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  • Clinging to the edge of a cold mountain slope, stand the remains of a once thriving but dangerous slate quarrying industry. Tonight though, it was quiet, calm and tranquil, only the gentlest of winds blowing up the valley. Apart from the sound of ravens it seems a huge change from what once was. Even the train was silent in the thick winter snow.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • One of 3 winning entries in the 29th SUN (Shot up North) Awards for full time professional photographers<br />
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I had been looking back through some early work and was amazed at how much snow we had in the winter of 2006. Amongst the more natural-looking snowy mountain images I’d taken from the top of Moel Eilio was this one of the Dinorwig Quarries below Elidir Fawr. I was fascinated by the cool purity of the winter snow gently trying to smooth over the vast, ugly, man-made scarring of the mountain’s lower regions.<br />
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The image has almost literally been sliced in half – the softer, wild and windswept upper reaches, and the angular, fractured blackness of the quarries below. Of course, the quarries hold their own fascination in terms of human history, culture and tenacity, but sometimes it’s only from a distance that you realise just how much destruction has gone on. Equally, it’s almost comforting to know just how much beauty still does exist, even within areas that have been so exploited, as here in Llanberis.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • 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.
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  • Freezing cold conditions in a a strong winter breeze, but the light changed as rapidly as the cloud conditions. As the day drew to an end, the light became even more subtly beautiful. I spent an hour and half waiting in these bitter conditions for the light to evolve, and it was worth the cold.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Trawsfynydd Power Station from the vast slate quarries of Blaenau ffestiniog.  <br />
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Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Quarries at Moel Tryfan, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • I’ve always been fascinated by the way nature reclaims so much of what man has altered, constructed or destroyed. Here at the Dinorwic slate quarries, wonderful little copses and patches of woodland have sprung up between the walls, railway tracks and buildings that were part of this huge slate industry. <br />
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On a warm evening with only the sound of a Blackbird’s song to lighten the sounds of or heavy footsteps, it was hard to imagine the noise and industry from just a few decades earlier, as man blasted into mountain.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
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No this isn’t filtered, this was shot in torrential rain that was back-lit by intense evening sunshine setting over the Irish Sea. I’d been checking out the climbing routes in the Dinorwic Quarries, waiting for the sun to come out from banks of heavy cloud, when I noticed a glow on the crags behind me. I rounded the corner and the sky was on fire. A first few drops of rain dappled the slate slabs around me so I hurried to the edge of the levels and rapidly set up my camera before the heavens opened up on top of me. I grabbed perhaps 10 frames in total as the sheets of rain moved across the hillsides. I also saw and managed to grab a shot of a most glorious rainbow behind me.
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
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Stunning rainbows formed behind me as late evening sunset burned through sheets of rain moving across the mountains. It was so tempting to concentrate on the back-lit rain in front of me, but when this was going on behind my back I couldn’t resist a snap :-)
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  • 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 />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • A shattered landscape, blasted, gouged and ripped apart by mans material need, lies abstracted in the gorgeous warmth of evening sunlight, the quarrymen long gone. <br />
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Today a different form of quarry workers assault the slate faces, roped up, drilling, clipping, sweating and shouting to each other in the carved out quarry levels. <br />
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The multitude of tough labourers who faced hardship and danger in this industrial landscape are now but echoes in the shadows and deep pits. From the faces of smooth slate in now abandoned quarries, come the sounds of excited chatter and exhilaration as modern day climbers fill the void that has been left.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • It was strange to be standing in sunshine one one side of the valley, looking towards the banks of fog rolling over the hillsides opposite. The bustling town of Llanberis looked so tiny below the crazy swirling weather above.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
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Just after the fleeting dramatic light a few minutes earlier, bursting through the mizzly blanket above the Welsh hills, a delicate ghostly vapour now enshrouded the deserted quarrymen’s huts high up in the Dinorwic slate quarries.<br />
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It’s strange studying these old industrial workings, where men blasted away half a mountainside around half a century ago, but I’m also grateful that we have access to this place, and an opportunity to stand and reflect on our history and a way of life long gone, in this country at least. If we don’t consider the past, how can we possibly learn how to go forwards?
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
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A fleeting burst of light during an overcast, mizzly day in the Welsh mountains.  The light glowed briefly over Llyn Peris before skipping at speed over the levels of the disused Dinorwic slate quarries and then disappearing altogether.<br />
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It’s strange studying these old industrial workings, where men blasted away half a mountainside around half a century ago, but then seeing so many people using the quarried levels for climbing, walking, mountain biking and general sight-seeing. In a way it’s a really positive thing that so much fun has come out of so much destruction, and hardship for the quarrymen of old.
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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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  • Wales highest mountain, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) hides under sunlit cloud in the background, but the rounded slopes of Mynydd Mawr sit in the middle shot, whilst the craggy narrow Nantlle Ridge can be seen to the right. The deep scarred landscape in front is the Rhosgadfan quarries, now disused.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • The huge & imposing massif of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. This was taken following a last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr under inclement weather but it resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather-watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change of light being played out across the Snowdonia hills. If it were not for my friend feeling frozen I would have braved another hour or so of just sitting and watching.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • A last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr on a mixed weather day, resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change being played out across the Snowdonia Range. If it were not for my friend feeling rather chilly I think I'd have braved another hour or so of just sitting and watching.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Garnedd Elidir & the Carneddau<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site <br />
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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 />
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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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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site, Blaenau Ffestiniog
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • 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 />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Tantalisingly close, legally impossible but the lure of the mountains is powerful and emotional - they are a siren calling through the breeze. That’s all, a ten minute breeze separating me from my spiritual sanctuary.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Unbelievably beautiful shapes, colours and textures in a cliff of slate in the Llanberis slate quarries. It was more reminiscent of an oil painting than a disused quarry face.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • It was strange to be standing in sunshine one one side of the valley, looking towards the banks of fog rolling over the hillsides opposite.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
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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 />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Nominated in 2022 International Colour Awards<br />
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Honourable Mention in 2022 International Colour Awards<br />
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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.
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  • Available as A3 & A4 prints only<br />
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Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in winter, from the Dinorwic Quarries, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Abstract landscape in the Dinorwic Quarries near Llanberis, Snowdonia.<br />
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
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The most incredible sunset over the industrial relics of the Dinorwic slate quarries in Snowdonia. It was so peaceful up there, absolute silence as I studied the clouds gently mutating in the rich sunset over Yr Wyddfa, Wales’ highest mountain.
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  • In an abandoned quarry village, high up in the windswept mountains of Wales, sits a derelict old chapel with it's roof timbers now collapsing inwards but still pointing skywards. It is only the spirit of the workmen in this busy slate quarry that remains, the valley is silent and desolate.<br />
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Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • A frozen lake in a huge slate quarrying valley in North Wales. The evening sun on the distant mountains and the delicacy of the ice patterns on the lake balance the scarification of this once beautiful valley.<br />
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Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
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The massif of Snowdon tries to hold back an enormous fog bank from the Irish Sea, but clouds and fog spilled over nevertheless. Through short breaks in the fog, brilliant sunlight blasted the quarries on the mountainside opposite, separating and dividing the landscape into multiple layers of tone, colour and shadow. In a manmade industrial landscape like this, the whole scene looked more like something from a Hollywood film set.
    GD002372.jpg
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
<br />
The massif of Snowdon tries to hold back an enormous fog bank from the Irish Sea, but clouds and fog spilled over nevertheless. Through short breaks in the fog, brilliant sunlight blasted the quarries on the mountainside opposite, separating and dividing the landscape into multiple layers of tone, colour and shadow. In a manmade industrial landscape like this, the whole scene looked more like something from a Hollywood film set.
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  • Huge colourful salt pans on the West coast of Lanzarote
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  • Isles Apart, Caldeiras Negra & Comprida, Flores, Azores
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  • Red shutters and sunlight on deserted house alongside a volcanic lake near Furness on Sao Miguel, Azores. Carol and I discovered this tiny but gorgeous cottage up in the trees above a stunning volcanic lake, bathed in sunshine.
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  • Ash rock & pyroclastic materials exploded out of the volcanoes of Timanfaya in Lanzarote. This region was used for testing of lunar vehicles because of it's similarity to the surface of the moon.
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  • Beautiful, rich coloured paint even considering the years of weathering in this baking-hot, arid location at Famara on the North West coast of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
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  • A large tree lost near the top of a mountain in high fog.
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  • The basin of this huge crater used to contain a lake but after huge eruptions in a nearby volcano in1957, fissures appeared and the water was able to seep away.
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  • This image is available up to 15x10" (A3) only.<br />
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Transatlantic stopover port of Horta. Weary sailors can rest and refresh themselves here before the onward journey to Europe or America.
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  • A large tree lost near the top of a mountain in high fog.
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  • I was under the weather. It was 7.30 in the morning and I was out in my van, driving on impulse and letting the will take me to wherever. <br />
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I very rarely go near Llanberis these days even though I used to spend so much time climbing in the quarries. I could almost hear the clipping of karabiners as I basked in the healing warming sunshine. It was so peaceful. Wisps of cloud hung at the valley head and the morning light created a regression of tones from foreground to background, silloueting Dolbadarn Castle, a true castle of the Welsh princes. <br />
<br />
As a child Llanberis was a magical place, and the departure point for several walks up Snowdon with my Dad. The steam trains were always a gripping fascination, their historical looking enginesbelching steam as they prepared fpr the chug up the steep railway to Snowdon’s summit. <br />
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Here today though, alone and thinkimg about my parents, and age, and my pwn past, Llanberis was as beautiful as ever, but so much of my vision was memories of what once was.
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  • On a strangely wishy washy Corfu day, we had meandered around this ancient Greek castle, fascinated by the series of human shaped graves carved into the limestone. As we left the castle and drove up the hill opposite, typically the sun burst out from under the clouds and splashed light all over the cliffs and hill tops. It was very quiet there, save for the sound of the Cicadas in undergrowth. I couldn't believe we'd found this solitude on Corfu!
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  • A hang glider flies past overhead, below vapour trails across a blue sky. A white chimney, characteristic of this part of the Algarve points skywards.
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  • Most of my images have featured the individual in relation to their natural environment, but this most recent image contains three nude figures, creating a narrative (or narratives) which should be open to interpretation by different viewers. <br />
<br />
For me as the artist I was fascinated by these naturally occurring caves in huge sea cliffs, caves which really look as though they are dwellings not geological formations. In the early evening sunlight, naked, vulnerable human beings emerge from the caves and revel in the heat of the sunlight and the warmth of the rock of their environment. It was as if I were watching a wildlife programme whilst observing my naked volunteers in this imposing cliff landscape. I like that the rock separates each of the figures, so that they'd be almost unaware of each other, but in the lower caves a man and a woman make a loving connection albeit fragile, whilst in the higher cave a lone female looks towards the light and companionship.
    Scene at the Bare Caves
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  • Emerging History, 1957 Capelinhos Volcano, Faial
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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
  • Nominated for 11th International B&W Spider Awards<br />
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Innocence in a dark world where being nude outdoors is seen as sinful. That fact that she was conceived by two naked people; born into the world naked, from her mother’s naked body seemed not to have a bearing on her freedom to enjoy this most natural state. As a young child she would run carefree on the open beach, delighting in not having to wear clothes. She saw other children happily playing naked there, equally without sin - just joyful, smiling and friendly - all enjoying an intimate natural connection to the amazing world that they had been introduced to.<br />
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But as her body developed and her breasts grew, she was expected to cover up. The world now saw immorality in her naked maturity; her nudity became frowned upon; people couldn’t bear to acknowledge her new sexuality or even gaze upon her natural form, fearful of their own sexual confusion and self-control. Her beautiful body must always be covered up, never revealed to others. The incredible and life affirming experience of being naked outdoors had become dirty and immoral – both her body and her real character were now hidden.<br />
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Up here on a hillside however, a bright light appeared, slowly burning through the heavy clouds and she found herself nude. She felt the short grass beneath her feet and gentle sunshine on her back as she stretched her naked body once more, revealing herself completely to the earth, the sky and the elements. She stood on tiptoes, aching to be lifted upwards. She wanted to show the world that she was still alive, still innocent, even in her naked form. There was a discernible aura around this woman and I sensed her natural existence had just been spiritually validated.
    The Revelation
  • A heart pumping ascent; cold air stabbing the lungs; boots slipping on wet rock - why do we do this? The reasons are many, but for me at least it’s that vague hope that a blanket of grey turns to a theatre of dramatic light, an opportunity for me to revel in the ever-changing performance of the weather on the landscape stage. Yes I also know it’s doing me good, keeping me fit, healthy and mentally balanced, but honestly it’s mostly the hope of finding genuine visual excitement in the natural world.<br />
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So much ‘landscape photography’ these days is about creating fake dreams through software, landscapes that bear no resemblance at all to what the human eye saw and it dumbfounds me. There really are amazing, mind-blowing miracles of light and weather to be observed so why do so many accept the con of the social media fakery? Have we truly lost the human ability to see the beauty in the world about us, and can only ever get our fix from fabricating over-processed lies?<br />
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I choose to continue to look for miracles that anyone can see when they stand next to me. Yes I need to know how my camera works and how to reproduce that beauty in file and on paper; yes I have no choice but to minimally & judiciously develop a digital file, but for me, it has to be a celebration of the real world and the magic that actually exists.
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  • In this variation of 'the beginning', a unique and isolated woman is powerful, assured in her sense of place and happy with her life.<br />
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The man is alone too, existing rather than living. The realisation that he is suddenly not alone intrigues him. He is captivated by the idea of someone to share his world. He struggles up the constantly shifting sand, one step up, two steps back, focussed upon reaching, touching, understanding this strange, beautiful being above him who embraced the elements. <br />
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She absorbs the natural energy and revels in the spirit of her environment, but he finds purpose in his life and will tenaciously overcome anything to make connection with her. Together, although they don’t know it yet, they will be as one, a perfect balance of wisdom, spirituality, tenacity, compassion, affection and emotional need for each other. They will feel love and will have found a new purpose for living. What they instil in their new creation, will determine a parallel world to that in which we now exist, a better world. <br />
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"Landscape Figures" explores the relationship between organic human figures and a notional 'wild landscape'.
    The Approach
  • 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
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  • I’ve seen elephants in zoos of course, restricted, moving around in circles, stared at by the thousands of noisy visitors - such a desperate form of existence. In the 22,270 km² Etosha National Park in NW Namibia however, I was for the first time able to see these truly magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Watching David Attenborough programs on TV is always a delight, but nothing prepares you for the sheer awe of seeing these animals in real life in their own world.<br />
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From the heavily corrugated dust track we were on, the first thing I saw was what looked like a huge rounded granite boulder over the top of a hillock, but as we drove to the crest of the mound we realised it was in fact the head of a huge African elephant standing at a waterhole! This was real and I’ve never felt so small or humbled by natural wildlife. There are strict instructions never to leave your vehicle whilst in the park, so I had to accept that looking out of the window of our 4x4 was the best I was going to get.<br />
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All around us herds of Zebra were also drinking, running & frolicking with each other. Springbok daintily skipped past & Oryx & Giraffes were all there too. Hundreds of birds flitted about and falcons and other birds of prey circled overhead. It was a visual tapestry of wildlife with so many species all measuring each other up and acknowledging the hierarchies at the hole. What struck me most was the grace of motion of the elephants. Every movement of foot or trunk was slow, fluid & purposeful. At times they were just like living statues, almost motionless, just studying the world about them & at other times when walking, able to cover big distances so quickly but so gently. I was aware that they were aware of us, large eyeballs measuring us up but not seeming irritated or intimidated.<br />
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It was hard (especially looking from the car window) to take in the reality of it all rather than still imagining it was a TV program. I also felt deeply sad that it’s only a mat
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  • On one of my low days, under a gloomy blanket of dull weather with a forecast of heavy drizzle, I headed mid-afternoon for the Welsh hills. <br />
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It's funny really, but the dark weather, the impending gloom, the threat of a downpour, the complete lack of any people on the hills, the quiet, the isolation, the wet earth underfoot, the raven circling in and out of the swirling low cloud - all served to remind me that even the most wonderful aspects of my world, are often naturally dark, and  even inhospitable
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  • There are some images that really should be video, not stills. I think maybe this is one of them. I like the image but only because of my memory of the event; sheets of sand were lifting in the gale and blowing at high speed towards me. The stream was almost gurgling as it tumbled to meet the sea and a flock of geese were chatting to each other as they dabbled in the pebbly sand pools. There was so much going on and so much to hear that I'm not sure any still image begins to describe the beauty of it all. <br />
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I have a feeling that I really need to start shooting 'moving stills', not video as such, just still frames where the world moves within the frame. To share my experiences with others, I feel there are occasions where extra information is needed, audio & movement at least. Now HOW do I record & synchronise the sounds of my scene with the camera - a whole new world of learning & I'm not sure I have enough years left to learn!
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  • I’ve seen elephants in zoos, restricted, moving around in circles, stared at by the thousands of noisy visitors - such a desperate form of existence. In the 111 year old and 22,270 km² Etosha National Park in North West Namibia however, I was for the first time able to see these truly magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Watching David Attenborough programs is always a delight but nothing prepares you for the sheer awe of seeing these animals in real life in their own world.<br />
<br />
From the heavily corrugated dust track, the first thing I saw was what looked like a huge rounded boulder beyond a hillock, but as we drove to the crest of the mound we realised it was in fact the head of a huge African elephant standing at a waterhole! This was real & I’ve never felt so small or humbled by wildlife. There are strict instructions never to leave your vehicle whilst in the park so I had to accept that looking out of the window was the best I was going to get.<br />
<br />
Around us herds of Zebra were drinking, running and frolicking with each other. Springbok daintily skipped past & Oryx and Giraffe were there too. Hundreds of birds flitted about & falcons & other birds of prey circled overhead. It was a visual tapestry of wildlife with so many species all measuring each other up and acknowledging the hierarchies at the hole. What struck me most was the grace of motion of the elephants. Every movement of foot or trunk was slow, fluid & purposeful. At times they were just like living statues, almost motionless, just studying the world about them, and at other times when walking, able to cover big distances so quickly but so gently. I was aware that they were aware of us, large eyeballs measuring us up but not seeming irritated or intimidated.<br />
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It was hard (especially from the car window) to take in the reality of it all rather than still imagining it was a TV program. I also felt deeply sad that it’s only a matter of time before wild elephants are hunted to extinction.
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  • The Water Margin<br />
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Water represents so many things to different people & different cultures but without doubt, the sea surface is an interface to a different world, a world in which we can’t survive as a human without man made help, other than exploring a few feet of the surface for short periods of time. For many water-goers what lies beneath remains an often irrational fear, especially in the safer waters of the UK, and one of those fears is being touched by seaweed from the depths below. So in this image a woman confronts her fears, immersing herself in the rock-strewn, choppy, dark, seaweed-abundant cove, stretching herself so that every inch of her naked body remains in contact with the very things that conjure anxiety. As she rolls and turns with each small wave and feels the weed embracing her limbs, she understands that the very things she feared were in reality something to celebrate.
    The Water Margin
  • One of a series of images from my project on doors and windows of the world.
    Yellow Window
  • As dawn gave way to very early morning, the white sided Isles of Scilly steamship, the Scillonian III became visible against Penzance quayside last week. Interior cabin lights burned yellow against the cool blues of the morning light and there was silence as the world woke up
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  • Sometimes the world is just too hot, and in the heat there is an urgent need for shade, for ease, for peace, for sanctuary. I find myself in need of more shade these days, but there is now less available than ever. We are destroying ourselves and I find myself fading.
    A Need For Sanctuary
  • One of a series of images from my project on doors and windows of the world.
    Orange Trees
  • One of a series of images from my project on doors and windows of the world.
    The Italian Connection
  • After a demanding, muddy 7 mile walk along the Cornish coast in mid winter, we finally arrived at our destination of Pra Sands on the South coast of Cornwall. Although dark clouds still encompassed us, a dramatic break in the cover allowed an evening sunset to burst through, turning the world shades of pink and purple. <br />
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By the time we had walked the length of the beach to our van the evening had lost all of it’s colour and the rain arrived.
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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.
    GD002609.jpg
  • Clouds built over the horizon but in the last of the sun they looked beautifully dramatic, textural and crisp. In fact there was so much texture in front of me that it was hard to find the minimalist simplicity I've been drawn to recently. For maybe ten minutes the world turned pink, the hue washed over the sky and infused in the gentle waves, even the wet sand threw it back skyward. I stood in the sea, in my walking boots, wave after wave lapping at my shins but amazingly my feet stayed as warm as the sunset colours. I studied the waves smoothing and cleansing the beach before me, back to perfection.
    GD001169.jpg
  • The views from Yr Eifl are spectacular at most times, but today was particularly dramatic and spacious. The huge fluffy clouds were racing up the coast over the tiny-looking villages of Trefor and Clynnog Fawr, and the morning sunshine cast distinct shadows down across a green-grey sea. They towered high above the land and dwarfed even the mountains. From my elevation, it gave an impression of flying, that ability to look down on the world below as if it were a map. When staying in Y Nant, surrounded on three sides by mountains, nestled amongst dark trees, the contrast between the escape of this nearby hilltop and the seclusion of the village was even more striking.
    GD000758.jpg
  • "Coming Home" shot just now!<br />
<br />
Having been stranded in South Africa during the worst pandemic in a century, when poverty and related crime become as potentially dangerous as the virus itself, we were finally evacuated back to the UK by a British Government plane. We are so relieved to be back on Welsh soil, and to have the relative freedom to walk out of our front gates, something denied to us for more than three weeks in locked down South Africa.<br />
<br />
We did a lovely walk today to try and regenerate ourselves and it was Heaven. We met several wonderful friends along the way, whom from several meters away, we were able to enjoy chatting with, revelling in human communication with others, again something denied during a total lockdown in South Africa.<br />
<br />
We ended the walk via the Belgian Prom and honestly, Telford’s Bridge has never looked so solid, so magnificent, so secure, so timeless, so beautiful. That bridge has seen wars and diseases and big cultural changes, and it’s outlived us all. It was familiar, it was welcoming, it was reassuring and ‘normal’. Watching the tide roaring between the arches was mesmerising and levelling. We will have lost so many people to this awful, society and world changing disease, but the planet will keep on spinning, the tide will keep on turning and the sun will keep on shining regardless.<br />
<br />
As I worry beyond all worry, about my Jani walking into a dangerous zone in the local hospital on a regular basis, and potentially bringing the danger home as well, I desperately try to remember that we all die eventually anyway, but that ‘life‘ will go on. It’s all a matter of time but I really don’t want anyone I love to go just yet.
    GD002446.jpg
  • One of a series of images from my project on doors and windows of the world.
    Shutters in Shadows
  • One of a series of images from my project on doors and windows of the world.
    Framed in Blue
  • No A1 prints left. A2 and smaller only<br />
<br />
"Clouds built over the horizon but in the last of the sun they looked beautifully dramatic, textural and crisp. In fact there was so much texture in front of me that it was hard to find the minimalist simplicity I've been drawn to recently. For maybe ten minutes the world turned pink, the hue washed over the sky and infused in the gentle waves, even the wet sand threw it back skyward. I stood in the sea, in my walking boots, wave after wave lapping at my shins but amazingly my feet stayed as warm as the sunset colours. I studied the waves smoothing and cleansing the beach before me, back to perfection.<br />
<br />
The expanse of Llanddwyn beach and the peak of Holyhead Mountain can be seen in the background"
    GD001171.jpg
  • Clouds built over the horizon but in the last of the sun they looked beautifully dramatic, textural and crisp. In fact there was so much texture in front of me that it was hard to find the minimalist simplicity I've been drawn to recently. For maybe ten minutes the world turned pink, the hue washed over the sky and infused in the gentle waves, even the wet sand threw it back skyward. I stood in the sea, in my walking boots, wave after wave lapping at my shins but amazingly my feet stayed as warm as the sunset colours. I studied the waves smoothing and cleansing the beach before me, back to perfection.
    GD001170.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
  • One of a series of images from my project on doors and windows of the world.
    Window in Circles
  • One of a series of images from my project on doors and windows of the world.
    No. 33
  • 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
  • It's hard to believe that our ancestors were collecting copper from here 4000 years ago, Beneath our feet there are huge caverns and miles of passageways hewn away by men and pick axes. The quarry saw it's most prolific excavation in the eighteenth century when the export of copper made this area very rich, The nearby port of Amlwch Harbour flourished as world demand for this fine grade copper increased. It was why the area became known as the Copper Kingdom.
    GD001180.jpg
  • Dusk in the West, at Aberdesach on the Northern edge of the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, facing out to the Irish Sea. The mountains of Gyrn Goch, Yr Eifl and Garn For are in the background. <br />
<br />
Clouds built over the horizon but in the last of the sun they looked beautifully dramatic, textural and crisp. In fact there was so much texture in front of me that it was hard to find the minimalist simplicity I've been drawn to recently. For maybe ten minutes the world turned pink, the hue washed over the sky and infused in the gentle waves, even the wet sand threw it back skyward. I stood in the sea, in my walking boots, wave after wave lapping at my shins but amazingly my feet stayed as warm as the sunset colours. I studied the waves smoothing and cleansing the beach before me, back to perfection.
    GD001172.jpg
  • As dawn gave way to very early morning, the white sided Isles of Scilly steamship, the Scillonian III became visible against Penzance quayside last week. Interior cabin lights burned yellow against the cool blues of the morning light and there was silence as the world woke up
    GD001986.jpg
  • Our ancestors were collecting copper here 4000 years ago and below the surface there are huge caverns and miles of passageways hewn away by men with pick axes. The quarry saw it's most prolific excavation in the eighteenth century when the export of copper made this area very rich, The nearby port of Amlwch Harbour flourished as world demand for this fine grade copper increased. It was why the area became known as the Copper Kingdom.
    GD001181.jpg
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Glyn Davies, Professional Photographer and Gallery

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