood, which goes really well together with the large mirror man. Great work!
Lars

holmertz (83294) 2019-03-22 7:14

Hello John,
It's a fascinating sculpture, whose artistic strength is partly due to its location. It's no surprise this is a work by the same artist as the figures in Ann's photos. While your WS is more amusing and colourful (and could have been a main upload as well) this photo enhances the statue's beauty and original character by showing it entirely against the dark and hazy background of the lake and hills, leaving out any possibly distracting elements. Both photos are very carefully taken and enjoyable.
Kind regards,
Gert

Nicou (188416) 2019-03-22 7:18

Hello

Fantastique sculpture et vue quel homme posé dans l'eau quel rendu sur le plan d'eau et effet superbe captage quel grand homme et ce verre sur lui quelle tête et cette brume en fond grandiose
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

carlo62 (81023) 2019-03-22 7:37

Ciao John
molto bella questa statua, mi piace molto la sua forma e mi piace il contesto in cui si trova.
Bellissima la tua foto, un'atmosfera fantastica.
Saluti
Carlo

snunney (130965) 2019-03-22 7:43

Hello John,
Excellent capture of this most curious artwork. Perfectly positioned in the frame, the colours and the jigsaw like patterns in its construction are quite beguiling. The effect of the slow exposure on the surface of the water and the misty atmosphere bring a dreamlike quality to the composition.

alvaraalto (38606) 2019-03-22 7:56

Hello John
A fascinating series of photos (including the link to Ann), well documented.
I love this kind of alienating art in unexpected places.
Too bad that the mirror man is removed. If I was the owner, I would immediately start saving for a third and fourth statue in this series. Would be a huge promotion for the hotel.
Excellent work
Have a good weekend, groet Rob

notrap (7762) 2019-03-22 9:15

Hello John,
two entries to think about! Your main photo looks exactly like you describe the circumstances: a weather to return as quickly as possible to the hotel. But in the ws photo the young man on the left is wearing summer clothes, may be he belongs to the hardboiled ones. The guy on the right is wearing a woolen cap....
A fascinating work of art, made exactly for this place and should of course be reinstalled!
P.S. After having a look at Ann Jackman's picture I'm not sure whether I like the two dimensional "Mirror Man" even better.
Kind regards,
Elvira

Royaldevon (64286) 2019-03-22 9:50

Ha! Ha! John, it is easy to get the impression that the people who paid for the artwork were determined to get their "money's worth".
I wonder how they were persuaded to return it! Maybe there was a local collection!

It certainly makes a very showy presence, a bit like the Anthony Gormley statues at Crosby, though this has a completely different surface texture.
I think the grey, misty b/g was in your favour, for the sharply featured statue stands out extremely well in these conditions.
I like the w/s very much, too. The trio of photographers animate the scene, perhaps with a hint of humour, considering the evil, biting midges that they were enduring!
Do you think the sculptor had been in the forces?
The statue is standing to attention as well as any soldier on parade!

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

dale54 (15988) 2019-03-22 10:06

good evening and hello john...this is really scottish beauty,this lite light and misty hills,great choice's for this shot! tfs dale

jhm (191315) 2019-03-22 10:44

Hello John,

I like real your second picture our photographers, brothers.
Splendid panorama image
An excellent picture with lovely colours
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

jean113 (16059) 2019-03-22 14:28

Hello John, viewing your shots and Ann's, it strikes me that the weather has a tendency to be grey and a bit misty in this part of the world! It actually complements the artwork in my opinion.
I love the smooth surroundings that contrast with the textured statue, and the way that the light is reflected on the many faces of mirror.
(I suppose that if I had paid for a piece of art such as this, I might want to take it with me, if I moved on.)

regards Jean.

emka (139142) 2019-03-22 16:04

Hello John Very interesting note. How strange that the first statue was replaced by this mirror man and again taken away. Good that the trekkers document all :). Interesting composition. The sharp man contrasts nicely with the hazy atmosphere. I like the view you had from the window. Funny that the guy has a tripod like a jacket.

Kind regards MAlgo

macjake (92625) 2019-03-22 20:56

Hi John
oh this is fantastic...I think I have a new favourite TYRO photo :) and this is it. what a great effect at 30 seconds, the end result is A+++. Lets hope the artwork is put back in its original location. This is such a cool visual, first...the 1/3 horizon line is awesome, the 1/3 placement of the Mirror Man is awesome...the effect of the water is awesome. Did I say this is awesome yet? haha. one of your best John
cheers
Craig

jemaflor (125691) 2019-03-23 0:34

Hi John,
Interesting view with this strange statue and all these mirrors, good brightness even the weather was a bit foggy. Tfs.

BennyV (30382) 2019-03-23 4:34

Hello John

This reminds me a bit of the "Another Place" art installation near Liverpool. Great capture, I also like the hazy background of the Loch.

"Mirror Man" is a great song and album by the legendary Captain Beefheart. I wonder if this is a coincidence.

Benny

Silvio1953 (191181) 2019-03-23 9:19

Ciao caro John, fascinating misty landscape with fantastic sculpture, fine details and splendid clarity, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

worldcitizen (12758) 2019-03-23 17:06

Hello John,
This is great. The amount of detail and clarity you captured on the mirrored pieces is excellent, and the silky effect of the water from the long exposure makes the scene even more artistic. I really like the WS photo, too. It's different to see the water moving around a bit, and also see the other photographers hard at work. It was worth braving the midges for a little while to get this wonderful shot. :-)

lousat (120975) 2019-03-24 1:37

Hi John,the perfect name for this beautiful and original artwork! Still made in steel..ehehe..and still like the position of the statue. Great capture,i like a lot the brightness of the man in this grey and foggy background,very nice view from your hotel with the other photographers at work. Have a nice Sunday and thanks for your words about my pic,Luciano

romanaa (8298) 2019-03-25 7:07

Hello John,

I just love the matte effect of long exposure here on the water surface. It contrasts beautifully with the shiny surface of the statue. Well done my friend. Excellent work as usual.

Best wishes

Romana
Edit: Wow, only in the workshop I saw how rough the water was...

annjackman (23019) 2019-04-04 3:45

Hello John,
I thought that I recognised the location but until I read your note I didn't recognise the artwork. Well placed off-centre against the misty background that I would imagine is often there.
An interesting note about the hotel owners.
Excellent and lovely to see this.
Kind Regards, Ann

mkamionka (53766) 2019-04-30 13:35

Hi John,
I thought at first this is one of those statues on the beach near Liverpool.
The view s quite intriguing and you captured it with such a foggy setting, it feels like a scene from a Terminator movie: the machine is emerging from the liquid nitrogen...
Brilliant reportage.
As you have seen I have ventured to Scotland on the Easter Tuesday and I even thought about contacting you but I made the decision last minute and I am sure you had some plans already. I suppose if it was a tiny bit more north I would most definitely try :)

Beautiful work!!
M