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  • Behind an old watermill, sits the huge Wylfa Magnox nuclear power station. It is situated close to Cemaes Bay on the North of the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Its location on the coast provides a cooling source for its operation. It is the world's oldest nuclear power station and became operational in 1971
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  • Wonderful light over the hills and reservoir of Llyn Marchlyn Mawr. At times of hugh demand the water from the reservoir storms the turbines in the HEP power station below generating huge quantities of electricty in just s few seconds. I’ve always found it strange standing next to the small, silent lake, the amount of noise and energy it’s able to create at a moments notice.
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  • Marchlyn Mawr, nestling below the rocky mountain of Elidir Fawr, with Mynydd Perfdd on the far side, is the upper lake providing the water source for the Hydro Electric Power Station in the valley below. This water can be released in less than a minute when the UN grid needs an urgent  energy boost, and is pumped up during off peak cheaper times at night, from the lake of Llyn Dinas in the Llanberis Pass.
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  • Marchlyn Mawr, nestling below the rocky mountain of Elidir Fawr, with Mynydd Perfdd on the far side, is the upper lake providing the water source for the Hydro Electric Power Station in the valley below. This water can be released in less than a minute when the UN grid needs an urgent  energy boost, and is pumped up during off peak cheaper times at night, from the lake of Llyn Dinas in the Llanberis Pass.
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  • Storm waves crash over the headland at Cable Bay on West Anglesey.
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  • This is the upper lake just below the summit of Elidir Fawr, which is streamed into huge pipes which feed the 4 turbines in the power station 500 meters below. The water is pumped back up at night when demand is low and pumping costs are least.
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  • This is the upper lake just below the summit of Elidir Fawr, which is streamed into huge pipes which feed the 4 turbines in the power station 500 meters below. The water is pumped back up at night when demand is low and pumping costs are least.
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  • This is the surge pool cut into the opposite hillside of Elidir Fawr. It is a huge water column which drops down to the Hydro Electric Power Station below. When they shut down the turbines the gigantic volume of water that has been flowing into them 'backs up' and the the energy needs releasing. The water column does just that. It is security protected by CCTV & fences as dropping a large object into the column would lead direct to the turbines.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Trawsfynydd Power Station from the vast slate quarries of Blaenau ffestiniog.  <br />
<br />
Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Trawsfynydd Nuclear Power Station from the vast quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Gigantic Atlantic storm waves crash over the reef at Cape Cornwall near St Just, backlit by early morning sunlight. The sound of the sea was deafening and relentless and my camera lens needed cleaning every few seconds, covered as it was by soft spray that blew over 100 ft into the air
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  • Huge wake from the twin engines of a powerful Severn Class lifeboat as it powers back into Holyhead Harbour from the South Stack lighthouse on Holy Island, Anglesey, in morning light with sunshine and fluffy white clouds and a calm sea.
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  • Huge wake from the twin engines of a powerful Severn Class lifeboat as it powers back into Holyhead Harbour from the South Stack lighthouse on Holy Island, Anglesey, in morning light with sunshine and fluffy white clouds and a calm sea.
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  • SUN28 Shot Up North Awards winning entry (2016)<br />
<br />
International Colour Awards 2015 - Nominee in "Nature" category<br />
<br />
“Early morning light passes through choppy Atlantic waves wrapping around me on this steeply shelving beach in South West Cornwall. It gives the impression of being underwater whilst the waves crash above the surface”<br />
.<br />
I’ve been back to this beach many times and haven’t been able to shoot anything like it again. I was completely alone on the beach and the sea was choppy and the waves powerful. This is the most amazing naturist beach I’ve ever been to in the world, so as is only right and correct, I was in my birthday suit as I took this!<br />
.<br />
I was using a heavy Canon 1DsMk3 and 100-400 mm lens to get this shot, nearly £7K of gear in the Atlantic ocean! What would have looked really crazy from the cliff-top was a little naked Jack-in-the-Box crouching down at the lowest point of a sand-cusp to shoot through huge waves as they rose in front of him, and then him standing up rapidly to keep the camera clear of the back-wash which went ribs-high trying to pull him back out to sea! This was one of my craziest shoots ever, but I am delighted with the result and yes this IS my all time favourite and I have No.1 of 10 hanging in my home.
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  • Powerful waves slammed against the cliffs at Porth Chapel as set after set came rolling in. It’s hard to convey the size of these waves without human scale, but imagine 3 adults standing on top of each other on that wave smashed rock, and it gives you some idea!
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  • The biggest waves I've personally ever seen at Porth Tyn Tywyn and I have walked, swam and surfed there many 100s of times over the last 20 years.<br />
<br />
On this particular morning I had gone there with the idea of body boarding what was reported to be a brilliant swell for Anglesey. The day was clear with a strong offshore wind and just a few rapidly clouds. I parked up overlooking the dunes and the sea beyond and I could already see wave tips higher than the dunes (foreshortened perspective of course) and I knew it was going off! I walked down to the reef and two surfers were being thrown about in the white water before finally getting out to the back where a strong rip was pushing them Southwards towards the bay of the burial mound, Barclodiad y Gawres. It was funny in a way watching these guys go for the surf but spend so much time just trying to keep parallel to the shore. At this point, I just knew that I was not going in! I have not body-boarded seriously for years and having had a bit of an epic attempt at Sennen in Cornwall in January in big seas it was all too intimidating for this surf-unfit body !<br />
<br />
Of course the upside to that decision is that I could guilt-freely enjoy taking pictures of the surf instead and it was just so beautiful and powerful to watch. Thankfully the offshore breeze was keeping most of the sea-spray off my lens for a change meaning that I could continue to shoot without minute-apart lens cleans. <br />
<br />
The light on the sea in the bay was sharp and intense, and the lips of the waves were backlit and sparkling against the darker sky in the background. I enjoyed studying the bands of light and dark as they created monochrome Rothko seas, large ocean canvases of abstract landscape. After an hour or more of outgoing tide, the waves noticeably reduced in height to the point where perhaps I could have gone in, but with a full CF disc I decided to head for hot coffee back in the gallery instead - wrong decision ? Probably ! :-)
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  • Huge Atlantic waves roll in at Porthcurno Beach in West Cornwall.  I took this photo from the steps of the Minack Theatre built into the cliffs above this yellow sand cove. The last of the evening light can be seen on the sea surface as the white horse gallop into shadows nearer the shore.   The waves were powerful and the water crystal clear as always here, and the title and metaphor matched exactly what was going on in my mind at the time.
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  • Storm waves batter the West coast of Anglesey near Cable Bay and Rhosneigr. It is rare for such large waves to hit this coast which did create a spectacle.<br />
 The burial mound (looks like a small hill) of Barclodiad y Gawres can be seen in the background <br />
<br />
The biggest waves I've personally ever seen at Porth Tyn Tywyn and I have walked, swam and surfed there many 100s of times over the last 20 years.<br />
<br />
On this particular morning I had gone there with the idea of body boarding what was reported to be a brilliant swell for Anglesey. The day was clear with a strong offshore wind and just a few rapidly clouds. I parked up overlooking the dunes and the sea beyond and I could already see wave tips higher than the dunes (foreshortened perspective of course) and I knew it was going off! I walked down to the reef and two surfers were being thrown about in the white water before finally getting out to the back where a strong rip was pushing them Southwards towards the bay of the burial mound, Barclodiad y Gawres. It was funny in a way watching these guys go for the surf but spend so much time just trying to keep parallel to the shore. At this point, I just knew that I was not going in! I have not body-boarded seriously for years and having had a bit of an epic attempt at Sennen in Cornwall in January in big seas it was all too intimidating for this surf-unfit body !<br />
<br />
Of course the upside to that decision is that I could guilt-freely enjoy taking pictures of the surf instead and it was just so beautiful and powerful to watch. Thankfully the offshore breeze was keeping most of the sea-spray off my lens for a change meaning that I could continue to shoot without minute-apart lens cleans. <br />
<br />
The light on the sea in the bay was sharp and intense, and the lips of the waves were backlit and sparkling against the darker sky in the background. I enjoyed studying the bands of light and dark as they created monochrome Rothko seas, large ocean canvases of abstract landscape. After an hour or
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  • Porth Oer / Whistling Sands in incredible storm conditions<br />
<br />
Available as unlimited A3 & A4 prints only
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  • January 2004, Big seas lashed the west coast of Anglesey, and strong waves pushed their way into the small cove at Porth Nobla, under the ancient burial mound of Barclodiad y Gawres.
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  • Christmas Day 2011 - instead of pigging out on Christmas dinners and excesses of booze, I did a two hour cliff walk on North Anglesey, and battled with massive buffeting gusts of wind blowing off the Irish Sea, and sea spray sweeping over the headlands. I found a partly sheltered cove in which to eat cheese sarnies and a mince pie, washed down with hot coffee. Amazingly the rain held off for the whole walk which was fortunate but I also saw some of the only glimpses of sunshine in North Wales that day, which backlit the huge seas crashing against the Anglesey cliffs.
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  • Sunset over the Brison rocks seen from Porth Nanven, SW Cornwall.
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  • Huge Atlantic waves roll in from the West and rear up over the reef at Cape Cornwall near St Just, Penwith, South West Cornwall. These waves were approximatey twenty feet tall and absolutely packed with ocean energy. White horses can clearly be seen in these gigantic walls of water.
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  • An apparition of Archangel St Michael witnessed by fisherman in 495 led to a monastery being built here. After the Norman Conquest, the abbey was granted to the Benedictine monks of Mont St Michel in France & through the Middle Ages the Mount became a major pilgrimage destination. 4 miracles are said to have happened here between 1262 & 1263. The mount was eventually seized by Henry V111 & became a royal stronghold. Now owned by Lord St Levan
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  • Huge Atlantic waves roll in from the West and rear up over the reef at Cape Cornwall near St Just, Penwith, South West Cornwall. These waves were approximatey twenty feet tall and absolutely packed with ocean energy. White horses can clearly be seen in these gigantic walls of water.
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  • Huge Atlantic waves roll in from the West and rear up over the reef at Cape Cornwall near St Just, Penwith, South West Cornwall. These waves were approximatey twenty feet tall and absolutely packed with ocean energy. White horses can clearly be seen in these gigantic walls of water.
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  • Huge Atlantic waves roll in from the West and rear up over the reef at Cape Cornwall near St Just, Penwith, South West Cornwall. These waves were approximatey twenty feet tall and absolutely packed with ocean energy. White horses can clearly be seen in these gigantic walls of water.
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  • Christmas Day 2011 - instead of pigging out on Christmas dinners and excesses of booze, I did a two hour cliff walk on North Anglesey, and battled with massive buffeting gusts of wind blowing off the Irish Sea, and sea spray sweeping over the headlands. I found a partly sheltered cove in which to eat cheese sarnies and a mince pie, washed down with hot coffee. Amazingly the rain held off for the whole walk which was fortunate but I also saw some of the only glimpses of sunshine in North Wales that day, which backlit the huge seas crashing against the Anglesey cliffs.
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  • A large sea with a long range swell slammed the seafront at Trearddur Bay at the end of November. Cars parked in the car park were literally covered in wave after huge wave - and pebbles! I shot from within the van for there was also torrential rain and swirling sea spray everywhere. These were some of the biggest wave crashes I'd personally witnessed here at Trearddur, though I'm sure there must be loads more occasions like this.
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  • Available unlimited A1, A2, A3 & A4 prints<br />
<br />
One of a short series of images taken on a stormy winter evening. The storm was burning out but huge waves continued to batter the west coast of Anglesey. As the sun got lower in the sky, it back-lit the wave crests and spray from crashing waves. I huddled in the rocks at wave level to prevent the strong winds from blowing my camera lens away from the shot. The salt covered everything but it was a stunning and elemental opportunity.
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  • The ladder is utilitarian, it has a purpose for any sailor who uses the breakwater but nevertheless, it's iron strength and rusty bolts pale into insignificance when the juggernaut Atlantic waves coming knocking at the door. It just looks so incongruous in these conditions!
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  • Longships Lighthouse & huge surf off Land’s End, Cornwall
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  • Gigantic Atlantic storm waves crash over the reef at Cape Cornwall near St Just, backlit by early morning sunlight. The sound of the sea was deafening and relentless and my camera lens needed cleaning every few seconds, covered as it was by soft spray that blew over 100 ft into the air
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  • Though the sea never looked tumultuous and the swell height was rarely over two foot, the power of the explosion as the swell hit the rocks continued to surprise me. The stored energy in the waves was suddenly released on obstructions, rather than dissipated across long shallow beaches. In this shot, I love the way the wave appears to blend with the cliff and rise up to the cliff top. I always enjoy being on the beach after being in the mountains. I need to see the movement of the waves and hear their crash on the shore. Landscape always seems so much more vibrant on the coast.
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  • Powerful storm surf at sunset in winter gales coming from the Irish Sea at Porth Tyn Tywyn near Rhosneigr on the West Coast of Anglesey.
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  • This was taken during a two hour outing to Anglesey's West Coast one Sundaty afternoon during serious gales and stormy weather. The seas were huge for Anglesey and were breaking over the clifs, the strong winds sending plumes of spray into the air and dousing the land with salty foam. As the sun dropped in the sky, the light became more and more intense until it created a theatrical floodlight, backlighting the spray from the crashing waves. The wind was blowing so hard I had to almost sit on the tripod to keep it steady and the lens needed wiping down every few seconds. It was fantastic to ne in these conditions alone on the cliff top because it generated an enormous sense of scale and vulnerability whilst perched there. At this time of year, when the sun setsm, the light diminishes rapidly so I had to tread careful over the wet cliff tops to get back to the van. It was an invigorating evening.
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  • After the harshness of the crags and cliff sides, the angular edges of the quarried levels and the tidy angles of the village itself, these large and beautifully rounded boulders seemed almost organic, and the way they spaced themselves evenly across the fine pebbles of the beach gave them a lifelike character of their own. It was hard to resist simply running my hands over the beautiful smooth curves, much as you would with a Henry Moore sculpture.
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  • Rough surf from the Irish Sea in stormy weather forces it's way into the narrow cove of Porth Trecastell (Cable Bay) West Anglesey, Wales. On the windswept headland, Sea Pink (Thrift) blows amongst long grass covering the burial mound of Barclodiad Y Gawres,
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  • Rough seas from stormy weather crash against the cliffs at the headland of Porth Trecastell (Cable Bay) West Anglesey, Wales. Sea Pink (Thrift) blows amongst thr rocky cliff top as surf crashes into the cove below.
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  • Rough seas from stormy weather crash against the craggy cliffs at the headland of Porth Trecastell (Cable Bay) West Anglesey, Wales.
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  • Big Irish Sea storm waves slam against the limestone cliffs of Rhoscolyn Head, North West Anglesey
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  • Huge storm waves exploding with full force on the rocks at Silver Bay near Rhoscolyn.
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  • We stumbled across what we thought was a derelict cottage in the middle of woodland down a tiny track. <br />
<br />
Evening sunlight was pouring through a window beyond, and there was a reflection of the sky and trees in the front windows. I went up to the window &  was shocked to discover signs of habitation. There was even a calendar from 2015 on the wall, yet still I suspected that the place had just been deserted. I took this one image because of the beautiful light and sense of time passing, melancholy almost but imbued with such positive afternoon sunshine. <br />
<br />
It was only then that I heard a car pull up behind us. The very jovial driver was the landowner, and he told us that someone does indeed live there. The tenant is a 75 year old man who refuses to connect any power to the house, even though all the faciities are there. He only has a gas bottle to power his ancient stove. <br />
<br />
This old man has a tiny garden plot over a mile away on a steep cliff side, and he walks there regulalrly to tend his vegetagbles. He has an old car, but that is one of his only links wih modern’ish technology. <br />
<br />
The landowner is in no hurry to move the old gentleman on, and it seems he will see the end of his days in this ancient farmyard cottage, almost off the grid, and I hope deeply happy because of it. <br />
<br />
Next time I’m down, I’d love to photograph the old man himself, if he’d be happy for me to do so. What a character he must be.
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  • I have to be honest, I normally steer well clear of Trearddur, normally populated by hundreds of beachgoers, jet-skis, power boats, 4x4s on the sand, boat trailers and sailing dinghies. The small bay is surrounded on all sides by a hotchpotch of architecture, some interesting, some ghastly, but either way is not a place of peace, tranquility and natural landscape that I normally seek for my imagery.<br />
.<br />
However, during this lockdown I was able to witness a little bit of history, for even on this beautiful blue-sky day there were only a dozen people on the whole beach, and most kept close to the promenade. For the short period of time I was there, looking to create new images for a loyal customer, I had a small sense of how lovely the bay itself actually is, without the crowds. Long foamy pulses of Irish Sea waves pushed themselves up the broad sandy shore, licking their way around the stumps of petrified forest that I'd never seen before and never knew existed.<br />
.<br />
In the distance a dog walker wandered into the burning light and the call of oystercatchers could be heard over the sound of the waves. The virgin sand was mostly unspoiled by footprints and if it were not for the urban skyline I could have imagined myself on an ancient beach, nothing more than a stretch of coastline where the beautiful predictability of high & low tide were all that mattered in the world.
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  • Another bitterly cold day: you can see the hail storms in the distance. You can just make out the village at the middle left of the image. The storms were intense, and freezing cold lasted all day. I trudged up to this industrial incline and noticed a huge hailstorm heading my way, dark and threatening. I decided not to get completely bombarded, so sheltered under the incline building, with its huge view out to sea. I kitted up with over-trousers and gloves and ensured my kit was clear of any holes in the ceiling above. As I sat there watching the light levels drop rapidly, like a solar eclipse, a huge buzzard landed on a post just ahead of me. He hadn’t noticed me at first, but then turned his head and saw me. After a moment he turned back to face the hailstorm, but did not fly off – we both seemed to be acknowledging what the other was doing! The hail came and bombarded the hillside, but five minutes later it stopped and the light levels started to increase once more. He turned once again to look at me, properly eye-balled me, and then slowly took off down the valley. It was an amazing shared moment, both of us humble witnesses to the power of the heavens.
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  • Snowy hillsides of the beautiful Eldir Fach mountain in Snowdonia. Just beyond this hillside lies the Marchlyn Mawr HEP reservoir serving the power station below.
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  • This small sound of water at Penmon can be treacherous as a huge volume of tide pulls around this point at each turn of the tide and there is a relatively shallow rocky chanel beneath. The present Penmon lighthouse at 29m tall was erected between 1835 and 1838. It was converted to solar power in 1996 and it's 15,000 candela light can be seen 12 nautical miles away. It also has a fog bell which sounds every thirty seconds.
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  • Nominated in 10th (2017) International Colour Awards (Nature category) <br />
<br />
This small sound of water at Penmon can be treacherous as a huge volume of tide pulls around this point at each turn of the tide and there is a relatively shallow rocky chanel beneath. The present Penmon lighthouse at 29m tall was erected between 1835 and 1838. It was converted to solar power in 1996 and it's 15,000 candela light can be seen 12 nautical miles away. It also has a fog bell which sounds every thirty seconds.
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  • Just the most amazing weather and light over the Irish Sea this evening. I'd just been swimmig, well dipping in the surf and although less rough than last night, the rip and power in the waves was still powerful nevertheless. I'd entered the sea in bright sunshine but sheets of rain, and finally hail, pounded me after I got out.
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  • This small sound of water at Penmon can be treacherous as a huge volume of tide pulls around this point at each turn of the tide and there is a relatively shallow rocky chanel beneath. The present Penmon lighthouse at 29m tall was erected between 1835 and 1838. It was converted to solar power in 1996 and it's 15,000 candela light can be seen 12 nautical miles away. It also has a fog bell which sounds every thirty seconds.
    GD000526.jpg
  • I have to be honest, I normally steer well clear of Trearddur, normally populated by hundreds of beachgoers, jet-skis, power boats, 4x4s on the sand, boat trailers and sailing dinghies. The small bay is surrounded on all sides by a hotchpotch of architecture, some interesting, some ghastly, but either way is not a place of peace, tranquility and natural landscape that I normally seek for my imagery.  <br />
<br />
However, during this lockdown I was able to witness a little bit of history, for even on this beautiful blue-sky day there were only a dozen people on the whole beach, and most kept close to the promenade. For the short period of time I was there, looking to create new images for a loyal customer, I had a small sense of how lovely the bay itself actually is, without the crowds. Long foamy pulses of Irish Sea waves pushed themselves up the broad sandy shore, licking their way around the stumps of petrified forest that I'd never seen before and never knew existed.<br />
<br />
 In the distance a dog walker wandered into the burning light and the call of oystercatchers could be heard over the sound of the waves. The virgin sand was mostly unspoiled by footprints and if it were not for the urban skyline I could have imagined myself on an ancient beach, nothing more than a stretch of coastline where the beautiful predictability of high & low tide were all that mattered in the world.
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  • It was a surreal surprise to find a ram’s skull staring at us from the apex of a derelict tin mining power house. This area is littered with the remains of an historical tin mining industry; exploration shafts now just lush grass-covered conical depressions in the wet moorland. Once a noisy hive of activity and ore crushing, but now just the sounds of the wind through gaps in the walls. Likewise the bleating of sheep still echo across the open landscape, but this poor soul has long past, the bone bleached and dripping with hill fog. It’s strange but there is such peace now on the moors and even the saturating low cloud creates a sense of calm not panic, silence not noise. I felt a deep connection with history and the spirit of the place. Dartmoor is minimal and mesmerising.
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  • After wild and exposed stretches of the Skeleton Coast, we drove past the very busy port of Walvis Bay. The differences were huge, the narrow but endless roads were suddenly busy with heavy trucks and traffic leaving and entering the port. As we drove further south however the traffic eased once again, but signs of man, settlement and ‘civilisation’ were present for many miles further before gradually evaporating once again. These man-made structures appeared incongruous in the blowing desert sands, creating a surreal landscape of man and nature, but more than that – it was the tenacity of man and invention that enables society to survive in otherwise barren terrain.
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  • In such unsettled, and in many ways dark times for the future of the human species, and nature in general, this image represents a visual snapshot of a reality. We are fundamentally nothing more than small organic creatures, a part of nature but not bigger than it or more important than it. The air, the water and the earth nourish us and give us life yet the more we divide the land, obsess about money, material goods, wealth, power, domination and war, the more we destroy nature, the environment and ultimately ourselves. Is there any other species that so knowingly destroys what it needs to exist. Look at the woman, study the tiny human figure and then look at the bigger picture, the earth itself. If such an intelligent species can bring about it’s own destruction, then it really will be a brave new world for whatever survives.
    Brave New World
  • Fifth of six images from my 'Genesis' series within the larger "Landscape Figures" project. <br />
<br />
In current times we are seeing an explosion of population and an unsustainable demand for the Earth’s resources. We are in an era when self-interest, greed, power, conflict and indifference rule over tolerance, compassion and love. By now as a species, we should be living in harmony with others and our planet. I often ponder upon why we never really learn, and whether anything would be any different if mankind had the chance to start all over again.<br />
<br />
This small set of images is just an imaginary glimpse of two ordinary people, a man and a woman, both naked as the day they were born, finding love and happiness together on a planet budding with new life. This story doesn’t have a sting in the tail. This story begins and will end with harmony between people and their environment. It is just a little gasp of hope within the current darkness.
    And then there was Light
  • Above one of the poorest areas in Cornwall, once a tin-mining heartland, stands a memorial to one of Cornwall's super rich - Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville, a prominant politician who made his fortune in tin-mining but seemed mostly against any politcial reform as it would have have eroded his power & wealth in Cornwall. He was the fourth richest landowner in Cornwall. He never had an heir and his Barony is therefore extinct. The superb granite tors atop this hill, eroded over eons, preceeded humanity and will succeed humanity, thankfully.
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  • Garnedd Elidir & the Carneddau<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site <br />
<br />
Watching an Attenborough documentary as I write this, and it's clear that the damage we cause is everywhere and it's increasing. It's so much easier to focus on the beauty, to pretend everything is OK, but we are such a destructive, consuming species. <br />
<br />
I was thinking too, about the mental damage going on through lockdown, in so many ways, but for many, through wrongly being denied access to nature and what healing power it has left to give us. So many of us have chosen to live a much more economically challenged life to be closer to nature and landscape, for me at least because being out in nature is the only true means of me maintaining spiritual and mental balance. The governments say they are doing this to keep people safe, but the mental damage they are causing is considerable and very real. I don't think there has been much wisdom or foresight applied by those in suits, to how to keep people safe mentally without any undue risks to health in other ways. This damage is real for me, and will last my lifetime. There was zero need to ban so many sensible and regular outdoor folk from doing their covid safe activities, it was easier for ministers to make blanket rules but to the detriment of many people's well-being.
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  • Mist lingers over rural farmland and numerous green grass fields adjacent to Wylfa Nuclear Power Station, North Anglesey.
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  • Beautiful evening light on the incredible 1.5 mile long Holyhead breakwater. Completed in 1873 this sea defence is the longest in Europe. It looks so effective in this gently lapping sea but even this mammoth structure couldn’t stop the freak destructive power of Storm Emma devastating the inner harbour in 2018.
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  • 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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  • Second of six images from my 'Genesis' series within the larger "Landscape Figures" project. <br />
<br />
In current times we are seeing an explosion of population and an unsustainable demand for the Earth’s resources. We are in an era when self-interest, greed, power, conflict and indifference rule over tolerance, compassion and love. By now as a species, we should be living in harmony with others and our planet. I often ponder upon why we never really learn, and whether anything would be any different if mankind had the chance to start all over again.<br />
<br />
This small set of images is just an imaginary glimpse of two ordinary people, a man and a woman, both naked as the day they were born, finding love and happiness together on a planet budding with new life. This story doesn’t have a sting in the tail. This story begins and will end with harmony between people and their environment. It is just a little gasp of hope within the current darkness.
    She shall be called Woman
  • Nominated for 11th International B&W Spider Awards<br />
<br />
This is the sixth of six images within my short 'Genesis' series from my "Landscape Figures" project and exhibition. After the loving connection of "And then there was light" this image was the after effect, the feeling utterly connected to everything, at one with the landscape and at peace with the world. <br />
<br />
In current times we are seeing an explosion of population and an unsustainable demand for the Earth’s resources. We are in an era when self-interest, greed, power, conflict and indifference rule over tolerance, compassion and love. By now as a species, we should be living in harmony with others and our planet. I often ponder upon why we never really learn, and whether anything would be any different if mankind had the chance to start all over again.<br />
<br />
This small set of images is just an imaginary glimpse of two ordinary people, a man and a woman, both naked as the day they were born, finding love and happiness together on a planet budding with new life. This story doesn’t have a sting in the tail. This story begins and will end with harmony between people and their environment. It is just a little gasp of hope within the current darkness.
    Life Connected
  • 4th of 6 images from my desert series within the larger "Landscape Figures" project. <br />
<br />
“In current times we are seeing an explosion of population and an unsustainable demand for the Earth’s resources. We are in an era when self-interest, greed, power, conflict and indifference rule over tolerance, compassion and love. By now as a species, we should be living in harmony with others and our planet. I often ponder upon why we never really learn, and whether anything would be any different if mankind had the chance to start all over again.<br />
<br />
This small set of images is just an imaginary glimpse of two ordinary people, a man and a woman, both naked as the day they were born, finding love and happiness together on a planet budding with new life. This story doesn’t have a sting in the tail. This story begins and will end with harmony between people and their environment. It is just a little gasp of hope within the current darkness."
    Breathing Life Into Shadows
  • Nominee in Nude / B&W Spider Awards 2017<br />
<br />
SUN (Shot Up North) Awards 2015<br />
1 of my 4 winning entries  <br />
<br />
International MONO Awards 2014 - Honourable Mention <br />
<br />
Selected Print for the IN:SIGHT (Washington Green) New Artists Competition 2015<br />
<br />
In current times we are seeing an explosion of population and an unsustainable demand for the Earth’s resources. We are in an era when self-interest, greed, power, conflict and indifference rule over tolerance, compassion and love. By now as a species, we should be living in harmony with others and our planet. I often ponder upon why we never really learn, and whether anything would be any different if mankind had the chance to start all over again.<br />
<br />
This small set of images is just an imaginary glimpse of two ordinary people, a man and a woman, both naked as the day they were born, finding love and happiness together on a planet budding with new life. This story doesn’t have a sting in the tail. This story begins and will end with harmony between people and their environment. It is just a little gasp of hope within the current darkness.
    And then there was Man
  • Gale blown winter surf on the outgoing tide. Every now and then a rogue wave would power up the beach and blast through the gaps in the rock to meet my feet, but as the sun dipped and the light disappeared, so did my waves.
    GD002907.jpg
  • Amazed by the stunning lines and curves of this wave-smoothed gorge in the rocks at Porth Nanven in West Cornwall. The hardless of the granite rock was amazingly smoothed into organic sensual curves by the power of the ocean swells.
    GD000468.jpg
  • 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. The flying sheets of sand were side-lit by blazing sunshine, not long before towering walls of darkness moved in rapidly from the West. I took some other versions of this image where it literally looks I'm walking on clouds of sand, but I wanted to retain the visual of these boulders in the foreground, which became obscured in the other views.
    GD002505.jpg
  • We may not have had the week of baking sunshine and relaxing swimming but from a photography perspective the gales and storms brought superb conditions and lighting. The jetty at Sennen always takes a pounding from the Atlantic but the golden evening sunshine disguised the awesome power of the Atlantic swell.
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  • It struck me as funny how the sea seems relatively impotent UNTIL the wave reaches the shoreline then unloads all of it' power vertically ! In this shot I am fascinated by the potent energy of the ocean beyond, as the out of focus wave is just one of many exploding at the coast.
    GD001090.jpg
  • I have to be honest, I normally steer well clear of Trearddur, normally populated by hundreds of beachgoers, jet-skis, power boats, 4x4s on the sand, boat trailers and sailing dinghies. The small bay is surrounded on all sides by a hotchpotch of architecture, some interesting, some ghastly, but either way is not a place of peace, tranquility and natural landscape that I normally seek for my imagery.<br />
.<br />
However, during this lockdown I was able to witness a little bit of history, for even on this beautiful blue-sky day there were only a dozen people on the whole beach, and most kept close to the promenade. For the short period of time I was there, looking to create new images for a loyal customer, I had a small sense of how lovely the bay itself actually is, without the crowds. Long foamy pulses of Irish Sea waves pushed themselves up the broad sandy shore, licking their way around the stumps of petrified forest that I'd never seen before and never knew existed.<br />
.<br />
In the distance a dog walker wandered into the burning light and the call of oystercatchers could be heard over the sound of the waves. The virgin sand was mostly unspoiled by footprints and if it were not for the urban skyline I could have imagined myself on an ancient beach, nothing more than a stretch of coastline where the beautiful predictability of high & low tide were all that mattered in the world.
    GD002608.jpg
  • Hand held shot of the moon over the medieval city of Mdina in Malta - ‘The Silent City’<br />
<br />
There is so much history here over thousands of years; so heavily influenced by money, power, opposing cultures and religion; attacks, sieges and massacres. Today however, in its current form, it stands as a romantic and beautiful city, a testament to surviving such a rich and dangerous history.
    GD002168.jpg
  • The incredibly soft sandstone geology of this part of the Algarve in Portugal, means that the powerful and relentless Atlantic Ocean erodes the cliffs into the most spectacular formations.
    GD000646.jpg
  • Powerful storm waves crash over Sennen breakwater at sunset, with the RNLI slipway in the foreground, South West Cornwall
    GD001903.jpg
  • 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
  • On the surface, a vast playtime beach, powerful surf, acres of space, stunning surrounding countryside and an area monitored by the Marine Conservation Society. Yet just around the coast to the left is the huge port of Milford Haven, oil tankers sit at anchor awaiting passage into the port. The beach is littered with oil, huge dollops of the treacle black mess at almost every 2-3 ft of the beach. Two gannets maybe 100 yards apart lie dead amongst oily pebbles. The MCS poster advises not to be concerned about individual dead sea-birds, and only to report large numbers if found, but there was something unsettling about finding two dead gannets so close to each other on this stunningly beautiful yet oil spattered shoreline. Was I just unlucky that day ?
    GD001319.jpg
  • A blustery cold fresh breeze was still blowing in from the North-West and despite the relative calm on the East coast, large powerful waves were still crashing up the West coast cliffs near Rhoscolyn. The clouds scudded by rapidly and sea spray doused your face and filled your breath, and it was, breath-taking.
    GD002908.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
  • Swimming at the reef at Trwyn Du (Penmon Point) in small but powerful waves in a beautful and short-lived sunset. Three seals had just been swimming quite close to me but by the time I'd grabbed my real camera they'd moved further away. I'm always a bit wary of seals so in one way I was relieved but it would have made an even better image if one had been peering at me within these frames!
    GD002868.jpg
  • Always surprising to see the dramatic difference between the shining gentle seas of Summer in holiday resorts, and the powerful, driving surf between Autumn & Spring as nature shows who's boss.
    GD002834.jpg
  • It was strange studying this tiny gap in the rock, as the rising tide funnelled wave after wave into a beautful seawater fan. I just got to thinking that no matter what barriers are put up, powerful forces are unstoppable, its only ever a question of time.
    GD002542.jpg
  • A lobster pot is washed ashore by slow powerful waves at sunset at Dinas Dinlle beach near Caernarfon, North Wales.
    GD001628.jpg
  • A Monday evening. I'd gone out to catch some surf but it was seriously blown out in some very heavy gales and was just mush, so I took some shots instead :-) The very low evening sunlight was blitzing the coast with an amazing intensity, as powerful in it's own way as the pounding waves. Where the waves were smashing over this set of rocks the plumes of spray were being backlit turning them a rich orange/gold. However, as you can see from the foreground I was basically IN the sea, with no tripod so for the first time in my memory, I have deliberately cropped the original a little to show just the bits I wanted. Theoretically it would have been easier for me to change lens but the sea spray was so intense that I didn't fancy a £5K sensor covered in salt water - so there you go, probably my first ever forced crop! :-((((
    GD000850.jpg
  • Stormy Winter sunshine illuminates beautiful Atlantic surf powering into the incredibly dramatic Kynance Cove on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall.
    GD001995.jpg
  • Cape Cornwall headland near St Just projects into a treacherous stretch of Atlantic Ocean here in South West Cornwall. In the cove to the North of the point, huge granite boulders have been rounded and smoothed over eons and await the powerful waves each high tide.
    GD001947.jpg
  • SUN (Shot Up North) Awards 2015<br />
1 of my 4 winning entries <br />
<br />
International MONO Awards 2014 - Honourable Mention <br />
<br />
"I was lost in a forest and I felt alone and hemmed in. As I stood there feeling isolated, I heard the sound of snapping twigs and from out of the foggy fortress appeared a beautiful, powerful young woman but she struggled, ducking, twisting & contorting to avoid the sharp daggers all about her. As I watched her muscles work and flex to overcome obstacles, I realised just how tenacious we can be"
    Suffering Needles
  • When I created this image I was acutely aware of the tantalising proximity of the sacred island, the final destination for so many thousands of pilgrims, yet separated by a notorious stretch of dangerous tidal currents. After journeying for months, this final hurdle must have seemed almost insurmountable for the travellers. Here on the cliff top a strong, lean, powerful female outstretches her arms like the redeemer. She lifts her heels off the ground and has complete faith that she will receive help. She will fly, be lifted and be carried across the water. She will be helped to realisation, helped to the knowledge she seeks. As the mists swirl over the island’s mountain summit and the tidal flow surges between the landmasses, this woman will find her way.  She will cross the divide either through divine intervention or sheer tenacity.
    Finding Paradise
  • She is powerful; a woman of the mountains, born below this very hill. Half a century on, she is once again naked and as amazing as the day she was born. Almost literally a part of the land, her figure echoes the terrain whilst the spirit of her childhood still whispers in the long grass. These mountains will exist millions of years beyond the blip of human life, but I sense that the spirits of those who have connected to this land will remain eternally.
    At Home On the Hill
  • There was one particular location which seemed to be ‘going off’ in surfers terms anyway, a point where even the smallish waves were still powerful enough to slam the small cliff buttresses and send spray skyward, but this same spray was voluminous and very wetting and in itself is problematic for photography as the lens gets covered in seconds not minutes, and in this light every drop on your lens becomes a backlit orb ! I studied the short reef in front of me and calculated where the waves would cover, finding a dry pinnacle on which to set my tripod, an item of equipment that was imperative today. I stood smugly on my dry fortress and waited for the waves and light to work together and shot perhaps four frames of waves I thought would deliver the results foreground and background but then a white wall started to approach me ! My guts revolved as one exceptional wave stood out from the sets and it came from a different angle too. The speed seemed faster than the rest - it wasn’t - but in my fear it was ! There was nothing I could do but brace myself as it rose up over the rocks and simply pushed past me like a mini Tsunami reaching my thighs!!!! The force was strong [Luke !] but the tripod and my legs remained firm against the push and thank God, because if not I would have fallen backwards into a small gully and whilst I would not have drowned I would likely as not have injured myself and lost £10K of camera gear ! The wave exploded in laughter as it died in the shore and the next waves smiled at me as they strolled past. Thing is, I got the shot boy ! :-) MY Paramo Cascada trousers and my Asolo mountain boots meant that incredibly, I didn’t get wet at all, I could have been wearing a wetsuit !
    GD001707.jpg
  • South Stack lighthouse on Holy Island, Anglesey, as seen from the flying bridge of the Holyhead Lifeboat, RNLB Christopher Pearce.<br />
<br />
 I had to react quickly to changing compositions as this powerful vessel blasted us around the imposing cliffs of Ynys Lawd. <br />
<br />
The early morning sunshine was gorgeous but what made this picture for me was the single fluffy white cloud hovering above South Stack lighthouse. My elevation meant I could look down onto the deep green sea as well as up into the blue sky. An incredible experience.
    GD001431.jpg
  • On the surface, a vast playtime beach, powerful surf, acres of space, stunning surrounding countryside and an area monitored by the Marine Conservation Society. Yet just around the coast to the left is the huge port of Milford Haven, oil tankers sit at anchor awaiting passage into the port. The beach is littered with oil, huge dollops of the treacle black mess at almost every 2-3 ft of the beach. Two gannets maybe 100 yards apart lie dead amongst oily pebbles. The MCS poster advises not to be concerned about individual dead sea-birds, and only to report large numbers if found, but there was something unsettling about finding two dead gannets so close to each other on this stunningly beautiful yet oil spattered shoreline. Was I just unlucky that day ?
    GD001317.jpg
  • Nominated in 2022 International Colour Awards<br />
<br />
My first visit to this modern day shipwreck. I was delighted that I could get so close to this wreck and being alongside amongst giant granite boulders strewn with twisted metal and hull plates made me very aware of how powerful the sea really is. There was the constant creaking of metal from the sea adge as waves lifted and dropped sections of twisted metal as large as four men head to toe. It was actually a little eerie in this zawn of a dead ship surrounded by towering granite cliffs of Land's End.
    GD000512.jpg
  • Subtle moments of brighter light at sunset after a wet, rainy day at Silver Bay, Anglesey. The advancing tide created a powerful backwash of waves.
    GD001201.jpg
  • Swimming at the reef at Trwyn Du (Penmon Point) in small but powerful waves in a beautful and short-lived sunset. Three seals had just been swimming quite close to me but by the time I'd grabbed my real camera they'd moved further away. I'm always a bit wary of seals so in one way I was relieved but it would have made an even better image if one had been peering at me within these frames!
    GD002867.jpg
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Glyn Davies, Professional Photographer and Gallery

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