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  • Evening sunlight catching the Cornish flag at the stern of the St Mawes Ferry having crossed the Carric Roads in windy wet weather, forming a rainbow of the St Just in Roseland headland. A sailing yacht makes it's way out past Falmouth Docks into Falmouth Bay.
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  • After miles of dirt-road driving through vast empty desert landscape, it was quite a shock to see anything man-made other than the road itself, let alone signs that indicated that civilisation actually existed somewhere amongst this isolation. It was a blast of ‘normality’ and ‘order’ yet seemed utterly incongruous to our surroundings. I loved the surreality of it all.
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  • Winning entry in the 2019 (31st) SUN Shot up North Awards<br />
<br />
In the middle of nowhere in a vast and inhospitable landscape, we came across an elderly looking man removing large stones from the dirt road. It was certain death in that climate but about a mile further on, we came across this mobile shelter, a workman’s refuge. <br />
It was surreal, almost incongruous in this desert environment. We could only assume that at some point later in the day, a work bus would come and free this man from this vast workplace.
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  • Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826. Here the floodlit bridge spanning the Menai Strait is backed by snow covered Welsh mountains of Snowdonia
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  • A year and a half on from my March Mist Series 2003, the Menai Suspension Bridge was once again shrouded in heavy mist. I was down at the water's edge at breakfast time and it was warm but quite eerie. The bridge occassionally disappeared into complete whiteness, but towards the end of the session a ghostly sun gently burnt through the mist, right in between the arch, and gave this wonderful mix of elemental conditions. Ten minutes later and the mist had evaporated to leave a gorgeous day.
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  • A year and a half on from my March Mist Series 2003, the Menai Suspension Bridge was once again shrouded in heavy mist. I was down at the water's edge at breakfast time and it was warm but quite eerie. From this angle, it was hard to see any of the pre rush hour traffic and in the silence, I was able to consider just how old and beautiful this bridge is, and the events and people in history that it's witnessed.
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  • Night time fog swirls in from the Irish Sea and up the Menai Strait, enveloping the Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
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  • It’s been 50 years since the original ‘tubular’ railway bridge burned down, so this year there has been much talk about this iconic piece of civil engineering, designed by Robert Stephenson and opened in 1850. <br />
<br />
When you stand under the bridge today, looking up at the gigantic steel arches, it’s shocking to realise just how much change occurred during the post-fire rebuilding. These steel arches never existed before. The concrete decks that now hold a highway, were not there before. The original wrought iron tubes are no longer there. The only original structures are the towers themselves. And yet whenever I think of this bridge I still imagine it’s been there forever.
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  • 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.
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  • Deserted mountain dirt tracks on the mountain tops of the Keurbooms Corridor that connects the Garden of Eden section of the Garden Route National Park to the Tsitsikamma National Park section. NE of Knysna.<br />
<br />
As we climbed higher into the mountains the sunshine disappeared and a welcome cool cloud surrounded us. The vegetation up here was incredibly varied and abundant. Around this corner I ended up standing on a crossroads surrounded by wild Baboons as I was pre-occupied with the ‘Calling the Herd’ sound sculpture by Strijdom van der Merwe. <br />
It is sad that this corridor from Knysna to Addo used to be used by 1000s of elephants, but since colonisation they have all have been hunted to near extinction in these amazing valleys, that are otherwise still rich in biodiversity. There are no elephants left wandering this area and the Knysna elephants are no more. The ‘death warrant’ was issued and carried out on the tiny remaining population by ruthless hunter Major Pretorius, but even the British Royalty including the Duke of Edinburgh spent days hunting and killing these amazing animals.
    GD002171.jpg
  • This is a pilot cutter which although looks old, was actually only launched in 1997. These classic gaff rigged boats are an instant visual reminder of the beauty of maritime history, as much as the hardship. In the background squats King Henry VIII's St Mawes Castle (1540 AD) so we have layers of history in this shot
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  • This is one of the main roads into Southern Namibia, shortly after leaving the border control on the Orange River. We had passed an isolated garage and a few kms later an agriculturally based township, but then we went around a bend of an escarpment and over a hill, and were faced with this arid but incredible desert landscape. We drove for over an hour on this harsh dirt track, without seeing another car. There were no towns, no hamlets, no roadside stores, not even telegraph or electricity lines. It was barren. No animals to be seen, no birds of any sort and no signs of snakes or scorpions or in fact anything. Stepping outside the car I entered an oven of heat, into the 40ºs and surprising silence. The landscape was vast and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a huge, empty, lonely space - but I loved it, I enjoyed the vulnerability it created and the recognition that I was really, truly alive - as little else at that moment at least, seemed to be. <br />
<br />
I knew I was going to enjoy this country.
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  • It may sound daft, but I was as fascinated by the unending miles of open dust road as I was with the incredible volcanic desert landscape. <br />
<br />
I’ve never been anywhere else in the world (yet) where I can drive for hundreds of kilometres on dust roads without seeing a car for hours. In one way it was a little freaky, for if you break down it could well be a LONG wait in 45º of sweltering heat before anyone might come by and help you, but equally, that same sense of isolation and vulnerability is what made the journey so adventurous and awesome.
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  • After wild and exposed stretches of the Skeleton Coast, we drove past the very busy port of Walvis Bay. The differences were huge, the narrow but endless roads were suddenly busy with heavy trucks and traffic leaving and entering the port. As we drove further south however the traffic eased once again, but signs of man, settlement and ‘civilisation’ were present for many miles further before gradually evaporating once again. These man-made structures appeared incongruous in the blowing desert sands, creating a surreal landscape of man and nature, but more than that – it was the tenacity of man and invention that enables society to survive in otherwise barren terrain.
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  • Never seen anything like it. We were on the road to wind blown Atlantic coastal town of Luderitz and a few miles before we arrived the effects of the wind could already be seen. At some points you could hardly see in front of the car and at other sand drifts had built across the road. I stepped out of the car on this near deserted road and was instantly sand-blasted by stinging grains of fast-blown crystals. I was amazed that there was even a road as the sand blew so constantly across the landscape.
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  • Almost a dirt track, this red dusty road cuts through dry grass covered hillsides near Figueira near the Algarve coast. Dark clouds loom on the horizon from approaching stormy weather
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  • One of the most perfect stretches of road that we found in Namibia. Miles of perfect black tarmac with distinctive white markers created such geometry amongst thousands of acres of desert sand. As with most man-made things that I observed in Namibia, they all seemed slightly incongruous within such vast wilderness landscape.
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  • The landscape altered, subtly at first, but shrubs and small trees started to grip the pure rock and dirt of the previous day. <br />
<br />
Two minutes after this image was taken, a motionless small tree ran across the road in front of us - our first wild ostrich! Nature was quietly making an appearance the further North we drove.
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  • I don’t even know how it got there but a way off the dirt track had slumped this old truck, its faded layers of eroded paintwork peppered with shot-gun holes. <br />
<br />
Abandoned and left to nature and the elements, this vehicle jolted within me the recognition that nothing lasts forever, that eventually everything becomes dust, but in the meantime is a marker for own place along that road, literally.
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  • Sunlit Anglesey lane winding its way down to Beaumaris and the Menai Strait
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  • Narrow rural Anglesey lane, sided by low walls and open countryside on either side. The hedgerows are rich and varied with vegtation and flora.
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  • Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
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  • Night time fog swirls in from the Irish Sea and up the Menai Strait, enveloping the Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
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  • Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
    GD000057.jpg
  • Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826. Here the floodlit bridge spanning the Menai Strait is backed by snow covered Welsh mountains of Snowdonia
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  • Narrow rural Anglesey lane, sided by low walls and open countryside on either side. The hedgerows are rich and varied with vegtation and flora.
    GD001305.jpg
  • Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
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  • An eary morning mist over the tidal Menai Strait, shrouding the idyllic church and graveyard of St Tysilio Island, Anglesey. Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826. It stands proud of the small church island
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  • Thick morning fog envelops the Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
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  • Thick morning fog envelops the Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
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  • Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
    GD000041.jpg
  • Thick morning fog envelops the Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
    GD000040(3).jpg
  • Thick morning fog envelops the Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
    GD000038-(1).jpg
  • Night time fog swirls in from the Irish Sea and up the Menai Strait, enveloping the Menai Suspension Bridge (Welsh: Pont Grog y Borth) which is a stone built Victorian suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and Bangor and mainland of Wales. The 100ft high bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826.
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  • The huge open desert becomes a blank canvas for Daliesque surrealism when incongrous objects suddenly appear out of nowhere. There was noyhing behind me and nothing beyond except for distant hills. <br />
<br />
To come across this derelict house, alongside a railway that stretches as far as the eye can see and on which we never saw a train, really did make us question ‘why’ and ‘who would have lived there’. Genuinely surreal and a taste of things to come in the deserted mining town miles ahead.
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  • A hundred million years ago this huge basin in the Etosha National Park was a lake, fed by the Kunene River in Angola, but 16,000 years ago, due to tectonic plate movement the river was diverted West to the Atlantic and gradually the lake dried up leaving this vast lake bed. At 4800 km² this saltpan, the largest in Africa, can be seen from space.<br />
<br />
I’d wanted to see this surreal landscape for a long time, and surprising though it may seem to others, this appealed to me even more than seeing the wildlife in the park! There is this deep need within me to experience vast empty spaces; it’s all part of that humbling vulnerability that I seek. I wanted to feel minute, isolated and insignificant in every possible term. It was difficult of course with anyone else around but fortunately I had a sense of it with just Jani and her two cousins around. We drove out onto the lake (on an ‘official’ stick marked track) and stepped into the baking heat. There was simply nothing ahead of us, almost 50kms to the far side and almost 60 kms to the left and right – it was vast indeed.<br />
<br />
The earth was soft and crumbly rather than rock hard. I can imagine in rain it would get very soft indeed. I’ve read that in prolonged heavy rain the whole lake bed floods up to 10cm deep creating an incredible mirror –like surface which attracts thousands of migrating flamingos.
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  • A hundred million years ago this huge basin in the Etosha National Park was a lake, fed by the Kunene River in Angola, but 16,000 years ago, due to tectonic plate movement the river was diverted West to the Atlantic and gradually the lake dried up leaving this vast lake bed. At 4800 km² this saltpan, the largest in Africa, can be seen from space.<br />
<br />
I’d wanted to see this surreal landscape for a long time, and surprising though it may seem to others, this appealed to me even more than seeing the wildlife in the park! There is this deep need within me to experience vast empty spaces; it’s all part of that humbling vulnerability that I seek. I wanted to feel minute, isolated and insignificant in every possible term. It was difficult of course with anyone else around but fortunately I had a sense of it with just Jani and her two cousins around. We drove out onto the lake (on an ‘official’ stick marked track) and stepped into the baking heat. There was simply nothing ahead of us, almost 50kms to the far side and almost 60 kms to the left and right – it was vast indeed.<br />
<br />
The earth was soft and crumbly rather than rock hard. I can imagine in rain it would get very soft indeed. I’ve read that in prolonged heavy rain the whole lake bed floods up to 10cm deep creating an incredible mirror –like surface which attracts thousands of migrating flamingos.
    GD002259.jpg
  • I’ve seen elephants in zoos of course, restricted, moving around in circles, stared at by the thousands of noisy visitors - such a desperate form of existence. In the 22,270 km² Etosha National Park in NW Namibia however, I was for the first time able to see these truly magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Watching David Attenborough programs on TV is always a delight, but nothing prepares you for the sheer awe of seeing these animals in real life in their own world.<br />
.<br />
From the heavily corrugated dust track we were on, the first thing I saw was what looked like a huge rounded granite boulder over the top of a hillock, but as we drove to the crest of the mound we realised it was in fact the head of a huge African elephant standing at a waterhole! This was real and I’ve never felt so small or humbled by natural wildlife. There are strict instructions never to leave your vehicle whilst in the park, so I had to accept that looking out of the window of our 4x4 was the best I was going to get.<br />
.<br />
All around us herds of Zebra were also drinking, running & frolicking with each other. Springbok daintily skipped past & Oryx & Giraffes were all there too. Hundreds of birds flitted about and falcons and other birds of prey circled overhead. It was a visual tapestry of wildlife with so many species all measuring each other up and acknowledging the hierarchies at the hole. What struck me most was the grace of motion of the elephants. Every movement of foot or trunk was slow, fluid & purposeful. At times they were just like living statues, almost motionless, just studying the world about them & at other times when walking, able to cover big distances so quickly but so gently. I was aware that they were aware of us, large eyeballs measuring us up but not seeming irritated or intimidated.<br />
.<br />
It was hard (especially looking from the car window) to take in the reality of it all rather than still imagining it was a TV program. I also felt deeply sad that it’s only a mat
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  • This was my first trip to the States and almost everything about it reminded me of movies I’ve seen and picture books I’ve looked through over the years. It felt quite unlike others places I’ve been to in the world, not so much because of the landscape itself, but the way in which humans have tried to utilise the landscape and overcome living in such vast open lands. I was fascinated by sudden appearance of man made objects in the middle of grassland desert that stretched for thousands of acres.
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  • Still hundreds of kilometres from the coast but I still felt a sense that I was nearing the ocean, I’m not even sure why; perhaps the subtly changing light or wind direction or perhaps just that intuition you have when you’ve been raised near the sea. <br />
<br />
The earth was rich and warm-toned here, lots of red and yellow soils and an increase in vegetation growing on it. There was a gentle breeze but the air was still in the mid 40°s. <br />
<br />
One of the downsides to distance travelling, is that there is years’ worth of exploration to do even within a small area but we were eating up 500kms or more each day - so much space, so little time.
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  • A few houses in a snow covered winter rural landscape of trees and fields, high above the town of Deiniolen, Gwynedd, North Wales, in warm evening sunlight
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  • Street lights at Gallt y foel in the town of Deiniolen, glow in a wintry, snow covered landscape, with the lowest slopes of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in the background in shadow against a warm orange sunset.
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  • Beautiful old buildings in the unspoilt old town of Ciutadella (once the capital town) of the Balearic island of Menorca. Narrow streets, tall buildings, small windows and many shutters are characteristic features of these streets.
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  • Trees in wall circles, trees outside wall circles, a huge white lane and snowing in sunshine - this lane seemed to be a lane in waiting for something magical to occur.
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  • Deserted mountain dirt track, the (R339) on the mountain tops above the Keurbooms Corridor, which connects the Garden of Eden section of the Garden Route National Park to the Tsitsikamma National Park section. NE of Knysna.<br />
<br />
As we climbed higher into the mountains the sunshine disappeared and a welcome cool cloud surrounded us. The vegetation up here was incredibly varied and abundant. Around this corner I ended up standing on a crossroads surrounded by wild Baboons as I was pre-occupied with the ‘Calling the Herd’ sound sculpture by Strijdom van der Merwe.  <br />
<br />
It is sad that this corridor from Knysna to Addo used to be used by 1000s of elephants, but since colonisation they have all have been hunted to near extinction in these amazing valleys, that are otherwise still rich in biodiversity. There are no elephants left wandering this area and the Knysna elephants are no more. The ‘death warrant’ was issued and carried out on the tiny remaining population by ruthless hunter Major Pretorius, but even the British Royalty including the Duke of Edinburgh spent days hunting and killing these amazing animals.
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  • With crowds starting to appear on Anglesey’s roads, and dozens of pilgrims heading like an ant trail for the Llanddwyn lighthouse, it was surprising to find so many empty spaces around this intriguing little island off the coast. It was a dull day but glimmers of sunshine filtered though the layers and I caught the sun in a calm pool alongside the low cliffs. Within perhaps half an hour the sunlight disappeared altogether. 
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  • The tradional and long established "Ffair Borth" or Menai Bridge Fair, at Menai Bridge village on the Isle of Anglesey. This was once a horse fair, but is now predominantly a fun fair  aimed at youngsters, which demands closure of several roads and car parks for the two days of the event
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  • We decided to ignore the warnings not to drive during Storm Ciara, and headed for the sea. The narrow coastal roads were covered in seaweed and pebbles but high up above the cliffs of South Stack we only had the gale force winds to contend with. I left Jani warm in the van and fought my way down to the cliff edge, thankfully the wind blew me onshore not off! On arrival the skies were dark and gloomy but as I set up the tripod, sunlight burst through a break in the clouds and illuminated the short grasses clinging to the siltstone & quartzite rocks around me. <br />
<br />
I had to lean hard onto the tripod just to try and keep the camera still enough to make the shot. Even then I decided on a higher ISO for safety. Almost as soon as the sun warmed my wind-blown face, it disappeared and I was blown uphill back to the van!
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  • Briefly wonderful bursts of sunlight catch this unusual and very narrow church near Cemlyn. No roads connect to it, surrounded by fields, cattle & sheep usually. This afternoon it epitomised the way I and many others feel, lonely, isolated and only catching rare glimpses of hopeful light.
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  • Generally we didn’t see much in the way of large wildlife as we travelled across the high open roads of Namibia, sometimes Ostrich, sometimes Baboons but here on the Skeleton Coast not much at all.<br />
<br />
As we watched volcanic hills to the right and acres of white sand dunes to the left, slip past us as we motored North along the baking-hot salt roads, I was quite taken aback to see a sudden movement off to our right. There were two Black-backed Jackals, one scampering about, skittish even, but the other almost motionless. We pulled the van over and waited a few moments to see if they’d be bothered by us, but nothing changed. I very gently stepped out of the van and lay on the burning ground so that I could steady the telephoto lens and also include some of the background hills.<br />
Although the active one immediately moved away after I exited the vehicle the other was clearly eating something and confidently remained in place. I was surprised that he’d found anything to eat in the deserted arid landscape, but knowing that they’d even eat spiders an scorpions I suddenly started worrying about what I was lying on! I couldn’t help but see them just as a dog, like a small Alsatian, and I had this urge to call it over and give it a stroke! No chance however, for as soon as I started to move from prone position, it began to walk slowly away. As I lifted the camera to take another pic it shifted further away again. It was clear my Doctor Doolittle dream was just that as soon they were just dots on the dusty horizon.
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  • Under intense sunshine, surrounded by arid plains and distant mountains, we blasted along deserted dust roads in this vast empty space. It was quite a surprise on reaching the brow of an infinite hill, to suddenly see isolated trees dotted around. They were more like surreal incongruous sculptures than any object of normality. <br />
This is what we found about Namibia, that the landscapes although huge, do vary. It almost imperceptible at first but you come to realise that you are indeed no longer in the same place you were!
    GD002277.jpg
  • Under intense sunshine, surrounded by arid plains and distant mountains, we blasted along deserted dust roads in this vast empty space. It was quite a surprise on reaching the brow of an infinite hill, to suddenly see isolated trees dotted around. They were more like surreal incongruous sculptures than any object of normality. <br />
This is what we found about Namibia, that the landscapes although huge, do vary. It almost imperceptible at first but you come to realise that you are indeed no longer in the same place you were!
    GD002276.jpg
  • Under intense sunshine, surrounded by arid plains and distant mountains, we blasted along deserted dust roads in this vast empty space. It was quite a surprise on reaching the brow of an infinite hill, to suddenly see isolated trees dotted around. They were more like surreal incongruous sculptures than any object of normality.  <br />
<br />
This is what we found about Namibia, that the landscapes although huge, do vary. It almost imperceptible at first but you come to realise that you are indeed no longer in the same place you were!
    GD002275.jpg
  • Vast plains of lush looking crops stretch right across the enormous valleys, from mountain ridge to mountain ridge.  The roads are long and near deserted and houses and hamlets are few and far between. A VERY impressive landscape.
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  • The thick fog not only enveloped the beautiful Menai Strait, it also flowed deep into the woodland, separating trees and copses into delicate tonal patterns and textures, creating an almost rain-forest like appearance. <br />
<br />
On the way to work that Friday, I couldn't even see the end of our road for thick fog! As I had all my kit with me for a day's studio shooting, I drove via the bridges to see what atmospheric effects might be occurring. Whilst approaching the first lay-by, I saw a beautiful recessional tonal layering of tall trees disappearing into thick fog, almost top-lit by the weak early morning sun. However by the time I'd parked the van the fog has shifted and the recessional effect had reduced, so I walked right down to the edge of the Menai Strait to see whether either of the bridges would show through. This time I had the opposite problem where the fog was so thick I couldn't even see the field alongside me or more than 30 ft out onto the silent Strait. I trudged along a damp, muddy and waterlogged foreshore eventually meandering back up the misty fields to the road. Ironically, from this elevation, higher above the Strait, and with the sun starting to back-light the fog, I enjoyed several stunning variations of view from just a 200 yd stretch of road. The light, sunshine and fog were all dancing across the fast water when regrettably, I had to leave to open the gallery at 10.00 :-(
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  • The Celtic Cross shaped memorial at the highest point of ChurchIsland stands proud, just, above the fog draped Menai Strait.Though the fog obscured much of the view, the extreme low tide revealed a landscape not often seen.<br />
<br />
On the way to work that Friday, I couldn't even see the end of our road for thick fog! As I had all my kit with me for a day's studio shooting, I drove via the bridges to see what atmospheric effects might be occurring. Whilst approaching the first lay-by, I saw a beautiful recessional tonal layering of tall trees disappearing into thick fog, almost top-lit by the weak early morning sun. However by the time I'd parked the van the fog has shifted and the recessional effect had reduced, so I walked right down to the edge of the Menai Strait to see whether either of the bridges would show through. This time I had the opposite problem where the fog was so thick I couldn't even see the field alongside me or more than 30 ft out onto the silent Strait. I trudged along a damp, muddy and waterlogged foreshore eventually meandering back up the misty fields to the road. Ironically, from this elevation, higher above the Strait, and with the sun starting to back-light the fog, I enjoyed several stunning variations of view from just a 200 yd stretch of road. The light, sunshine and fog were all dancing across the fast water when regrettably, I had to leave to open the gallery at 10.00 :-(
    GD000872.jpg
  • It’s a strange feeling for me at Nant, the constant opposites of so many things. It may be, of course, that it’s just my way of seeing any place, but I knew that after the beautiful sunset had disappeared, I would have to find my way back across the rocky mountain top, pick my way really carefully through a dense and seriously dark pine wood before reaching the road. The village would be empty on my return and every window would be black, with open curtains. The warm and universal beauty of the sunset was always countered by the approach of the cold and the dark.
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  • 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.
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  • "Stop, Look, Listen" Anglesey lane<br />
<br />
Such silence! No vapour trails, no cars, no other walkers! Just the sound of a blackbird, a wren, a robin and the bleating of new lambs. It IS surreal, this human silence. I hear more nature now and I’m exploring the countryside more than in years, but the complete lack of human sounds is also strangely disturbing at present, for we know WHY.<br />
<br />
A unseen, unpredictable killer disease is on the rampage and it can kill any of us at any time. This is the silence of fear; it’s like one of those post-apocalyptic road movies, where things seem visually normal, even beautiful, any yet there is a darkness in the unknown, in the waiting and in our solitude - a solitude I usually desperately need!
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  • Having done a picture delivery in Northern Anglesey, I was on my way back down the A55 when I decided to turn for the coast, just to get some fresh air. I found myself on the Rhosneigr road and my heart was light. Mine was the only vehicle in the sand-dune car park and pools of rainwater transformed the normally gritty rutted surface into rather beautiful patches of bright sky.The wind was bitter, still blowing in from the North West and today I only had trainers on, so no risky teetering about on wave washed rocks for me.<br />
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The recent gales and big tides had deposited tonnes of dead brown seaweed over most of the shelving beach, but the outgoing tide revealed a beautiful sandy stretch at low water mark. The waves had decreased considerably today but it was still choppy in the strong cold breeze and the waves though low, were still powerful enough to launch themselves explosively up the shingle. Yesterday in the blazing late afternoon light, there was a smoothness to the foam-covered beach but today, there was sharpness, a contrast and a new brooding weather front overhead. My fingers froze whenever I removed them from my shooters-mitts and I put two hoods on to keep my head warm. I negotiated my way up onto the reef via a series of bizarre-to watch, core-stabilised ballet movements, tripod over my shoulder and rucksack swaying heavily with each leap. I found somewhere I could stand securely and just watched the wave performance below me. <br />
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The sunshine remained clear and intense for quite a while, even though the cloud front appeared keen to obscure it, and the light danced on the waves in a bright avenue ahead of me. Soon though, the light subdued and the rain started so I made my way back to the van and on to the gallery to work. I really enjoy these spontaneous moments when you find yourself excited and stimulated by someone or something unexpected. I felt alive and captivated, if only for a brief hour.
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  • From my book<br />
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"Nant Gwrtheyrn - Y Swyngyfaredd (The Enchantment)" available here on my website<br />
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It’s strange; maybe it’s just the remnants of outlying buildings, or the knowledge that there is a welcoming café in the village, or that maybe staff are busy signing up Welsh learners, but it always FEELS as if someone is around, even when they are not. I regularly felt I was being watched, but not by anything menacing. I would occasionally see a farmer checking on his livestock, or walkers on the mountain tops – but they are always distant. I felt watched on the journey down the road, in the woods and around the village, but especially on the beach. Nothing surprised or worried me though, and even the notion of spirits of those long gone was more comforting than unnerving.
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  • A brilliant white dust road leads out of the Tsitsikamma National Park forest and heads towards peak after knife edge peak of the mountain range beyond.<br />
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I can’t get over how high, serrated and steep these mountain pinnacles actually are.
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  • After two days in the melting heat on the Berg River, we headed south to Langebaan and drank cold wine in the shade of the trees at the National Park 19th Century headquarters. With a couple of hours before park closing time we headed across the lagoon and across vast white sand dunes to see the tumbling Atlantic waves on the exposed West Coast.<br />
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There was a beautifully refreshing cool salty breeze from the spray of crashing waves and there wasn’t a soul around. At the end of the road lay a long sandy beach, dotted with sea birds confused by the two human beings daring to set foot on their deserted beach!<br />
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It was surreal to recognise that these Westerly Atlantic waves are from the same ocean that batters the coast of the UK on another side of the planet. I felt very at home here and equally happy that I wasn’t. The ‘associations’ of home are strange, that no matter where you travel you sort of take elements of home with you.
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  • From Wiki - The roadrunners, also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, usually in the desert
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  • Honourable Mention in the 'Fine Art' category of the 2019, International 14th Black & White Spider Awards<br />
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So strange and funny, to see the One Way road sign directing cars to the open Atlantic Ocean. I love crazy juxtapositions like this.
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  • Lockdown Day 4 <br />
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I can’t swim in this little pool as it’s just too small, yet it is my oasis. Today I just ducked under the surface and like a goldfish in a bowl, I studied my sunlight-dappled perimeter and worked my way around in circles.<br />
As I left the water, the breeze chilled my body and the roar of the ocean down the road made me feel as if I was on a beach. Oh to be swimming in open water again this summer maybe?<br />
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  • I've always loved Lamorna, the cove at the mouth of a huge tangled and lush green valley. In these woods I've stumbled across modern Pagan symbols and charms, I've been spooked by the numerous ghost stories and I'm convinced the woods are watching you. Surrounded by some of Cornwall's most famous burial mounds, standing stones, ancient settlements and Celtic crosses, it's not difficult to understand why us modern invaders are still being checked out by our ancestors. In contrast to the earthy Pagan charms, small paths sometimes lead to the most exclusive hidden cottages in Penwith, and ones I certainly will never ever be able to afford. In this shot, we have a metaphorical as well as literal choice of paths to take, and in this ancient, quiet and dripping woodland, we will find very different destinations.
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  • The weather was building over the hills and a strong breeze pushed the cloud shadows over the hillsides at a striking speed. Gradually the scene became darker but isolated patches of intense sunlight splashed the landscape for just a few moments at a time in this quiet Welsh valley.
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  • At 12,198 feet (3718m) , the highest peak of Tenerife, and indeed Spain, is Mount Teidi (Pico del Teide) located in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The skies can be clear above the clouds below. The moisture from the regular cloud cover means that the tree line reaches high up the mountain sides in form of woods and forest.
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Glyn Davies, Professional Photographer and Gallery

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