Show Navigation

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
{ 69 images found }

Loading ()...

  • Iwas just fascinated by the hard, angular patterns of wall and shadow in this old industrial construction, and the softness of the scoop of cloud overhead. On such a warm day it made me smile.
    GD000785.jpg
  • The most incredible sunset over the industrial relics of the Dinorwic slate quarries in Snowdonia. It was so peaceful up there, absolute silence as I studied the clouds gently mutating in the rich sunset over Yr Wyddfa, Wales’ highest mountain.
    GD002441.jpg
  • Steam pipes snaking their way across miles of Northwich industrial landscape.
    GD001925.jpg
  • End of the day at Newlyn fishing harbour in Cornwall. The moon, HPS lights and dusk iluminate the normally bustling but now quiet industrial scene.
    GD002130.jpg
  • A fleeting burst of light during an overcast, mizzly day in the Welsh mountains.  The light glowed briefly over Llyn Peris before skipping at speed over the levels of the disused Dinorwic slate quarries and then disappearing altogether.<br />
<br />
It’s strange studying these old industrial workings, where men blasted away half a mountainside around half a century ago, but then seeing so many people using the quarried levels for climbing, walking, mountain biking and general sight-seeing. In a way it’s a really positive thing that so much fun has come out of so much destruction, and hardship for the quarrymen of old.
    GD002339.jpg
  • Just after the fleeting dramatic light a few minutes earlier, bursting through the mizzly blanket above the Welsh hills, a delicate ghostly vapour now enshrouded the deserted quarrymen’s huts high up in the Dinorwic slate quarries.<br />
.<br />
It’s strange studying these old industrial workings, where men blasted away half a mountainside around half a century ago, but I’m also grateful that we have access to this place, and an opportunity to stand and reflect on our history and a way of life long gone, in this country at least. If we don’t consider the past, how can we possibly learn how to go forwards?
    GD002340.jpg
  • Storm waves crash onto the imposing, rugged once tin mining cliffs at Pendeen, West Penwith, Cornwall. The last mine closed years ago, but numerous engine houses and chimneys mark the site of this once booming Cornish industry providing high grade tin.
    GD001757.jpg
  • This is from a small number of images I shot over Christmas & Boxing Day whilst staying in Northwich with my brother. The relationship between nature and a huge chemical and rock salt industry created surreal landscapes, reminiscent of Tarkowsky films. Combined with the dreary weather and my own melancholy state of mind due to personal circumstances,  my resulting images are metaphorical - dark, sad, brooding, but with delicate sheets of light, glimmers of hope.
    GD001545.jpg
  • From my book<br />
<br />
"Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)" available here on my website<br />
<br />
The deserted valley and quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn, North Wales. Now restored as a Welsh language & conference centre.
    GD000781.jpg
  • Unlike Ty Uchaf, the farm below, these quarry buildings high up on the hillside are filled with lush grass and are open to the skies. Although ruins, they seem clean and tidy, and their views are stunning and expansive. However, these buildings mark what was obviously a busy quarry level, with a steep railway incline and winch tower just to the east of these units.
    GD000793.jpg
  • Another bitterly cold day: you can see the hail storms in the distance. You can just make out the village at the middle left of the image. The storms were intense, and freezing cold lasted all day. I trudged up to this industrial incline and noticed a huge hailstorm heading my way, dark and threatening. I decided not to get completely bombarded, so sheltered under the incline building, with its huge view out to sea. I kitted up with over-trousers and gloves and ensured my kit was clear of any holes in the ceiling above. As I sat there watching the light levels drop rapidly, like a solar eclipse, a huge buzzard landed on a post just ahead of me. He hadn’t noticed me at first, but then turned his head and saw me. After a moment he turned back to face the hailstorm, but did not fly off – we both seemed to be acknowledging what the other was doing! The hail came and bombarded the hillside, but five minutes later it stopped and the light levels started to increase once more. He turned once again to look at me, properly eye-balled me, and then slowly took off down the valley. It was an amazing shared moment, both of us humble witnesses to the power of the heavens.
    GD000692.jpg
  • My shadow is included to give some sense of scale to this huge area of industrially scarred landscape. This area has been mined for 4000 years, not 400 but 4000 years! It was once Britain's largest exporter for the precious metal Copper and was known as the copper kingdom. Hundreds of tall ships used nearby Amlwch Harbour to export the material. Now it is unused, though the quality of this ore is outstanding.
    GD000048.jpg
  • Fallen Trees, Industrial Woodland, Northwich
    GD001913.jpg
  • This is a huge area of industrially scarred landscape. This area has been mined for 4000 years, not 400 but 4000 years! It was once Britain's largest exporter for the precious metal Copper and was known as the copper kingdom. Hundreds of tall ships used nearby Amlwch Harbour to export the material. Now it is unused, though the quality of this ore is outstanding.
    GD000673.jpg
  • Just above the village, which contained its own bakery, shop, school and chapel, there were also farms and, of course, industry. It is quite fantastic that so much of what was needed to sustain life was found within the immediate area.
    GD000778.jpg
  • The morning sunshine burned through the cool March air and for a moment it appeared as if summer. <br />
<br />
Nestling into the back of this peaceful cove are the Victorian silica brickworks of Porth Wen. Today the silence was only broken by the call of Oystercatcher and the twitter of sparrows in the hedges behind me,  so different to the noise of the industry here before 1949. I’m always fascinated by the way nature gradually reclaims man’s footprints, but in the meantime I enjoy a glimpse at history, and the chance to imagine what once was.
    GD002534.jpg
  • Clinging to the edge of a cold mountain slope, stand the remains of a once thriving but dangerous slate quarrying industry. Tonight though, it was quiet, calm and tranquil, only the gentlest of winds blowing up the valley. Apart from the sound of ravens it seems a huge change from what once was. Even the train was silent in the thick winter snow.
    GD000967.jpg
  • GD001213.jpg
  • Just an hour or so to Sennen I boasted, as we left Plymouth that morning, but snailing queues of traffic forced a half way lunch-stop at the 18th Century port of Charlestown on the East coast. Originally constructed to export copper and china clay (from the massive quarries in nearby St Austell), by the 19th century Charlestown saw other businesses flourishing in the dock, such as shipbuilding, brick making and Pilchard curing...Today of course, as with the rest of Cornwall the main industry is tourism, but it still looks and feels like an old port. This is enhanced mostly by several tall ships moored in the dock, such as "Earl of Pembroke" "Phoenix" and "Kaskelot" (which I photographed at Dournenez '88 for Yachting World magazine).
    GD001076.jpg
  • From my book Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)<br />
<br />
This book is available for purchase here on www.glyndavies.com
    GD000710.jpg
  • Our ancestors were collecting copper here 4000 years ago and below the surface there are huge caverns and miles of passageways hewn away by men with pick axes. The quarry saw it's most prolific excavation in the eighteenth century when the export of copper made this area very rich, The nearby port of Amlwch Harbour flourished as world demand for this fine grade copper increased. It was why the area became known as the Copper Kingdom.
    GD001183.jpg
  • Beautiful white pigeons finding roosting on numerous protuberances from the ancient harbour wall at Charlestown in North East Cornwall.
    GD001078.jpg
  • It's hard to believe that our ancestors were collecting copper from here 4000 years ago, Beneath our feet there are huge caverns and miles of passageways hewn away by men and pick axes. The quarry saw it's most prolific excavation in the eighteenth century when the export of copper made this area very rich, The nearby port of Amlwch Harbour flourished as world demand for this fine grade copper increased. It was why the area became known as the Copper Kingdom.
    GD001180.jpg
  • Although the image depicts a sunny and spectacularly dramatic landscape, you can see, brooding offshore, very heavy weather conditions. In strong westerly and northerly gales, the tiny village of Y Nant is remarkably vulnerable to harsh weather, sitting as it does on the most seaward edge of this wide coastal valley. Enjoy the warmth of summer, for in winter it is a different story
    GD000807.jpg
  • Traditional fields, white-washed roofs of Anglesey cottages, the ancient mine at Mynydd Parys in the middle distance and in the far distance, the high peaks of Tryfan and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).  Shot from above the brick works at Porth Wen,
    GD001300.jpg
  • From my book Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)<br />
<br />
This book is available for purchase here on www.glyndavies.com
    GD000711.jpg
  • From my book Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)<br />
<br />
This book is available for purchase here on www.glyndavies.com
    GD000704.jpg
  • Like a creased piece of paper, this huge concrete retaining wall has folded outwards, and is now leaning precariously over the gravel slope. I was impressed that once a crack appears in such man-made solidity it soon spreads and weakens the whole structure.
    GD000784.jpg
  • From my book<br />
<br />
"Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)" available here on my website<br />
<br />
The deserted valley and quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn, North Wales. Now restored as a Welsh language & conference centre.
    GD001205.jpg
  • I found the huge sweep of the bay, the plunging cliffs and the vast expanse of sky an awesome vista to behold. The knowledge that workers had carried on a very dangerous occupation in such a precipitous environment, often in awful weather conditions, was daunting to even consider. At the same time, perhaps, like the shepherds who walk stormy mountains or fishermen in rough seas, they also found something very elemental and humbling to be gained from working in these environments, something which goes beyond simple romance.
    GD000753.jpg
  • Beautiful white pigeons finding roosting on numerous protuberances from the ancient harbour wall at Charlestown in North East Cornwall.
    GD001078.jpg
  • From my book Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)<br />
<br />
This book is available for purchase here on www.glyndavies.com
    GD000705.jpg
  • GD000655v2.jpg
  • Our ancestors were collecting copper here 4000 years ago and below the surface there are huge caverns and miles of passageways hewn away by men with pick axes. The quarry saw it's most prolific excavation in the eighteenth century when the export of copper made this area very rich, The nearby port of Amlwch Harbour flourished as world demand for this fine grade copper increased. It was why the area became known as the Copper Kingdom.
    GD001181.jpg
  • It's hard to believe that our ancestors were collecting copper from here 4000 years ago, Beneath our feet there are huge caverns and miles of passageways hewn away by men and pick axes. The quarry saw it's most prolific excavation in the eighteenth century when the export of copper made this area very rich, The nearby port of Amlwch Harbour flourished as world demand for this fine grade copper increased. It was why the area became known as the Copper Kingdom.
    GD001182.jpg
  • Available as A3 & A4 prints only
    GD000010.jpg
  • GD000510.jpg
  • GD000634.jpg
  • Wales highest mountain, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) hides under sunlit cloud in the background, but the rounded slopes of Mynydd Mawr sit in the middle shot, whilst the craggy narrow Nantlle Ridge can be seen to the right. The deep scarred landscape in front is the Rhosgadfan quarries, now disused.
    GD001050.jpg
  • Janubio salt pan in South West Lanzarote is a tourist attraction but also produces a considerable amount of salt. The salt flats here produce more than 15,000 tons of salt a year, although that’s only a third of the quantity produced 40 years ago.The method of salt extraction was introduced in 1895 and has changed little since last century. Large wooden staves known as palancas de madera, are employed, with sea water passing through narrow channels into ponds where the water simply condenses.The residue then passes through wooden ducts into salt pans where the process is completed, leaving bright sparkling crystals of salt.
    GD002067.jpg
  • Janubio salt pan in South West Lanzarote is a tourist attraction but also produces a considerable amount of salt. The salt flats here produce more than 15,000 tons of salt a year, although that’s only a third of the quantity produced 40 years ago.<br />
<br />
The method of salt extraction was introduced in 1895 and has changed little since last century. Large wooden staves known as palancas de madera, are employed, with sea water passing through narrow channels into ponds where the water simply condenses.<br />
<br />
The residue then passes through wooden ducts into salt pans where the process is completed, leaving bright sparkling crystals of salt.
    GD002068.jpg
  • Abstract landscape in the Dinorwic Quarries near Llanberis, Snowdonia.
    GD000366.jpg
  • Stunning rainbows formed behind me as late evening sunset burned through sheets of rain moving across the mountains. It was so tempting to concentrate on the back-lit rain in front of me, but when this was going on behind my back I couldn’t resist a snap :-)
    GD002394.jpg
  • Between 300 and 400 wagons of iron ore are pulled by up to eight locomotives in a huge behemoth of a train on this Ore Export Line. The train connects the iron ore mines near Sishen in the Northern Cape with the port at Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape. I’ve never seen such a long train ever. The total vehicle length stretches for over three miles and took an age to pass under the bridge below my feet. Everything about Africa is huge but this gigantic train really gave some emphasis to the vast distances between destinations here in South Africa.
    GD002169.jpg
  • After a dreary afternoon of drizzle under grey skies we walked back from Mousehole to Newlyn harbour. For literally no more than five minutes of that, the sun broke the blanket behind us cast a pink glow across the coast. A near full moon was already rising in the now delicate blue sky and wisps of cloud softened the light. <br />
<br />
I haven’t often seen the harbour looking so busy but it offered a wonderfully rich foreground to contrast with the watercolour view.
    GD002151.jpg
  • Almost the whole fishing fleet had left the harbour leaving this semi derelict old trawler alone at the bleak quayside in the empty fishing harbour of Newlyn in Penwith, Cornwall
    GD001846.jpg
  • GD001077.jpg
  • Like a gigantic scene of carnage, this chaotic boat jumble was captivating nevertheless - a myriad of colours, shapes and forms. When the sea and weather prove favourable this confusing jigsaw puzzle slowly unravels revealing an invisible order amongst the abstract explosion.
    GD002523.jpg
  • GD001212.jpg
  • In an abandoned quarry village, high up in the windswept mountains of Wales, sits a derelict old chapel with it's roof timbers now collapsing inwards but still pointing skywards. It is only the spirit of the workmen in this busy slate quarry that remains, the valley is silent and desolate.
    GD001175.jpg
  • A last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr on a mixed weather day, resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change being played out acros the Snowdonia Range. If it were not for my friend feeling rather chilly I think I'd have braved another hpour or so of just sitting and watching.
    GD001534.jpg
  • GD000056.jpg
  • GD001949.jpg
  • Nominated in 10th (2017) International Colour Awards (Nature category) <br />
<br />
A huge snow blizzard sweeps over a green Irish Sea towards the tiny hamlet of Nant Gwrtheyrn, once the centre of a busy granite quarrying community on the North coast of the Llyn Peninsula, Wales. This is now a post industrial landscape of abandoned granite quarrying buildings and levels. The hamlet is now a Welsh language and conference centre.<br />
<br />
From my book Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)<br />
<br />
This book is available for purchase here on www.glyndavies.com
    GD000707.jpg
  • Nominated image in the 13th Black & White Spider Awards 2018<br />
<br />
Everyone who visits the area has heard about ‘The Swellies’ and only the experienced sailor dares take their yacht between the two famous bridges knowing full well about the infamous whirlpools that have been known to suck kayakers down into the depths before releasing them downstream! These large and very powerful whirlpools only appear at certain stages of the tide, as a massive volume of sea funnels up to the bridges. On the day we filmed this location our skipper killed the RIB engine and showed us just how quickly we could be spun around and pulled towards the vortex. It was both awe inspiring and eerie and a spectacle to remember. <br />
<br />
In the background stands the Telford Suspension Bridge, completed in 1826, the first of the two marvels of industrial engineering that finally allowed people and traffic to cross from mainland Wales to Anglesey without the need for ferries. Many people lost their lives crossing the treacherous Menai Strait on small boats and ferries before the bridges were built.
    GD002236
  • Honourable Mention in the 13th Black & White Spider Awards 2018<br />
<br />
This is a deserted mining town in Western Namibia. In 1909 diamonds were found here and an industrial hamlet developed. Since then however diamonds are mostly found elsewhere and so this place went into decline. The small industrial complex is forever fighting to remain above the gale-blown desert sands but it’s still an incredible place to visit, as so little has changed at all since the early twentieth century. It’s quite eerie standing inside the large derelict buildings, the wind literally howling through the broken windows and doors, sand-dunes visibly creating within the broken interiors as you watch
    GD002289.jpg
  • Nominated image in the 13th Black & White Spider Awards 2018<br />
<br />
<br />
This is the deserted mining town of Kolmonskop in Western Namibia. In 1909 diamonds were found here and this industrial hamlet developed. The nearby harbour town of Lüderitz nearby also gained rapid prosperity.<br />
<br />
Since then however diamonds are mostly found elsewhere and so these towns went into decline. This small industrial complex is forever fighting to remain above the gale-blown desert sands but this and Lüderitz are still incredible places to visit as so little has changed at all since the early twentieth century.<br />
<br />
It’s quite eerie standing inside the large derelict buildings, the winds literally howling through the broken windows and doors and dunes almost visibly being created in front of your eyes.
    GD002288.jpg
  • The massif of Snowdon tries to hold back an enormous fog bank from the Irish Sea, but clouds and fog spilled over nevertheless. Through short breaks in the fog, brilliant sunlight blasted the quarries on the mountainside opposite, separating and dividing the landscape into multiple layers of tone, colour and shadow. In a manmade industrial landscape like this, the whole scene looked more like something from a Hollywood film set.
    GD002371.jpg
  • The massif of Snowdon tries to hold back an enormous fog bank from the Irish Sea, but clouds and fog spilled over nevertheless. Through short breaks in the fog, brilliant sunlight blasted the quarries on the mountainside opposite, separating and dividing the landscape into multiple layers of tone, colour and shadow. In a manmade industrial landscape like this, the whole scene looked more like something from a Hollywood film set.
    GD002372.jpg
  • A shattered landscape, blasted, gouged and ripped apart by mans material need, lies abstracted in the gorgeous warmth of evening sunlight, the quarrymen long gone. <br />
<br />
Today a different form of quarry workers assault the slate faces, roped up, drilling, clipping, sweating and shouting to each other in the carved out quarry levels. <br />
<br />
The multitude of tough labourers who faced hardship and danger in this industrial landscape are now but echoes in the shadows and deep pits. From the faces of smooth slate in now abandoned quarries, come the sounds of excited chatter and exhilaration as modern day climbers fill the void that has been left.
    GD002373.jpg
  • Lockdown South Africa - Day 11 <br />
Massive drop in temperature today as summer ends. Torrential rain and howling winds so Gerard lit the indoor wood burning stove for the first time. It’s a solid cast iron beast but looks so wonderfully industrial. I loved the whole practical functionality of it, and of course raw flame, an element I’ve always been obsessed with.<br />
<br />
Lifting off one of the circular lids allowed a genie of fire to erupt and morph before my eyes. A burning hot couple briefly danced for me and I was lost in their embrace.
    AOP-32-GD002458.jpg
  • On these exposed Welsh hillsides once existed a large granite quarry, blasting rock form various levels to ship to Liverpool. Nowadays the quarry is long gone, the hills are quiet, but amongst the long lush grassy hillsides you come across hundreds of old remains of the industry which once existed here, providing employment and indeed a community for the quarrymen and their families.
    GD001203.jpg
  • Remnants from a limestone quarring industry at this point at Rhoscolyn Head. This millstone is perched on the top of the huge white limestome sea arch of Bwa Gwyn.
    GD000716.jpg
  • "Two of the last few stumps of the cargo jetties stand defiantly against the continual battering of the sea, the last tiny reminders of the link with the sea, from an industry long gone and a community dispersed"<br />
<br />
From my book<br />
<br />
"Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)" available here on my website<br />
<br />
The deserted valley and quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn, North Wales. Now restored as a Welsh language & conference centre.
    GD000768.jpg
  • I’ve always been fascinated by the way nature reclaims so much of what man has altered, constructed or destroyed. Here at the Dinorwic slate quarries, wonderful little copses and patches of woodland have sprung up between the walls, railway tracks and buildings that were part of this huge slate industry. <br />
<br />
On a warm evening with only the sound of a Blackbird’s song to lighten the sounds of or heavy footsteps, it was hard to imagine the noise and industry from just a few decades earlier, as man blasted into mountain.
    GD002440.jpg
  • Nominated for 11th International B&W Spider Awards<br />
<br />
This is from a small number of images I shot over Christmas & Boxing Day whilst staying in Northwich with my brother. The relationship between nature and a huge chemical and rock salt industry created surreal landscapes, reminiscent of Tarkowsky films. Combined with the dreary weather and my own melancholy state of mind due to personal circumstances,  my resulting images are metaphorical - dark, sad, brooding, but with delicate sheets of light, glimmers of hope.
    GD001544.jpg
  • It was a surreal surprise to find a ram’s skull staring at us from the apex of a derelict tin mining power house. This area is littered with the remains of an historical tin mining industry; exploration shafts now just lush grass-covered conical depressions in the wet moorland. Once a noisy hive of activity and ore crushing, but now just the sounds of the wind through gaps in the walls. Likewise the bleating of sheep still echo across the open landscape, but this poor soul has long past, the bone bleached and dripping with hill fog. It’s strange but there is such peace now on the moors and even the saturating low cloud creates a sense of calm not panic, silence not noise. I felt a deep connection with history and the spirit of the place. Dartmoor is minimal and mesmerising.
    GD002324.jpg
  • This was our first sight of the dust roads of Namibia, shortly after the border control. There is a township just to the left of this image, and many of the inhabitants seem to be working in the agricultural industries based along the lush banks of the Orange River. After this sudden appearance of sand dunes pushing up mountain sides, the dust road disappeared into vast uninhabited volcanic plains, and we hardly saw a car or person throughout several hours of desert driving.
    GD002251.jpg
  • Last minute blast for a walk and some snaps after yet another dreary June day. Hints of sunshine broke through blankets of mountain cloud so we went for a coastal walk along the Strait. The clouds opened more and more and pools of sunlight illuminated the hillsides. For just a brief moment, literally seconds, the sunset flood lit Castell Penrhyn in the foreground. The castle was built by Lord Penrhyn, from the profits of the slate industry. Impoverished slate quarry workers worked in horrendous, dangerous conditions to facilitate this.
    GD002492.jpg
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Glyn Davies, Professional Photographer and Gallery

  • Portfolio
  • FULL IMAGE COLLECTION HERE
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • About Glyn
  • Awards & Media
  • Print Info
  • Exhibitions
  • Publications
  • Contact
  • Privacy & Personal Data
  • LATEST NEWS