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)
{ 84 images found }

Loading ()...

  • It's August, it looked sunny. The hills are swarming with summer walkers, like mozzys on a sweaty cow. I have to go further and further afield at this time of year to escape the vortex desperation of lemmings sucked towards the highest peaks. Arenig Fawr jumped out at me on the map - The description: "To some, the poor Southern relative of the Snowdonia bigger peaks" - but to me exactly the reason to reach for it's summit. The downside to these hills, is that their very disuse means the paths are not so precise, so trodden or so scarred. Map reading and navigation are worthwhile skills but even with my OS 1:25,000 the description of the descent as, 'follows faint, sometimes invisible paths, across boggy vegetated hillsides" did worry me a little, especially as the clouds were already thickening over Snowdonia by the time we'd even reached Capel Curig!
    GD001294.jpg
  • It's August, it looked sunny. The hills are swarming with summer walkers, like mozzys on a sweaty cow. I have to go further and further afield at this time of year to escape the vortex desperation of lemmings sucked towards the highest peaks. Arenig Fawr jumped out at me on the map - The description: "To some, the poor Southern relative of the Snowdonia bigger peaks" - but to me exactly the reason to reach for it's summit. The downside to these hills, is that their very disuse means the paths are not so precise, so trodden or so scarred. Map reading and navigation are worthwhile skills but even with my OS1;25,000 the description of the descent as, 'follows faint, sometimes invisible paths, across boggy vegetated hillsides" did worry me a little, especially as the clouds were already thickening over Snowdonia by the time we'd even reached Capel Curig !
    GD001292.jpg
  • Llanddwyn car park was heaving. As I headed over the dunes I saw huge numbers of people out for their boxing day walk, most on an ant-like procession to Llanddwyn Island and the famous little lighthouse, but very few indeed on the vast expanse of shore to the left.<br />
<br />
I was very fortunate that it was an outgoing tide as otherwise every inch of exposed sand would have been covered in foot and paw prints, but as it was there was acres of pristine virgin sand to photograph.<br />
<br />
The wind was cold even though from the South, and apart from the handfuls of ten-second Boxing Day Dippers most people were well wrapped up for winter. The clouds were spectacular and the intermittent light cutting through created a wonderful intensity of colour and illumination. Oystercatchers huddled together on the waters edge, seemingly keener to stay together than hunt for food, but I don't blame them,.<br />
<br />
As dusk approached, the crowds started to fade with the light and soon I was almost alone on my stretch of beach. The warm yellows and oranges turned cool to blues, washed with delicate pinks and magenta from the disappearing sun. The wet sand formed a wonderful mirror onto which I saw double the wonder of the evening.
    GD002887.jpg
  • After a wonderful sheltered swim in Holyhead Harbour, I headed for the West coast of the island to Trearddur Bay and Porth Dafarch. It's so rare that I can ever stand on Porth Dafarch beach and not see a soul, but today I was lucky, initially at least. High tide was slowly ebbing away revealing more and more huge swathes of orange sand, but the storm waves were deceptive and it was a mistake to wander casually onto the wet sand, as after every few waves at least one would come powering up the beach almost to high water mark. <br />
<br />
The gorgeous blue sky and sunshine of the morning was gradually being obscured by huge, watery grey blankets of cloud. Thankfully a blur of winter sunshine tunnelled through the vapour to create a wonderfully surreal illumination of the shoreline and waves breaking on the distant cliffs. By the time I’d created some images of this wondrous natural event many cars had turned up and the beach was back to normal, busy with crowds and dogs, my opportunity had been extremely lucky, I’d had glimpses of what this place might have looked like back in history.
    GD002905.jpg
  • "I was off the beaten track amongst acres of dark, ancient trees. As is often the case in these environments, it's possible to 'sense' clearings in the forest simply by watching out for changes in illumination. These open windows burn with light from the skies above so I headed in that direction. She was lithe, sensuous and beautiful, basking on a lichen-covered rock. She luxuriated in the contrast between the cool stone beneath her arched back and the warmth of afternoon sunshine bathing her loins.<br />
<br />
She was alone in her own space, far from the multitudes, simply enjoying the wonder of the nature around her.  Nothing concerned her for she was the apex creature in this world. A Stonechat chirped in the distance and two Ravens called to each other in flight above. Tiny summer flies moved silently from shadows to light and the sound of bees collecting pollen, hummed in the still air.
    The Lioness
  • After a wonderful sheltered swim in Holyhead Harbour, I headed for the West coast of the island to Trearddur Bay and Porth Dafarch. It's so rare that I can ever stand on Porth Dafarch beach and not see a soul, but today I was lucky, initially at least. High tide was slowly ebbing away revealing more and more huge swathes of orange sand, but the storm waves were deceptive and it was a mistake to wander casually onto the wet sand, as after every few waves at least one would come powering up the beach almost to high water mark. <br />
<br />
The gorgeous blue sky and sunshine of the morning was gradually being obscured by huge, watery grey blankets of cloud. Thankfully a blur of winter sunshine tunnelled through the vapour to create a wonderfully surreal illumination of the shoreline and waves breaking on the distant cliffs. By the time I’d created some images of this wondrous natural event many cars had turned up and the beach was back to normal, busy with crowds and dogs, my opportunity had been extremely lucky, I’d had glimpses of what this place might have looked like back in history.
    GD002906.jpg
  • In amongst gypsum dunes that cover 1000s of acres, a lightning storm illuminates the centre of the large cloud over huge mountain ranges in Southern New Mexico. A 3/4 moon hangs silently between the thunder claps and our friend & tour guide Carole waits patiently in her powerful 4x4 for me to finish. I loved the atmosphere, the range of illumination and the surreal fake snow landscape! The lightning storm lasted for over an hour and 6 fighter jets from the nearby Almagordo Air Base blasted overhead into the night sky.
    GD002408
  • 50+ mph winds pummeling Anglesey's West coast this afternoon, with a gradual easing towards dusk. Though the sun set behind a long bank of cloud, the most beautful, pastel-like colours washed over the view, punctured by sea foam catching the last rays of illumination from the sunset.
    GD002899.jpg
  • Llanddwyn car park was heaving. As I headed over the dunes I saw huge numbers of people out for their boxing day walk, most on an ant-like procession to Llanddwyn Island and the famous little lighthouse, but very few indeed on the vast expanse of shore to the left.<br />
<br />
I was very fortunate that it was an outgoing tide as otherwise every inch of exposed sand would have been covered in foot and paw prints, but as it was there was acres of pristine virgin sand to photograph.<br />
<br />
The wind was cold even though from the South, and apart from the handfuls of ten-second Boxing Day Dippers most people were well wrapped up for winter. The clouds were spectacular and the intermittent light cutting through created a wonderful intensity of colour and illumination. Oystercatchers huddled together on the waters edge, seemingly keener to stay together than hunt for food, but I don't blame them,.<br />
<br />
As dusk approached, the crowds started to fade with the light and soon I was almost alone on my stretch of beach. The warm yellows and oranges turned cool to blues, washed with delicate pinks and magenta from the disappearing sun. The wet sand formed a wonderful mirror onto which I saw double the wonder of the evening.
    GD002890.jpg
  • 50+ mph winds pummeling Anglesey's West coast this afternoon, with a gradual easing towards dusk. Though the sun set behind a long bank of cloud, the most beautful, pastel-like colours washed over the view, punctured by sea foam catching the last rays of illumination from the sunset.
    GD002898.jpg
  • 50+ mph winds pummeling Anglesey's West coast this afternoon, with a gradual easing towards dusk. Though the sun set behind a long bank of cloud, the most beautful, pastel-like colours washed over the view, punctured by sea foam catching the last rays of illumination from the sunset.
    GD002896.jpg
  • Llanddwyn car park was heaving. As I headed over the dunes I saw huge numbers of people out for their boxing day walk, most on an ant-like procession to Llanddwyn Island and the famous little lighthouse, but very few indeed on the vast expanse of shore to the left.<br />
<br />
I was very fortunate that it was an outgoing tide as otherwise every inch of exposed sand would have been covered in foot and paw prints, but as it was there was acres of pristine virgin sand to photograph.<br />
<br />
The wind was cold even though from the South, and apart from the handfuls of ten-second Boxing Day Dippers most people were well wrapped up for winter. The clouds were spectacular and the intermittent light cutting through created a wonderful intensity of colour and illumination. Oystercatchers huddled together on the waters edge, seemingly keener to stay together than hunt for food, but I don't blame them,.<br />
<br />
As dusk approached, the crowds started to fade with the light and soon I was almost alone on my stretch of beach. The warm yellows and oranges turned cool to blues, washed with delicate pinks and magenta from the disappearing sun. The wet sand formed a wonderful mirror onto which I saw double the wonder of the evening.
    GD002891.jpg
  • Llanddwyn car park was heaving. As I headed over the dunes I saw huge numbers of people out for their boxing day walk, most on an ant-like procession to Llanddwyn Island and the famous little lighthouse, but very few indeed on the vast expanse of shore to the left.<br />
<br />
I was very fortunate that it was an outgoing tide as otherwise every inch of exposed sand would have been covered in foot and paw prints, but as it was there was acres of pristine virgin sand to photograph.<br />
<br />
The wind was cold even though from the South, and apart from the handfuls of ten-second Boxing Day Dippers most people were well wrapped up for winter. The clouds were spectacular and the intermittent light cutting through created a wonderful intensity of colour and illumination. Oystercatchers huddled together on the waters edge, seemingly keener to stay together than hunt for food, but I don't blame them,.<br />
<br />
As dusk approached, the crowds started to fade with the light and soon I was almost alone on my stretch of beach. The warm yellows and oranges turned cool to blues, washed with delicate pinks and magenta from the disappearing sun. The wet sand formed a wonderful mirror onto which I saw double the wonder of the evening.
    GD002888.jpg
  • A throw of darkness covered the Welsh hills whilst wisps of pale clouds swirled and writhed below. Bitter winds whistled across the slopes and summit castellations. I huddled behind an airy dry-stone walls whilst hail pounded my shoulders for almost half an hour, chilling me until my hands went white.<br />
.<br />
After such an elemental bombardment I should have been miserable but I wasn't. I felt more alone than in a long time, and as I stared at the grass around my boots I became aware of a warm illumination. I looked up at the hills beyond where wide beams of sunlight gently caressing their surface, burning away the darkness and mist, revealing a myriad of details on this earth's ancient skin.<br />
.<br />
Knowing the mountains were near empty, made nature seem even more humbling, more magnificent, more wild, perhaps the best it's ever looked, or so it seemed in my own emotionally pulsing headspace.
    GD002488.jpg
  • Beaumaris in Winter, on an early morning, tranquil, quiet, beautiful, COLD!
    GD001105.jpg
  • Llanddwyn car park was heaving. As I headed over the dunes I saw huge numbers of people out for their boxing day walk, most on an ant-like procession to Llanddwyn Island and the famous little lighthouse, but very few indeed on the vast expanse of shore to the left.<br />
<br />
I was very fortunate that it was an outgoing tide as otherwise every inch of exposed sand would have been covered in foot and paw prints, but as it was there was acres of pristine virgin sand to photograph.<br />
<br />
The wind was cold even though from the South, and apart from the handfuls of ten-second Boxing Day Dippers most people were well wrapped up for winter. The clouds were spectacular and the intermittent light cutting through created a wonderful intensity of colour and illumination. Oystercatchers huddled together on the waters edge, seemingly keener to stay together than hunt for food, but I don't blame them,.<br />
<br />
As dusk approached, the crowds started to fade with the light and soon I was almost alone on my stretch of beach. The warm yellows and oranges turned cool to blues, washed with delicate pinks and magenta from the disappearing sun. The wet sand formed a wonderful mirror onto which I saw double the wonder of the evening.
    GD002893.jpg
  • 50+ mph winds pummeling Anglesey's West coast this afternoon, with a gradual easing towards dusk. Though the sun set behind a long bank of cloud, the most beautful, pastel-like colours washed over the view, punctured by sea foam catching the last rays of illumination from the sunset.
    GD002897.jpg
  • Llanddwyn car park was heaving. As I headed over the dunes I saw huge numbers of people out for their boxing day walk, most on an ant-like procession to Llanddwyn Island and the famous little lighthouse, but very few indeed on the vast expanse of shore to the left.<br />
<br />
I was very fortunate that it was an outgoing tide as otherwise every inch of exposed sand would have been covered in foot and paw prints, but as it was there was acres of pristine virgin sand to photograph.<br />
<br />
The wind was cold even though from the South, and apart from the handfuls of ten-second Boxing Day Dippers most people were well wrapped up for winter. The clouds were spectacular and the intermittent light cutting through created a wonderful intensity of colour and illumination. Oystercatchers huddled together on the waters edge, seemingly keener to stay together than hunt for food, but I don't blame them,.<br />
<br />
As dusk approached, the crowds started to fade with the light and soon I was almost alone on my stretch of beach. The warm yellows and oranges turned cool to blues, washed with delicate pinks and magenta from the disappearing sun. The wet sand formed a wonderful mirror onto which I saw double the wonder of the evening.
    GD002892.jpg
  • Llanddwyn car park was heaving. As I headed over the dunes I saw huge numbers of people out for their boxing day walk, most on an ant-like procession to Llanddwyn Island and the famous little lighthouse, but very few indeed on the vast expanse of shore to the left.<br />
<br />
I was very fortunate that it was an outgoing tide as otherwise every inch of exposed sand would have been covered in foot and paw prints, but as it was there was acres of pristine virgin sand to photograph.<br />
<br />
The wind was cold even though from the South, and apart from the handfuls of ten-second Boxing Day Dippers most people were well wrapped up for winter. The clouds were spectacular and the intermittent light cutting through created a wonderful intensity of colour and illumination. Oystercatchers huddled together on the waters edge, seemingly keener to stay together than hunt for food, but I don't blame them,.<br />
<br />
As dusk approached, the crowds started to fade with the light and soon I was almost alone on my stretch of beach. The warm yellows and oranges turned cool to blues, washed with delicate pinks and magenta from the disappearing sun. The wet sand formed a wonderful mirror onto which I saw double the wonder of the evening.
    GD002889.jpg
  • Shot from the side of a Welsh mountain, the sunbursts illuminating an otherwise shadowy Irish Sea was far more vivid and spectacular than from sea level.
    GD001459.jpg
  • Shot from the side of a Welsh mountain, the sunbursts illuminating an otherwise shadowy Irish Sea was far more vivid and spectacular than from sea level.
    GD001459.jpg
  • 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.
    GD002820.jpg
  • View from the upper slopes of Scafell Pike in the English Lake District. Brilliant sunshine turned to heavy cloud and heavy cloud turned to snow, before returning to heavy cloud but bitter winds once more. Small patches of light illuminated minute sections of this great Lakeland landscape, creating a fast moving theatrical stage of light and shadows
    GD002020
  • A ship at dusk at anchor off Mount’s Bay in Cornwall. The whole landscape was dark and rather ominous looking in the heavy weather but the large ship was temporarily illuminated by a last pulse of light before the clouds closed over for the night.
    GD002161.jpg
  • Boulders in sky reflection form small islands in a huge mirror-flat beach pool at Penmaenmawr, Gwynedd, North Wales. The Great Orme at Llandudno is illuminated in sunshine in the distance and the small island of Puffin Island can be seen far left.
    GD001504.jpg
  • In the hazy green sea of North Anglesey, sunlight in the water illuminated the tips of a solitary growth of seaweed, bringing sunshine into the depths.
    GD002798.jpg
  • No, this isn't a stupidly processed sky - it was the strangest light at Llanfairfechan, looking back towards a totally clouded Anglesey. We wanted to get out for fresh air after work on yet another dreary day on Anglesey. On impulse we headed for a 'brighter patch' in the sky over the Conwy area. As we arrived at Llanfairfechan the sun was shining brilliantly, even though it was cloudy and drizzly everywhere else. It resembled a Hollywood fantasy film where you drive from one reality to another world entirely. <br />
<br />
This particular image was after the intense sunshine had disappeared, but it was still illuminating the Menai Strait.
    GD002791.jpg
  • In the darkest of times, needles of sunlight pierce blankets of blue winter, illuminating theatrical interplays on the earth below. Tiny little figures show the enormous scale of this mountainous stage,. You don't see these wondrous moments until they are floodlit by the universe above.
    GD002570.jpg
  • Although I stood in brilliant sunshine on my mountain top, clouds billowed over the main Snowdonia peaks, set against an ominous dark sky. Sunlight punched through the swirling vapour illuminating patches of hillside and ocassionally the summits themselves
    GD002155.jpg
  • The wonderful sunlight of the morning was gradually disappearing - once scudding cloud shadows now dark sheets across the landscape - the cold winds now seemed bitter. As the weather front moved closer, last beams of direct sunlight illuminated isolated hills and peaks created a theatrically sculpted topography. Moel Cynghorion feels the last warmth as Tryfan stands imposing in the backgrpound shadows.
    GD002003.jpg
  • Stormy Winter sunshine illuminates beautiful Atlantic surf powering into the incredibly dramatic Kynance Cove on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall.
    GD001995.jpg
  • Looking towards the Carneddau range of mountains (over 3000ft) in Snowdonia, Wales. There was a dramatic light from low afternoon winter sunlight illuminating the mountainsides under gentle clouds above. The steep cliffs drop down to the highly glaciated Nant Ffrancon pass below. The foreground mountain is Carnedd Dafydd and the more rounded peak behind is Carnedd Llewelyn.
    GD001946.jpg
  • Nominated for 11th International B&W Spider Awards<br />
<br />
“The wind blew hard across the rolling landscape but the winter rain drove harder, stabbing the skin of the earth and the flesh of the figure. The sky grew dark and the hills blackened, but a gentle beam of light continued to illuminate the woman, outstretched on the dune. A firm arm of soft sand pressed into her back, supporting her and the new life now growing inside her, positioning her to face the universe”
    Sensual Landscape
  • 60mph winds, torrential rain, heavy, dark skies. After a brilliant day rock climbing (indoors) I desperately needed a cool swim in the sea. I headed for the N E coast of Anglesey to find some shelter and calmer waters. I swam in the rain but shortly afterwards, as I stood there shivering even under my Dry Robe, the most beautiful pulses of sunset illuminated patches of the leaden sky above. As I was about to leave a local Welsh family arrived and swam under the wonderful colours of the dusk sky. I took a photo of them swimming and then some portraits of the whole family on the beach. What a lovely finish to the day.
    GD002853.jpg
  • Llanfairfechan was the ONLY place for miles around which was illuminated by brilliant sunshine. Everywhere else was thick cloud & drizzle. Walking in the sunshine was such a delight after several days of utterly depressing weather.
    GD002792.jpg
  • What a FABULOUS morning!! Couldn't decide whether to swim or photograph, wetsuit or shorts, or even which bit of coast to visit, but after loads of procrastination I ended up in my wetsuit with my proper camera in a housing, floating around in the Menai Strait. The sun was procrastinating as much as I was, but in between HUGE slow moving clouds, brilliant bursts of sunshine illuminated the sea and its depths. Small Compass Jellyfish caused me no worry thanks to my wetsuit and my exposed hands and face were nicely warm even underwater - summer bliss!
    GD002767.jpg
  • What a FABULOUS morning!! Couldn't decide whether to swim or photograph, wetsuit or shorts, or even which bit of coast to visit, but after loads of procrastination I ended up in my wetsuit with my proper camera in a housing, floating around in the Menai Strait. The sun was procrastinating as much as I was, but in between HUGE slow moving clouds, brilliant bursts of sunshine illuminated the sea and its depths. Small Compass Jellyfish caused me no worry thanks to my wetsuit and my exposed hands and face were nicely warm even underwater - summer bliss!
    GD002766.jpg
  • Unique memories hide in this Snowdonia woodland, but they were instantly recalled as the last wintry rays of daylight illuminated a network of wooden neural pathways
    GD002722.jpg
  • Storm Barra brought 66 mph gales onto the west coast of the tiny Ynys Mon (Isle of Anglesey) today.  The winds made it near impossible to walk, but strangely, the waves didn't look gigantic as they do in Cornwall, but they were huge for North Wales. <br />
<br />
Every now and then, holes appeared in the sky and brightness illuminated the stormy seas below. I shot just three frames before unwrapping two lobster pots & a huge length of rope that had wrapped itself around a small sea stack (using just my penknife to cut the ropes & massive brute force to lift the pots from the wave battered rocks). I returned to the van in darkness & still hammered by torrential rain.
    GD002700.jpg
  • Embers of an evening fire in the sky, illuminated gentle sets of peeling waves rolling towards the beach at Hell's Mouth in North Wales.
    GD002667.jpg
  • From my series of images documenting the changing character of the vast derelict slate quarries near Llanberis & Dinorwic as nature & modern life reclaim this huge industrially scarred mountain-scape. The quarries closed in 1969 but the sheer scale of the industry is still apparent, and without doubt there are visual & spiritual echoes of the Welsh workmen who risked life & limb working there. It seems only right that these incredible, surreal and industrially transformed landscapes have now been given UNESCO World Heritage status.
    GD002666.jpg
  • At the outset of the pandemic when we thought just a few months may have delivered a happy summer. As the fog cleared, a beautiful and gentle sunset appeared, illuminating the calm sea on a slowly incoming tide.
    GD002587.jpg
  • From below, surrounded by hundreds of sledgers & skiers creating a cacophony of noisy laughs & screams, the summits were in swirling low cloud, never showing themselves. <br />
<br />
As I trudged higher the snow became thicker and the chaos of the crowds diminished. I followed deep snowy footprints & drops of bright red blood from an injured dog, marking the route of previous ascensionists. The snow dumbs sounds; no birds sang, or sheep bleated. I could hear my own heart as the silence & snow deepened more. <br />
<br />
I was surprised nevertheless by the numbers of small parties descending the hill, and I was troubled (as always) that I was being trailed by others, a super fit elderly couple with a tiny day sack, and a backpacking single guy. I stopped for a drink to let them pass and I watched them disappear into the thick fog. Finally, I was alone, and I laboured step by step in deep snow until I arrived at the summit. I could hear occasional walkers chatting in the whiteout, but none appeared alongside me. It was dark up there, and the strengthening wind chilled my fingers through my gloves. I sensed something was happening with the clouds though so persevered in my wait. For about ten minutes the sun made regular bursts through the low cloud, illuminating snow-crusted rock sculptures all around me. It transformed the scene completely & I felt less lonely somehow. <br />
<br />
The horizon darkened and I could see snow clouds approaching. It was getting colder and colder, so I called it a day and retraced my footsteps back down to cloud base. Sleet and then heavy rain pelted me about five minutes from the van. Dozens and dozens of soaked sledging families made a sad retreat off the slopes.  I was delighted with the ten or so images that I made on the summit. I think will make some beautiful prints for the gallery wall.
    GD002565.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
  • Imposing and precipitous, dark towers of mountainside were temporarily bathed in gentle afternoon light, warming the cold ramparts and illuminating their weakness. We so need light these days.
    GD002560.jpg
  • As the fog cleared, a beautiful and gentle sunset appeared, illuminating the calm sea on a slowly incoming tide.
    GD002558.jpg
  • Lockdown Day 4 <br />
Each morning I’ve watched the early morning sunshine slide over the neighbours wall and illuminate this post, highlighting it against the shadows of the paving slabs behind. It’s daft in a way but I just love the rounded cylinder of the post set amongst all the squares / diamonds.<br />
This morning I stood out there with my apple and suddenly decided to just place it in the shot - so not a pure find but it was a pure consideration. Hope you like it
    AOP-04-GD002466.jpg
  • Beyond the illusory warmth of foreground moors, stood the frozen twin peaks of Arenig Fawr, briefly illuminated by moments of temperamental winter sunlight.<br />
<br />
I was lured by the mountain’s wonderful structure and ancient beauty, but the buffeting gale was biting into my face so on this day at least, I was glad not to have been on the icy summits.
    GD002439.jpg
  • 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!
    GD002436.jpg
  • Whilst waiting for my rock climbing partner to arrive, I couldn’t resist shooting this amazing morning sunshine illuminating striking cubist-looking slate crags. I saw them as huge landscape sculptures erupting from the dark grey slate waste all around.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
    GD002395.jpg
  • Evening light spilled under the clouds to illuminate the incredible and imposing Hottentots-Holland mountain range (part of the Cape Fold Belt) East of Cape Town. These mountains reach 1590 m / 5200 ft at their highest point.
    GD002246.jpg
  • Although I stood in brilliant sunshine on my mountain top, clouds billowed over the main Snowdonia peaks, set against an ominous dark sky. Sunlight punched through the swirling vapour illuminating patches of hillside and ocassionally the summits themselves
    GD002364.jpg
  • Another evening walk into the mountains to catch the dramatic, changeable light. As so often happens though, clouds came down across the evening sun and over the summits. I sat there drinking coffee in what became a waiting game and then suddenly, a pulse of sunshine illuminated the hillsides of the Glyderau mountains, silhouetting the foreground peaks and creating a drama I liked even if it was not what I’d originally envisaged.
    GD002317.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
  • Evening light spilled under the clouds to illuminate the incredible and imposing Hottentots-Holland mountain range (part of the Cape Fold Belt) East of Cape Town. These mountains reach 1590 m / 5200 ft at their highest point.
    GD002172.jpg
  • Such a dreary start to a few days in South West Cornwall to test out my new Fuji XT2, but during a stop off at Porthleven on the South coast, a weak sun burnt through the layers of gloom, and for just a few minutes it illuminated the choppy Atlantic ocean, seen from the end of the notoriously dangerous breakwater.
    GD002097.jpg
  • Almost Spielberg-like, the most incredible dark clouds built above a small cluster of beachside houses at Rhosneigr. Late afternoon sunlight burst under the weather front illuminating the coastline, increasing the drama further.
    GD002101.jpg
  • I left the comfort of the van and stepped into a gale. The skies were grey and overcast and there were already spots of rain on my jacket. <br />
<br />
The sand whipped off the dunes and stung my face but I was so happy to just be outdoors and have fresh air in my lungs. I arrived at the shore on a rapidly dropping tide and the beach was pristine, no footprints from man or dog, just perfect geometrical shapes created by the force of the tide. <br />
<br />
The breeze rippled the surface of a large pool but the water was was like a luke warm bath, sensuous and comforting. Small jellyfish slowed drifted past me as the pool drained to the Irish Sea. <br />
<br />
As the clouds scudded overhead, small pathes of blue sky made an appearance and illuminated the whole scene for perhaps just a few minutes at a time and the light was iridescent on the sea’s green surface, glittering on the ruffled pool. Within moments I was being pelted by a rain shower and my camera lens became covered in rain and salt spray, creating a most ghostly light on my images.
    GD002082.jpg
  • Intense sunshine illuminates wet rocks after heavy rain on the headland at Porth Dafarch, Holy Island, West Anglesey
    GD000687.jpg
  • Snowdonia is an area of vivid glaciation and here at Cwm Idwal, a high hanging valley / cwm / corrie the signs are crystal clear, looking at the lake of Llyn Idwal, hanging above the Llyn Ogwen lake, before yet another another rock step and huge waterfall, to the valley below. Here we see the peak of Y Garn in the background.
    GD000487.jpg
  • Glimpses of sunshine - patches of fast-moving light scudding across the striking ridges of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and its foothills. First warm rays - an ultraviolet shower between snow-clad peaks. Perfect company and amongst this theatrical majesty, a young woman’s first illuminating and exhilarating ascent of a Welsh mountain
    GD002006
  • As Storm Imogen makes her first appearance, and dark clouds build on the the horizon, I find myself fascinated by the sheer variety of beautiful coloured stones lying just beneath the surface of the sand pools before an incoming tide. The weather created dreary conditions but every so often gentle glimmers of light illuminated this wet world, a world that has seen rain for almost three months solid. It was so lovely to find such intriguing beauty in such inclement weather
    GD001994.jpg
  • There is a stark loneliness at this far-flung crag even in summer. The woman had been silently climbing the rocky crag to reach its flat top, where she crouched down to look around her. The slow turn of her head was the only movement in this still landscape but then she arose, her slender body illuminated by a ray of late afternoon sunshine. She turned to the light and stood on tiptoes before shouting into the breeze, “I can’t believe this! I’m alone on a mountain and I am completely NAKED! This is AMAZING!” She slowly rotated on her stone platform so that she could feel the warmth over every inch of her body and she revelled in the sensual experience of sun-warmed air flowing over her womanhood. She felt natural; she felt the rock; she loved the liberation and the open space. She was at one with the mountains.
    She Saw the Light
  • Evening light illuminates a vast tract of tall marram covered dunes. In the lee of a cool, stiff breeze, two lovers entwine their bodies, heat against heat, warm skin pressed against warm skin, connected as one and oblivious to the stabbing of the needle like grass all about them.<br />
<br />
Shadows rise and fall over their shallow nest in this vast wild landscape as clouds scud by, but in one moment of true glory, rays of sunshine bathe them in warmth as their own heat subsides. There is something just so pure about making love completely naked in the wild, utterly connected in every sensual way to the Earth, the plants and the elements that give us life and enable us to make life.
    Love In the Breeze
  • "In a way, this was ALL about the sea, the waves and movement, the sky played the role of illuminator only. I became transfixed by the recurring rhythms which occur where waves meet shore.<br />
<br />
At first there is the obvious repetition of waves reaching the shore and dumping their energy. Then there is the apparent chaos of individual waves, which never form the same shapes, height or angle. But then, especially when using a slightly slower shutter speed on the camera, it’s possible to clarify just how much underlying consistency of rhythm there is below the choppy surface, influenced by the shape of the beach in relation to the speed and direction of the waves.<br />
<br />
Although large sweeps of watery sheets seem to slide at all angles over the shore, certain strong lines of confluence emerge, where bodies of water meet bodies of water and the energy is consistently channelled in one direction, like standing waves. On what had been a solitary, dreary afternoon of being out just for fresh air, I had become extremely excited by my heightened awareness of rhythm within chaos, and I may now be able to use that to create perspective in everyday life!"
    GD001419.jpg
  • 60mph winds, torrential rain, heavy, dark skies. After a brilliant day rock climbing (indoors) I desperately needed a cool swim in the sea. I headed for the N E coast of Anglesey to find some shelter and calmer waters. I swam in the rain but shortly afterwards, as I stood there shivering even under my Dry Robe, the most beautiful pulses of sunset illuminated patches of the leaden sky above. As I was about to leave a local Welsh family arrived and swam under the wonderful colours of the dusk sky. I took a photo of them swimming and then some portraits of the whole family on the beach. What a lovely finish to the day.
    GD002854.jpg
  • As the fog cleared, a beautiful and gentle sunset appeared, illuminating the calm sea on a slowly incoming tide.
    GD002557.jpg
  • I’ve always loved the sea from above, from planes for sure, but even from mountain tops. A constantly morphing sheet of textures and pattern, sometimes describing the weather and the clouds above, but sometimes the currents below. Here on the approach to the Conwy Estuary the channels are winding and shallow and accurate navigation is critical. As the last of the sun went behind a huge cloud bank on the horizon, and the world went dark, only a gently illuminated shimmering sea remained clear.
    GD002503.jpg
  • Last minute blast for a walk and some snaps after yet another dreary June day. Hints of sunshine broke through blankets of mountain cloud so we went for a coastal walk along the Strait. The clouds opened more and more and pools of sunlight illuminated the hillsides. For just a brief moment, literally seconds, the sunset flood lit Castell Penrhyn in the foreground. The castle was built by Lord Penrhyn, from the profits of the slate industry. Impoverished slate quarry workers worked in horrendous, dangerous conditions to facilitate this.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
    GD002492.jpg
  • I love it when after leaving home which is covered by cold grey sky, I find myself half an hour later standing on a cliff top with sunshine warming my face. As the afternoon sunshine dropped lower in the sky, it broke below blankets of heavy cloud and blasted the sea and cliffs with intense light, illuminating rock pools and sharpening blades of rock. Getting to the sea has always meant escape to me, a chance of adventure and journey. Looking out towards a sunlit horizon means so much to me, especially hope.
    GD002366.jpg
  • Enjoyed a short walk out to Llanddwyn Island in bitterly cold, showery conditions. The sun made a desperate attempt to illuminate the lighthouse but with the tide rising rapidly we made our way back to the main beach to avoid being cut off. <br />
<br />
In a lovely turn of photographic fate, a colourful burst of dusky sunlight caught the towering clouds, which were then reflected on the smooth, lapping waves. <br />
<br />
It’s so easy to be trapped by obvious sunsets, when the subtle washes behind you are in fact far more mesmerising.
    GD002347.jpg
  • We’d started out early that morning from Swakopmund, in thick fog, heading for the coast. When we arrived at our location there appeared a glow of light from the East and before long bursts of sunshine illuminated the beach, contrasting it against the dark fog behind. <br />
<br />
The air was chilly, even in the African summer, but the gentle waves of sunlight were a welcome warmth.  The roar of the waves on this exposed Atlantic coast was relentless but strangely familiar after many days in a heatwave in the Namibian desert.
    GD002267.jpg
  • Just after dawn at Penzance waterfront. In the slowly increasing half-light, I had watched a succession of early morning wild swimmers brave the calm Atlantic waters. They told me it certainly was cold, but the rush they got from the dip had remarkable benefits to their constitution and sense of vitality. They asked me to come down the next morning in my swimming trunks to try for myself.<br />
<br />
After bidding them good morning I wandered along the harbour wall. Looking towards the Lizard Peninsula in the distance, gentle sunlight broke through a band in the clouds and illuminated the smooth sea. As I watched the glow intensify I noticed a pod of dolphins swimming across the bay. Most of the time I could just see the curve of their backs but occasionally one of them would leave the water completely and in this image you can see just that, as gulls cried overhead. It was a rather magical and serene Sunday morning.
    GD002142.jpg
  • Nominated in 2022 International Colour Awards<br />
<br />
Honourable Mention in 2022 International Colour Awards<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
<br />
Subtle washes of sunlight permeate the winter gloom and illuminate isolated sections of this ancient Welsh landscape. Elidir Fawr becomes a snow-capped volcano and Y Garn sits solemnly in the shadows behind. A single crow flies across the void between me and the distant peaks, its call echoing sharply in the valley below.
    GD002005
  • Another momentary wonder of light and land, as Carnedd Dafydd captures a rare sunbeam during a dreary, damp evening. Standing on the bank of the Afon Menai was beautiful for it’s sounds, tiny waves slapping pebbles on the shoreline; two Oystercatchers pile-driving the shell-strewn mudflats for rich food on the outgoing tide, and a Curlew calling as it skimmed the sea surface towards Y Felinheli but the light, was dull as dishwater. I was about o head back fro the van when a glimmer of light appeared over the Eryri hills, and within a few seconds a huge beam of sunlight scanned the peaks, illuminating the details and textures with such clarity. I shot just five frames before the sun disappeared completely and drops of rain touched my face.
    GD002499.jpg
  • On the summit in dark swirling cloud. A delicate sun glimmered through the vapour, illuminating shards of quartz-covered, shattered wet rock. <br />
<br />
I was alone on the summit and it helped create the feeling that this pictorial wonder was my privilege alone.
    GD002346.jpg
  • 3 Edition A1 - 5 Edition A2<br />
(First two A1s SOLD, one remaining)<br />
<br />
In brief glimpses through thick fog and heavy cloud, stunning recessional hills appeared, illuminated by subtle rays of weak afternoon sunshine, beautiful. In the far distance is Elidir Fawr, then the rounded peak of Mynydd Mawr, and finally the lower peaks of the Nantlle Ridge.<br />
<br />
Views from the peaks of Tre'r Ceiri, an  Iron Age settlement / fortress steeped in Brythonic history of kings and tribes from the Dark Ages on Snowdonia's Llyn Peninsula. <br />
<br />
Clouds and fog swirl around these peaks but when the fog clears, stunning views are to be had of the surrounding countryside. This place is ethereal, spiritual and always changing. The sense of past is strong and the identity with people living on this Iron Age hill top since the dark ages is potent.
    GD000974.jpg
  • The forecast was for mixed weather but thankfully we never ‘quite’ saw rain. Here on the coast of West Penwith a river tumbles down through the boulders to join the Atlantic Ocean. Brief moments of sunshine illuminated the flowing water and everything sparkled. The clouds closed in, the wind increased and the cold intensified but my mood was as bright and alive as the view I was offered.
    GD002125.jpg
  • "I left the comfort of the van and stepped into a gale. The skies were grey and overcast and there were already spots of rain on my jacket.<br />
<br />
The sand whipped off the dunes and stung my face but I was so happy to just be outdoors and have fresh air in my lungs. I arrived at the shore on a rapidly dropping tide and the beach was pristine, no footprints from man or dog, just perfect geometrical shapes created by the force of the tide.<br />
<br />
The breeze rippled the surface of a large pool but the water was like a lukewarm bath, sensuous and comforting. Small jellyfish slowly drifted past me as the pool drained to the Irish Sea.<br />
<br />
As the clouds scudded overhead, small patches of blue sky made an appearance and illuminated the whole scene for perhaps just a few minutes at a time. The light was iridescent on the sea’s green surface and glittered on the ruffled pool. Within moments I was being pelted by a rain shower and my camera lens became covered in rain and salt spray, creating a most ghostly light on my images"
    GD002081.jpg
  • Looking towards the Carneddau range of mountains (over 3000ft) in Snowdonia, Wales. There was a dramatic light from low afternoon winter sunlight illuminating the mountainsides under gentle clouds above. The steep cliffs drop down to the highly glaciated Nant Ffrancon pass below. The foreground mountain is Carnedd Dafydd and the more rounded peak behind is Carnedd Llewelyn.
    GD001915.jpg
  • Nominated in 10th (2017) International Colour Awards (Nude category) <br />
<br />
“It was dusk and a gentle mist hung in the valleys, illuminated only by the last glimmer of Autumnal daylight. There was delicate moisture in the air and a slight dampness on the short grass surrounding the rock. Rich, earthy smells surrounded me, from the bracken and ancient woodland adjacent to the outcrop. Above the sound of a gurgling brook I could hear a thrush singing somewhere in the distance. Apart from that there was relative silence; no cars, no planes, no groups of chatty ‘ramblers on a mission’, just me in what felt like a lost valley. I was alone and had found perfect solitude. <br />
<br />
I enjoyed the feeling of the cool, almost prickly, sheep-mown grass on the soles of my feet, but the rock was warm having basked during a day of unbroken sunshine under clear blue skies.  Although the rocky outcrop looked smooth from a distance it was rough beneath my skin, making my body feel vulnerable to its sharp surface. I enjoyed the sensation nevertheless, feeling utterly and intimately connected to ‘my’ rock, a rock carved by glaciers millions of years ago, scratched and smoothed by the weight of ice, but today it was just me, an insignificant speck on the planet. Yet the planet means everything to me; I feel it, see it, and hear it. It provides for me, nourishes me and I am a part of it nevertheless. <br />
<br />
As the melody of the Song Thrush drifted away, I lay relaxed, supine, as much of my skin surface in contact with the rock as I could manage, facing the darkening universe above. The rock supported me, it seemed as if the Earth itself was carrying me, a fragile, perishable organic figure, exposed to the air and the elements but wonderfully connected to the land"
    Then Came Autumn
  • There was nothing set up about this image. The wood was actually there, partially embedded in the soft sands of Silver Bay as the waves washed over it on the incoming tide. In the background a gentle sun illuminated the rear of a heavy blanket of rain cloud, sending a pink glow into the air. The shift between the warm and cool ends of the spectrum were subtle and delicate, absolutely beautiful.
    GD001200.jpg
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
<br />
At dusk, the last shreds of evening sun illuminated a low wall desperately trying to hold back a mountain-sized flood of waste slate. It seemed curiously futile but in the beautiful light I also saw how the rough structure has done it's job for decades, against all odds
    GD002612.jpg
  • On the summit in dark swirling cloud. A delicate sun glimmered through the vapour, illuminating shards of quartz-covered, shattered wet rock.<br />
.<br />
I was alone on the summit and it helped create the feeling that this pictorial wonder was my privilege alon
    GD002348.jpg
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Glyn Davies, Professional Photographer and Gallery

  • Portfolio
  • CLICK TO SEE ALL IMAGES
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • About Glyn
  • Awards & Media
  • Print & Delivery Info
  • Exhibitions
  • Interviews & Books
  • Contact
  • Privacy & Personal Data
  • LATEST NEWS