At the time of writing 259 photos have been posted on Instagram in the last week using the hashtag #scottishwatches!
That’s a lot of photos, narrowing it down to a few highlights is quite a difficult task. With that in mind I thought I would touch on the concept of visual language. Essentially it is the idea of communicating using visual elements rather than words. It is about portraying something, such as a concept, idea, mood or feeling through an image.
Some people have a very distinctive visual language whether they know it or not. It is a unique style, a way of telling a story through an image. You can look at their work and know that it is theirs without context or explanation. If you are looking for some prime examples of visual language, check out @pbandwatches @thewatchdude2 and @audreymacro Their images go beyond preset filters or consistent presentation and convey something more.
Every day I see increasing numbers of people posting studio style shots, which are technically impressive but somewhat generic, and people posting wrist shots, that can be fun, but are not especially creative. Don’t get me wrong, I like geeking out about the technical stuff and I post plenty of wrist shots myself. I’m not saying that those things are bad in any way, but the posts that tend to stop me scrolling are the ones that have been created by people who have a really strong visual language. So with that in mind my hope is that while I scroll through the #scottishwatches posts from the last week I will discover some new people with a bold visual language.
First up we have @hendersonshorology who mixes moody shots with a little nature in a very coherent way.
Next there’s @mracekproductions who seamlessly melds composition, macros and wrist shots while maintaining a distinctive clean style.
@moody.dials is a brilliantly bokehlicious account full of reflection and warmth. Moody but not dark.
Scrolling through @wrists.and.walls profile things seem to be getting darker. It could be a reflection on how we all feel about social media over time.
@thewatchscot embraces the dark side of photography while showing us just how fantastic a Seiko looks in low light.
The photos by @timeinscotland remind me of my trip to Loch Lomond in summer a couple of years ago – cold and imposing.
There’s something quite playful and fun about the photos that @the.united.kingdom.of.horology takes. Serious photography with whimsical moments.
Full time engineer and part time watch writer, Chris’s passion for watches started from a young age with his first Casio, ordered from the Argos catalogue. His interest in how things worked soon led him to mechanical watches, resulting in him wearing a 17 jewel Citizen watch throughout his teens when most of his friends were wearing digital watches. His fascination with watches waned during his time at university, but never fully went away. As a significant birthday approached Chris decided to get a proper Swiss watch, the one watch that he would have for the rest of his life. Little did he know that this would reignite his passion for watches, a passion that has expanded to include photography and writing.
