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  • Dramatic sunlight against ominous dark skies threatening very heavy rain moving over the Isle of Anglesey. The beach in the foreground is the vast Red Wharf Bay (Traeth Coch) which at low tide reveals a pattern of sand cusps in the wet sand which reflects the bright sunshine. <br />
<br />
<br />
Following a specific location request from one of my customers, I found myself (almost) lost outside Llangoed on a warm late summer's afternoon. The sunshine back-lit the leaves of lush overgrown lanes as Cara Dillon sang to me in the front of the van. The hedgerows literally brushed past me as I ventured into narrower and narrower pathways, crows giving buzzards a temporary reprieve as they laughed at my black VW squeezing it's way out towards the bay.<br />
<br />
The shallow beach at extreme low tide creates huge cusps of sand and water, resembling textile designs from the 1960s! The vicious and burning intensity of the light on the retina was not from the sun itself but from it's reflection on the wet sand. Although I tried to compose using peripheral vision I still was left temporarily blinded after shooting some frames.<br />
<br />
Of course the contrast between the sunlit sand and the dry areas surrounding, meant the contrast was of the scale. To me, this was wonderful though, for just as looking towards the light blinded me, I found the fake shadows to be a beautiful and textural contrast, absolutely stunning.
    GD001011.jpg
  • Beautiful light, warm sunshine after yummy food in the Black Cat Cafe at Parc Glynllifon. An enjoyable time making images of this aristocratic but fascinating historical formal gardens near Caernarfon in Gwynedd
    GD002736.jpg
  • Beautiful light, warm sunshine after yummy food in the Black Cat Cafe at Parc Glynllifon. An enjoyable time making images of this aristocratic but fascinating historical formal gardens near Caernarfon in Gwynedd
    GD002737.jpg
  • Beautiful light, warm sunshine after yummy food in the Black Cat Cafe at Parc Glynllifon. An enjoyable time making images of this aristocratic but fascinating historical formal gardens near Caernarfon in Gwynedd
    GD002734.jpg
  • Beautiful light, warm sunshine after yummy food in the Black Cat Cafe at Parc Glynllifon. An enjoyable time making images of this aristocratic but fascinating historical formal gardens near Caernarfon in Gwynedd
    GD002735.jpg
  • 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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  • Isles Apart, Caldeiras Negra & Comprida, Flores, Azores
    GD000616.jpg
  • No matter how rubbish the weather sometimes is in Cornwall, every time I've been to St Ives, the sun always seems to come out at some point to brighten the darkness!
    GD000504.jpg
  • I could see this Tor from miles away, in every direction! It loomed, dark and strange, like a battleship on the horzon. As I got closer, it really was isolated from everything else. Only masses of wind blown grass, tangled brush wood, and hidden holes prevented access. It was a very spritual place for me, and finally climbing to it's dark, slightly green top, I felt privileged to be there, surveying the surrounding lands right down to the Atlantic.
    GD000475v2.jpg
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  • An old stone footbridge crosses the river Afon Gwynant, surrounded by small stunted trees. Very middle earth, the troll lives beneath the bridge.
    GD000930.jpg
  • I've never seen so much Honeysuckle in Cornwall as on this trip. The cliff-tops were lush this year, and the pathways were adorned with the most beautiful clumps of this intricate, colourful and heavily scented plant. On this dark and dreary day, the perfume and hues in many ways lightened the mood of the day. I shot this particular plant as I loved the contrast between the soft beauty of the Honeysuckle and the sharp, edgy, ripping trip wires of the brambles..
    GD001261.jpg
  • I couldn't get over the sheer numbers of gulls that were diving into the sea as huge waves crashed over the reefs at Trearddur Bay. They didn't seem perturbed when engulfed in spray or emerging from the surf. I can only assume that the fish were quite bemused by the ocean above and were easy picking for the gulls
    GD002714.jpg
  • From a personal project looking at buildings & urban spaces under unusual or striking lighting, as if landscapes.
    GD002634.jpg
  • Lovely glowing light even in such dull weather. The calm pool mirrored the sky into it's own depths.
    GD001462.jpg
  • Stormy conditions at this usually calm, beautiful, summer beach, acres of sand under clear waters, usually!
    GD001363.jpg
  • A thin strip of bright sunlight illuminates the Irish Sea in otherwise ominous heavy weather at Caernarfon Bay, on the Northern coast of the Llyn Peninsula. The distinctive three peaks of Yr Eifl, Tre'r Ceiri, Garn Ganol and Garn For can be seen under the dark clouds.
    GD000993.jpg
  • Large security gates at the back of the Cream Nation Nightclub, Wolstenholme Square, Liverpool city centre.
    GD001959.jpg
  • They've lost their community but stand proud even in their isolation. In the thick fog they seem more alone than ever, but equally their unique character becomes clearer to see, seperated from the new world in which they now survive.
    GD002703.jpg
  • LOVING the moody weather - for photography at least :-)
    GD001457.jpg
  • From a series of images quietly developing throughout this ever-extending forced lockdown. Most of the local walks I’ve been limited to recently, have brought me up close to some wonderful trees and enchanting woodlands. Since moving to this area around 30 years ago, I’ve been slightly disappointed by the lack of big woodlands around here, but the lockdown has made me realise that although limited, there really are some beautiful tree subjects around and about. In this woodland, bordering the banks of the Afon Menai, even a tall, dead tree caught my eye, dominating a clearing of its own making, retaining form and even beauty in its angular skeletal limbs. Decades after forays into woodland projects in the Cornwall of my teen years, I have found increasing enjoyment from getting close to trees once more.
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  • International Color Awards 2016 - Nominee in "Architecture" category
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  • 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
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  • Under a blanket of  Welsh grey sky, five Welsh Blacks graze in a line of lush-green, whilst a small white Welsh cottage provides scale, contrast and control.
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  • Nominee in 14th (2021) International Colour Awards (Fine Art category)<br />
<br />
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.
    GD002285.jpg
  • Nominee in 14th (2021) International Colour Awards (Fine Art category)<br />
<br />
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.
    GD002285.jpg
  • Black Bears are now threatened in these Sandia Mountains, as always by the encroachment of man. Nevertheless, when we walked one of the many trails through these amazing mountains, we were very wary about bumping into a hungry one! <br />
<br />
The highest summit is at an elevation of 10,678 ft (3,255 m) and <br />
is 4201 ft (1,280 m)  above the surrounding plains.
    GD002419.jpg
  • Two Welsh Blacks contrast sharply against the lush green of the Welsh hillside, whilst a huge white cow disguises itself as a large fluffy sheep to access their pasture :-)
    GD001248.jpg
  • Selected Print for the IN:SIGHT (Washington Green) New Artists Competition 2015<br />
<br />
Nominee in 10th Annual Black & White Spider Awards<br />
<br />
"The woman stood motionless, or so it seemed, her feet slowly sinking into the sticky black leaf litter below the surface. There was hardly a breeze, no movement, just the occasional chirp from the Summer’s last Swallow, breaking the silence at this mountain lake. But when you look closely, you see ripples oscillating away from the woman’s body, continuing almost imperceptibly across the lake. Her energy, her life force was affecting the landscape in a clearly visible, tangible way, utter connection between our living organic form and the earth we come from.”
    Swallowed by the Lake
  • Nominee in 10th Annual Black & White Spider Awards<br />
<br />
International MONO Awards 2014 - Honourable Mention <br />
<br />
"This is the land of legends & spirits, this is the land of tribes & survival. <br />
<br />
Between two ancient mountains lies a bog, black and peaty, a cold trap. As dusk approaches and heavy weather moves over the peaks, a striking, powerful woman turns her head to the last rays of weak sunlight. As she moves, her pale body slowly sinks into the dark skin of the hill, the hill on which she was born half a century before"
    Before Darkness
  • These amazing white sand lagoons of Charca de la Laja, sit at the edge of a black lava field at Orzola on the North coast of Lanzarote. They are popular with familes for they are protected from the big surf beyond the reef and are as clear and warm as bathwater. In sunshine they look an irridescent turquoise.
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  • 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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  • The immesely popular and beautiful Cwm Idwal in Snowdonia looks far more hostile in the depth of winter, when the normally shimmering surface of Llyn Idwal lake is deceptively soft and pristine under an icy cover, disgusing it's black depths.
    GD001140.jpg
  • A stream cuts down the beach to reach the door, carving beautiful curves through virgin sand. Black clouds stall overhead and light levels dropped dramatically, yet, there was a sombre beauty in this endlessly fascinating stretch of coast, regardless of weather.
    GD002008.jpg
  • Selected Print for the IN:SIGHT (Washington Green) New Artists Competition 2015<br />
<br />
International MONO Awards 2014 - Honourable Mention <br />
<br />
"In the beginning there was just rock - and then water - black lifeless water. There were no plants or birds or trees just a planet in waiting.<br />
<br />
Dark water moves from ocean to gully, almost imperceptibly, and a woman takes tentative steps towards the light”
    Movement Above Inky Depths
  • A hillside tree is sillouetted by dramatic sunlight reflecting off the vast bay of Traeth Coch, (Red Wharf Bay) which at low tide reveals a pattern of sand cusps in the wet sand which reflect the bright sunshine. Small figures at the water's edge on the shoreline show the scale of this beach. <br />
<br />
Following a specific location request from one of my customers, I found myself (almost) lost outside Llangoed on a warm late summer's afternoon. The sunshine back-lit the leaves of lush overgrown lanes as Cara Dillon sang to me in the front of the van. The hedgerows literally brushed past me as I ventured into narrower and narrower pathways, crows giving buzzards a temporary reprieve as they laughed at my black VW squeezing it's way out towards the bay.<br />
<br />
The shallow beach at extreme low tide creates huge cusps of sand and water, resembling textile designs from the 1960s! The vicious and burning intensity of the light on the retina was not from the sun itself but from it's reflection on the wet sand. Although I tried to compose using peripheral vision I still was left temporarily blinded after shooting some frames.<br />
<br />
Of course the contrast between the sunlit sand and the dry areas surrounding, meant the contrast was of the scale. To me, this was wonderful though, for just as looking towards the light blinded me, I found the fake shadows to be a beautiful and textural contrast, absolutely stunning.
    GD001010.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
  • Brief sunshine over Rhosneigr gave way to black clouds and sleet moving in from the North over the Irish Sea.
    GD001801.jpg
  • Dramatic sunlight reflecting off the vast bay of Traeth Coch, (Red Wharf Bay) which at low tide reveals a pattern of sand cusps in the wet sand which reflect the bright sunshine. <br />
<br />
Following a specific location request from one of my customers, I found myself (almost) lost outside Llangoed on a warm late summer's afternoon. The sunshine back-lit the leaves of lush overgrown lanes as Cara Dillon sang to me in the front of the van. The hedgerows literally brushed past me as I ventured into narrower and narrower pathways, crows giving buzzards a temporary reprieve as they laughed at my black VW squeezing it's way out towards the bay.<br />
<br />
The shallow beach at extreme low tide creates huge cusps of sand and water, resembling textile designs from the 1960s! The vicious and burning intensity of the light on the retina was not from the sun itself but from it's reflection on the wet sand. Although I tried to compose using peripheral vision I still was left temporarily blinded after shooting some frames.<br />
<br />
Of course the contrast between the sunlit sand and the dry areas surrounding, meant the contrast was of the scale. To me, this was wonderful though, for just as looking towards the light blinded me, I found the fake shadows to be a beautiful and textural contrast, absolutely stunning.
    GD001009.jpg
  • SNIP from Blog: "Then something happened. The light changed. I noticed a hint of sunshine in the far distance over the Great Orme at Llandudno. I sprinted down from the light and from thinking the day was over, I was becoming excited again. On my way back to the beach, I realised that half the island was in fact black, gorse-burnt swathes of grassland. Amongst the smoky dark cinder-land were veins of pale sandy tracks connecting main footpaths. They looked wonderful in contrast, small defined limbs amongst the ravaged land."
    GD000903.jpg
  • "Then something happened. The light changed. I noticed a hint of sunshine in the far distance over the Great Orme at Llandudno. I sprinted down from the light and from thinking the day was over, I was becoming excited again. On my way back to the beach, I realised that half the island was in fact black, gorse-burnt swathes of grassland. Amongst the smoky dark cinder-land were veins of pale sandy tracks connecting main footpaths. They looked wonderful in contrast, small defined limbs amongst the ravaged land."
    GD000900v2.jpg
  • On such an arid, black island, it was quite a surprise to find such a lush green lagoon, here on the West Coast of Lanzarote at Club La Santa, the health resort for elite international athletes. <br />
<br />
As the tide slowly crept in, the tiny creeks and channels were full of crabs and small fish, changing positions and locations as the water level rose. The banks looked green because of an abundance of succulent plants that seemed to thrive in this salt water lagoon.
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  • Opened 16 September 1912 the ‘Lime Street Picture House’ was a very upmarket city centre cinema, with a Georgian styled facade & a French Renaissance interior. The grand entrance foyer had a black & white square tiled floor and the walls were of Sicilian marble. It housed a luxurious cafe on the 1st floor and the auditorium was designed to have the effect of a live theatre with an abundance of architectural features, embellished by plaster mouldings. It provided seating for 1029 patrons. The cinema also boasted a full orchestra to accompany the silent films.<br />
<br />
On 14 August 1916, it was renamed  ‘City Picture House’ due to another cinema opening in Clayton Square called ‘Liverpool Picture House’. In October 1920 a new company was formed ‘Futurist (Liverpool) LTD’ to purchase the cinema and the two shops for £167,000.<br />
<br />
The era of silent films ended in 1929 at the Futurist and new ‘Western Electric Talking Equipment’ was installed. By the 1930s cinemas were popping up everywhere which affected The Futurist’s business and resulted in the cinema showing second runs of leading films.
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  • Brilliant sunshine through stormy rainshowers and racing black clouds at the expansive Llanddwyn Beach on West Anglesey. Bitter winds cut throughclothing and rain lashed our faces but amongst it all, there was sheer ecstasy in the beauty of land and sky becoming one for brief moments of time
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  • A small patch of sunlight at the end of a dull day, illuminating a sheer rock face at one of Cornwall's most famous rock climbing crags - Sennen Cove, West Penwith. This is a crag where I spent years of my youth climbing a large number of the routes.
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  • 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
  • Nominee in 10th Annual Black & White Spider Awards<br />
<br />
SUN (Shot Up North) Awards 2015<br />
1 of my 4 winning entries <br />
<br />
A winning entry in the MOMA Wales Tabernacle Art Competition 2015<br />
<br />
International MONO Awards 2014 - Honourable Mention <br />
<br />
Selected Print for the IN:SIGHT (Washington Green) New Artists Competition 2015<br />
<br />
_______________________________________<br />
<br />
On a rocky mountain summit a young woman was about to fly. It was the first time she'd been up a mountain and the first time she'd truly 'felt' her world. Before taking off she revealed more.<br />
<br />
She said that being naked made her feel truly connected to landscape. To be able to feel wind and rain, warmth and cold; to feel stone beneath your feet and wind in your hair. The truth of existence.
    First Flight
  • Volcanic landscape, Fuerteventura, Canaries. <br />
<br />
We rarely see any bad weather on this arid island but on this evening, black clouds rolled overhead and the first spots of rain steamed off the hot car windscreen
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  • 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 ?
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  • 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
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  • Stormy Winter sunshine illuminates beautiful Atlantic surf powering into the incredibly dramatic Kynance Cove on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall.
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  • Nominee in the 'Nature' category of the 2019, International 14th Black & White Spider Awards <br />
<br />
"In brilliant sunlight over a Cornish beach, the changing weather brought huge towering cumulonimbus clouds across the horizon. The rapidly changing and convecting clouds were accompanied by the operatic melodies of a Gilbert & Sullivan Opera, Ruddigore, being rehearsed at the nearby cliff top open air theatre - quite surreal !"
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  • The roads were quiet, the forest track deserted and the hillsides empty. The morning rays of sunlight were slowly being extinguished by a deepening cloud cover and the winds were picking up. By the time I reached the ridge a howling gale was bending even the thickest fir trees. The summits were now hidden by a cloud of racing drizzle and were completely uninspiring. <br />
<br />
My heavy heart seemed to struggle to feed movement to my legs and every step felt tiring. As I left the hillsides I meandered around a lake and for only time that afternoon, glimmers of light glowed through thinning cloud, reflecting off the deep black lake, reminding me that at some point we will see light again.
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  • The Atlantic ocean waves push up the black lava shingle towards the volcanic crater lake in an exploded caldera, El Golfo, West Lanzarote coast. The lake is coloured green by Olivine.
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  • These black, shiny, eroded and smoothed pillow lavas watch the endless earth cycle. The sands shift and shunt and move about endlessly and the wind ruffles surfaces. The sun bakes and the waves smash but still these ancient rocks just take it all in their stride, hardly changing over millennia.
    GD001118.jpg
  • Black, shiny, eroded and smoothed pillow lavas surrounded by soft sand and sea water at a vast beach at Llanddwyn Island off Anglesey
    GD001109.jpg
  • Huge clouds of spindrift were back-lit by the last moments of blazing sunshine before it was doused by blankets of black rain that built over Ynys Môn.<br />
<br />
These were possibly the strongest winds I’ve ever battled against; so strong that I was knocked sideways twice by gale-force gusts. My face and camera were sandblasted by the stinging particles, and yet, I was equally blown-away and utterly invigorated by the power of it all.
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  • Nominated image in the 13th Black & White Spider Awards 2018<br />
<br />
The early morning light shimmered off the wet sands of the estuary. Noisy waders skimmed over the wide flats in the hunt for feeding grounds. Dark clouds brewed ominously on the horizon behind us and gathered slowly over the mountain peaks.<br />
.<br />
The woman had walked towards me from the distant sand dunes, aware that the tide was rising rapidly, flooding the expanse of the bay behind her. She stood at the water’s edge, long grasses puncturing the the smooth mirror rising around her. She felt the first chill of the breeze from the weather front and clasped herself, yet the sea was still warm after summer rays. She gently, though purposefully stirred the water with her feet, crossing one leg in front of the other as she did so, enjoying the sensation of liquid resistance against her skin. I studied the ripples flowing away from her, small waves of her spiritual energy connecting with me and the shoreline. As the tide rose to her thighs the mud softened beneath her. Under now darkening skies she continued on her journey, passing me by and heading for the sheltered woodland behind me.<br />
<br />
Taken whilst being filmed for the ITV series ‘The Strait’ being broadcast from 5th January 2018
    Gently Stirring the Tide
  • Honourable Mention in the 2016 (11th) Annual Black & White Spider Awards<br />
<br />
“It was a warm overcast evening, but delicate strokes of sunlight occasionally filtered through the grey blanket. Its was silent; even the waves barely murmured and the seabirds must have been at roost for there were no calls. In the middle of a rock pool rose a large coffin shaped stone. I lay across its cool surface, acutely aware of the minutest of breezes, the slippery weed below my body but also eroded smoothness of this natural landscape. I lay there for almost an hour until the fast advancing tide swirled around my rock bed, and the sea caressed my fingers and toes, ready to take me, to float me away. It was a wonderful sense of existence”
    At Rest
  • A face screams from the side of Carnedd Dafydd as sunlight creeps over the top of a higher col. This high mountain river here in Cwm Llachar runs down to the town of Bethesda before exiting at the Menai Strait near Bangor.
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  • Nominee in 10th Annual Black & White Spider Awards<br />
<br />
Bitter low cloud shrouded the mountain summit. She lay on the coffin shaped boulder, the cold rock surface pressing into the delicate skin of her back, warmth radiating upwards into the winter air. She said she felt a sense of calm in the blanketed silence of her situation, more aware than ever of her living connection to the earth and the elements.
    Waiting for Spirits
  • 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
  • Winning entry in the 2022 (33rd) SUN Shot up North Awards <br />
<br />
Last surf, last light, last person in the warm sea. A lightning storm was shocking the Snowdonia mountains, and black clouds were building over the island. I was looking into a glorious sunset, but turned to see this incredible light over the beach. I'm looking forward to more Autumn swells and more drama.
    GD002813.jpg
  • In a streaming gale Jan and I crossed sand dunes to an almost deserted foam-strewn beach. The waves were heavy and fast and the wind was lifting and hurling foam creatures from the shoreline to the dunes, only avoiding splattering our faces thanks to slipstreaming! The sunlight was broken but when it burst through it was warm and rich, sparkling off the wet sand, backlighting oxygenated suds, waddling their way from the water margin. It was a bitterly cold air-stream sweeping down from the North, and poor Jan looked like a frozen rigid Chilli pepper in her new Paramo coat as I stumbled around on wave-soaked reefs. I was excited by the events in front of me but was ever conscious of my suffering slim companion. The spray was constant and when I looked towards the ancient burial chamber of Barclodiad y Gawres I could see horizontal sheets of spray contrasting with the brooding dark hillside. My lens was covered in spray within seconds and the thickness of salt meant that even specialist lens cloths were not effective at clearing off the saline coating - I accepted that today’s shots would be soft and droplet covered, and actually that no longer worries me these days, as atmosphere always beats detail. I balanced myself on a rock jutting from the pristine sand, ready to shoot the choppy sea but today again, I got caught out by one of those ‘tricksy’ seventh waves, which lifted to knee height which was already 18” above the beach, so this time I did get a boot-full of seawater but also a fun shot in the process - no award winner for sure but a great memory of a moment which had Jan laughing widely, even in her sub zero state :-)We walked on, my boot warming like a winter wetsuit and as I was already wet I resigned myself to further soakings as I haunched just an inch above wet sand to photograph a parade of the foamy suds. Finally we stood atop an isolated black crag in the center of this long sandy beach and we watched larger waves exploding over the offshore s
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  • There was a torrent of water in the narrow river powering down the dark valley. The sound was just audible from a distance, but up close it was noisy and relentless, yet at the same time captivating, mesmerising even.<br />
<br />
I had seen the woman from the mountain ridge, swimming upriver from the valley below, like a salmon to its breeding ground. Every so often she was forced to stand, in order to navigate her way through the waterfalls that interspersed her ascent to the river’s source.<br />
<br />
By the time I reached the valley floor she had temporarily left the water to stretch her lean muscles after such a magnificent effort. The air was warm and her wet skin started to dry in the gentle breeze. When the midges began to surround her, she re-entered the river, squeezed her naked body through large black boulders and in a moment, had slipped into a deep pool. The last I saw of her was no more than an undulating flash of pale skin under the dark water and then she was gone.
    Drying Out in the Dark Valley
  • Nominated image in the 13th Black & White Spider Awards 2018<br />
<br />
An old tree appears contorted and tired. It sags under the weight of years of observation of time and events. Its smooth silver bark still reflects light even on a dull day and it continues to hold an attraction.<br />
<br />
A lithe woman connected with its old arms, which supported her as she suspended herself. Her young figure curved to echo the old, as one, though she had witnessed so little in comparison. Her body stretched, her spine felt good and her shoulders strong.<br />
<br />
As the wind blew, the tree creaked and the leaves rustled. Almost imperceptibly she started to move with the wind, gently swinging back and forth in the breeze. She was a brief beauty that would soon fall to the earth but in the meantime she was as magical as the tree itself, two very different lives as one.
    The Copse
  • There was a torrent of water in the narrow river powering down the dark valley. The sound was just audible from a distance, but up close it was noisy and relentless, yet at the same time captivating, mesmerising even.<br />
<br />
I had seen the woman from the mountain ridge, swimming upriver from the valley below, like a salmon to its breeding ground. Every so often she was forced to stand, in order to navigate her way through the waterfalls that interspersed her ascent to the river’s source.<br />
<br />
By the time I reached the valley floor she had temporarily left the water to stretch her lean muscles after such a magnificent effort. The air was warm and her wet skin started to dry in the gentle breeze. When the midges began to surround her, she re-entered the river, squeezed her naked body through large black boulders and in a moment, had slipped into a deep pool. The last I saw of her was no more than an undulating flash of pale skin under the dark water and then she was gone.
    The Caress of Air & Water
  • Nominee in the 'Nature' category of the 2019, International 14th Black & White Spider Awards <br />
<br />
A shallow backwash of Atlantic surf at Porthcurno beach in South West Cornwall, lit gently by sunshine before heavy weather clouds draw closer from the ocean.
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  • Nominee in the 'Nature' category of the 2019, International 14th Black & White Spider Awards
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  • 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 ?
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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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  • Standing in evening sunlight, a cow turns her head to watch the black storm rolling in across the Irish Sea, unsettled or ambivalent?
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  • Yes this is for real, indeed it’s so easy with sunsets to get the processing so wrong to make it look so not right, but I had to make sure I didn’t increase the contrast for there was NO black in the original scene, just a gentle set of pastel tones except for the burn of the sun itself. It went behind a long thin cloud layer ahead of a huge bank of cloud moving on for the next morning’s rain. This vaporous layer split the sun so that an intense burn remained above the cloud, but a deep red burn emerged from beneath. There was hardly a drop of wind (look at the surface of the sea) but the cloud shapes make it look as though the suns flames are themselves being blown by a gale. <br />
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All of this was incredibly lucky as a few minutes beforehand the sun was completely obscured by a hazy and vast layer of cloud. Through the long lens I was able to see the detail more quickly and perhaps thanks to the optics, I’ve never seen a sunset so surreal and so spectacular.
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  • Nominated image in the 13th Black & White Spider Awards 2018<br />
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<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 />
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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 />
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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.
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  • Nominated image in the 13th Black & White Spider Awards 2018<br />
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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 />
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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.
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  • Awarded a discretionary MERIT in the 29th SUN (Shot up North) Awards for full time professional photographers<br />
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Nominee in Fine Art Category / B&W Spider Awards 2017<br />
<br />
Tiny blades of light penetrated the thick armour of black clouds over the Irish Sea. Pierced into soft dunes were short lengths of delicate fencing, resolutely standing their ground in the shifting sand, but gradually becoming eroded by the relentless attack of wind and weather.
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  • A short burst of sunshine plays across a small hillside near the black-earthed landscape near Tinajo in central Lanzarote. Dark clouds hang over the cliffs of Famara and the clearly volcanic landscape forms the backdrop.
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  • A flood-lit St Michael's Mount glows in the blackness whilst a huge Harvest Moon slowly rises behind.
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  • One of 3 winning entries in the 29th SUN (Shot up North) Awards for full time professional photographers<br />
<br />
I had been looking back through some early work and was amazed at how much snow we had in the winter of 2006. Amongst the more natural-looking snowy mountain images I’d taken from the top of Moel Eilio was this one of the Dinorwig Quarries below Elidir Fawr. I was fascinated by the cool purity of the winter snow gently trying to smooth over the vast, ugly, man-made scarring of the mountain’s lower regions.<br />
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The image has almost literally been sliced in half – the softer, wild and windswept upper reaches, and the angular, fractured blackness of the quarries below. Of course, the quarries hold their own fascination in terms of human history, culture and tenacity, but sometimes it’s only from a distance that you realise just how much destruction has gone on. Equally, it’s almost comforting to know just how much beauty still does exist, even within areas that have been so exploited, as here in Llanberis.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Storms move across the Atlantic Ocean off the North coast of South West Cornwall. Brilliant sunshine pierces the blackness of the weather and dark sea
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Glyn Davies, Professional Photographer and Gallery

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