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)
{ 29 images found }

Loading ()...

  • It’s impossible for me to walk past the old now abandoned lifeboat house at Penlee, Mousehole without stopping to remember, with great sadness the loss of so many brave, amazing men from one small community. <br />
<br />
The Penlee lifeboat disaster occurred on 19 December 1981 off the coast of Cornwall. The RNLB Solomon Browne went to the aid of the vessel Union Star after its engines failed in heavy seas. After the lifeboat had rescued four people, both vessels were lost with all hands; in all, sixteen people died including eight volunteer lifeboatmen. (From Wiki)<br />
<br />
I was living in Falmouth at the time and the shock across Cornwall and indeed Britain was deep and heartfelt. In school we had assemblies to talk about what had happened to these brave volunteers who risked and lost their own lives to save others. Our communities all felt deep sympathy for the families shattered by the loss of these men. <br />
<br />
To stand above this lifeboat house which was abandoned just two years after the disaster is a direct flashback to that shocking time in my childhood.
    GD002123.jpg
  • I sometimes find myself in dark places and it’s easy to close your eyes to shut it all out, but from out of nowhere I usually become aware of the gentlest glow of light. The delicate light is normally enough to see how to move forward. Once I’ve found the path everything seems brighter and the ominous clouds gradually move back to the horizon.<br />
<br />
The large limestone stepping stones of Rhydd Gaer (The Blood Fort) , cross the Afon Braint River south of the village of Dwyran on Anglesey. The river itself leads to the Braint Estuary where it joins the Menai Strait and Caernarfon Bay. There is little agreed information about the history of these historical stones
    GD000818.jpg
  • On the surface, a vast playtime beach, powerful surf, acres of space, stunning surrounding countryside and an area monitored by the Marine Conservation Society. Yet just around the coast to the left is the huge port of Milford Haven, oil tankers sit at anchor awaiting passage into the port. The beach is littered with oil, huge dollops of the treacle black mess at almost every 2-3 ft of the beach. Two gannets maybe 100 yards apart lie dead amongst oily pebbles. The MCS poster advises not to be concerned about individual dead sea-birds, and only to report large numbers if found, but there was something unsettling about finding two dead gannets so close to each other on this stunningly beautiful yet oil spattered shoreline. Was I just unlucky that day ?
    GD001317.jpg
  • I have been captivated by this huge and isolated granite boulder at Land’s End since my early twenties, when I used to spend much time rock-climbing in the area. I’ve even photographed it a couple of times over the years, but today was the day when the boulder best depicted a large head and scowling face staring at the sky above. <br />
<br />
In the darkness of present times he’s saying “Oh my God, what have you let us become?”
    GD002144.jpg
  • On the surface, a vast playtime beach, powerful surf, acres of space, stunning surrounding countryside and an area monitored by the Marine Conservation Society. Yet just around the coast to the left is the huge port of Milford Haven, oil tankers sit at anchor awaiting passage into the port. The beach is littered with oil, huge dollops of the treacle black mess at almost every 2-3 ft of the beach. Two gannets maybe 100 yards apart lie dead amongst oily pebbles. The MCS poster advises not to be concerned about individual dead sea-birds, and only to report large numbers if found, but there was something unsettling about finding two dead gannets so close to each other on this stunningly beautiful yet oil spattered shoreline. Was I just unlucky that day ?
    GD001318.jpg
  • On the surface, a vast playtime beach, powerful surf, acres of space, stunning surrounding countryside and an area monitored by the Marine Conservation Society. Yet just around the coast to the left is the huge port of Milford Haven, oil tankers sit at anchor awaiting passage into the port. The beach is littered with oil, huge dollops of the treacle black mess at almost every 2-3 ft of the beach. Two gannets maybe 100 yards apart lie dead amongst oily pebbles. The MCS poster advises not to be concerned about individual dead sea-birds, and only to report large numbers if found, but there was something unsettling about finding two dead gannets so close to each other on this stunningly beautiful yet oil spattered shoreline. Was I just unlucky that day ?
    GD001319.jpg
  • Dramatic large cumulonimbus clouds increased over lush rolling hillsides and farmland, whilst the ancient stepping stones navigate the walker across the wide gap of the Afon Braint River near Newborough on West Anglesey. The hills of Snowdonia can just be seen in the distance, <br />
<br />
<br />
Sneezing, coughing and nose blowing, I left the van and with eyes as blurred as looking through milk bottle bases I arrived at these ancient stepping stones. I had enough sense to plan for the tide this time as I wanted to see the stones surrounded by high water unlike my previous shot "Out of Sadness Came Forth Joy". A VERY different story today, and although I was feeling below par, the light was absolutely beautiful, sharp, crisp and intense. The skies were dramatic and the clouds voluptuous and swelling. I took great delight in jumping the stones across the deep blue water, just for the sheer hell of it. The surrounding water was incredibly calm and reflective with just the smallest signs that actually the tide was flooding
    GD001061.jpg
  • "The contrast between the sharpness of the huge rocky cliff and the delicate fragility of the female form in this image creates a tension - not just from the fear of cuts and slices from the knife-like edges, but also due to the apparent melancholy of the woman with such colourful sunlit surroundings. You'd think she was a modern day cavewoman but really, as Summer draws close she represents a wide held feeling or sadness about returning home after the universal joy of travel, sunshine and warmth, We all dream about our next naked adventure in the great outdoors before we have even finished the present"
    GD001831.jpg
  • Something utterly surreal and very sad about this baboon on a baking hot beach at Cape of Good Hope, trying to access the drink in the washed up bottle.
    GD002377.jpg
  • 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
  • I was alone on this dark island, perfect. I took just one frame at this point. I was not sad by the greyness of the day, but instead was enjoying the solitude for undisturbed observation and consideration.
    GD000899.jpg
  • Delicate minimalism in the desert landscapes of Fuerteventura.<br />
<br />
It always feels biblical to me, wandering the desert landscape and coming across life growing in the middle of arid nothingness. The tenacity to survive against all odds, and such gentle, subtle beauty in such a hostile environment. The breeze is never ending on this island, and the leaves rustled over the cool shadows beneath the tree.
    GD001442.jpg
  • A male baboon in a dead tree 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 />
<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.
    GD002245.jpg
  • I’ve seen elephants in zoos, restricted, moving around in circles, stared at by the thousands of noisy visitors - such a desperate form of existence. In the 111 year old and 22,270 km² Etosha National Park in North West Namibia however, I was for the first time able to see these truly magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Watching David Attenborough programs 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, the first thing I saw was what looked like a huge rounded boulder beyond 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 & I’ve never felt so small or humbled by 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 was the best I was going to get.<br />
<br />
Around us herds of Zebra were drinking, running and frolicking with each other. Springbok daintily skipped past & Oryx and Giraffe were there too. Hundreds of birds flitted about & falcons & 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, and 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 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 matter of time before wild elephants are hunted to extinction.
    GD002257.jpg
  • Jubilee Pool is an Art Deco lido on the Penzance promenade. Today was the last day open to swimmers before closure for winter. The sun sparkled on the water but a cool breeze blew in from the West, ruffling the pool surface and bringing with it grey threatening clouds. It’s always sad for me, the end of Summer.
    GD002104.jpg
  • Nominated in 10th (2017) International Colour Awards (Fine Art category) <br />
<br />
Jubilee Pool is an Art Deco lido on the Penzance promenade. Today was the last day open to swimmers before closure for winter. The sun sparkled on the water but a cool breeze blew in from the West, ruffling the pool surface and bringing with it grey threatening clouds. It’s always sad for me, the end of Summer.
    GD002105.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
  • I'd headed for Dinas Dinlle simply because I thought my Mum & Dad might be going there, but the car park was empty. I geared up and sat for a short while looking at the amazing sight before me, the salt spray covering the windscreen and the van being rocked by the gales, almost 100 mph they said today in the UK. Jeremy Vine was on the radio chatting with those trapped by the gales, but the sunlight here was intesne and positive, the wind fely like a heart beat and pull of the outdoors was greater than the force used to seal the van door closed. ..As I sat there, a small black car turned up, and there was my Dad, smiling at me through the front window, Mum waving at me lovingly fron the passenger seat. Dad and I went for a walk together whilst Mum sheltered in the car. I was intent on taking pictures, and my Dad was doing his best to be close but not too close. I watched him as he huddled over the debris washed up on the high tide mark, beachcoming like he'd always done with us as kids, and I felt very very sad. My Dad is getting older, mid 70s now, and he struggles more with things he'd once have taken in his stride...He said he was going to head back to have a coffee with Mum, and I said I'd take a few more shots then join them, but as I watched his slightly unstable retreat back towards the car, blown sideways by the wind, I couldn't take any more images, and I made my way back to join them. The cafe was shut. They made their way home whilst I stayed for the last of the light on this stormy beach. It was a day where I was being torn apart, emotionally, physically and spiritually. ..I called in on them on the way home, and chatted for hours. It's funny isn't it, that even the most stunning things on the planet, pale into significance when you consider real love, and real loss.
    GD001365.jpg
  • Really lush and varied vegetation 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 />
<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.
    GD002244.jpg
  • We arrived at the wreck location, as always in Namibia miles from anywhere. It was a beautiful summer morning, the sand so hot you could not walk barefoot. The wind had furrowed the beach into long undulating ripples, and amongst the patterns lay this small remnant of a shipwreck. It was surreal, a vast tract of soft white sand punctured by shards of rusty broken hull. I loved the incongruity of it all.<br />
.<br />
I shot two frames before out of nowhere a dark Toyota Landcruiser appeared. They could see me photographing but that made no difference. It drove towards me, passengers hanging over the side of the truck, beers in hand, shouting and jeering at me. Their tyre tracks carved up the beautiful white sand surrounding the wreck, ending the shoot there and then. A huge 20 stone fat man sat in an armchair buckled into the rear of the truck; two fat kids and three muscle-bound rednecks pulled faces as their truck circled around to come and carve up even more of the scene I’d been photographing. These were not the sorts of people you’d want to engage with, so I just packed up my camera and without any gestures of annoyance, made my way back to our van.<br />
.<br />
Thankfully I’d grabbed this frame before the morons arrived but the strange beauty, the vivid sense of history in wilderness, had been ruined for me. Such a shame that wherever you go in the world, there always at least one sad individual ready to spoil thing for others.
    GD002271.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
    GD002258.jpg
  • 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.
    GD002166.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
  • This large reef formed the base of huge sand-dune headlands at East Cinsta in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. I’m no geologist sadly, but the reef appeared to be a mix of sandstone and other sedimentary rocks. I cannot work out how these amazing and quite surreal rock baths were formed. At low tide these 2-5ft raised ‘baths’ were revealed. I’m guessing the sides are a harder rock than the surrounding material, but I can’t work out how the erosion took place to leave the pools. on other stretches of the reef, dark nodules of rock (from 2-7”) appeared as if loose stones scattered on the surface, but in fact were solidly attached to the reef itself.<br />
.<br />
I do wish I’d studied geology a lot further than A-level geography!
    GD002353.jpg
  • After a brilliant afternoon of rock climbing with Jani and her daughter, we were all buzzing with excitement. The weather had been dreary most of the day, but after Sioned and her man had sadly boarded the train back to Liverpool, Jani and I didn’t want the day to end. We first went to Trwyn Du to see the famous lighthouse but there were far too many noisy people there to enjoy, so we headed for the expansive bay of Traeth Coch and were lucky enough to see this spectacular view. At this time of year the sun sets much further to the right, illuminating the sand cusps along the vast beach.
    GD002312.jpg
  • At this rocky point lay dozens of sleepy seals, young and old, enjoying the evening sunlight and soaking up the warm rays. The fish are bountiful here and I watched two of the seals play with fish before devouring them. This pup was so chilled that I was within a few feet of him before he even raised an eyebrow. I’d loved to have seen the Southern Right Whales this bay is famous for, but sadly we were there in the wrong season.
    GD002292.jpg
  • These Cape Fur Seals were fascinating, beautiful creatures, with very cute seal pups! However, the smell was overpowering from the smell of fish, excrement, urine and death. There were many dead seal pups, which looked to have been crushed by the sheer weight of adult Cape Fur Seals as they charge around the colony. <br />
<br />
Sadly and unbelievably, Namibia permits the mass clubbing of 80,000 seal pups and 6000 adult bulls, over a four-month period every year. This is for fur and blubber but they claim it’s to protect fish stocks! Full details here:  http://www.harpseals.org/about_the_hunt/cape_fur_seal_alert.php<br />
<br />
I was completely captivated by this incredible seal colony, but I was left dumbstruck by the barbaric slaughter that is permitted here each year. Fortunately South Africa have now banned all such clubbing, but it remains here in Namibia
    GD002273.jpg
  • Honourable Mention in 10th Annual Black & White Spider Awards<br />
<br />
"As I child I would spend hours rock-pooling, fascinated by the secret life within its depths, a microcosm of the ocean itself but these days the rock pools are sadly, symptomatically emptier. At low tide on this rugged coast I was therefore truly delighted to discover a woman sensuously enjoying flotation in a breeze blown rockpool, as she considered the universe above"
    Life in Rock Pools
  • ".............we located the footpath and headed for the crag and a hut circle. Sadly, neither the intense evening sunlight nor the hut circle made an appearance, but just the walk up through thick heather to the fantastic shaped rocks made the jaunt worthwhile anyway. On the far side of the crag the land plummets steeply down a soft grass and heather covered hillside to the rocks below........." An old barn remains 'just' standing, patched and re-patched over the years. The signs of modern man, the telegraph poles and the wire fencing remind us that the past and present are always linked and often integral.
    GD000885.jpg
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Glyn Davies, Professional Photographer and Gallery

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