|
The 11th
century Celtic cross which stands at the entrance to Caerhiw castle
in Pembrokeshire.
The cross is inlaid with Celtic knot-work, and the cross is a royal
memorial commemorating Maredudd ap Edwin, who became joint ruler
with his brother of Duheubarth, the kingdom of Southwest Wales, in
1033. He died two years later. |
|
The
Snowdon range sitting atop the Mymbyr Lakes near Capel Curig.
Shooting into the light like this is very, very tricky, so bracket,
bracket, bracket! |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Sunrise over Caerphilly castle north of
Cardiff. It is the largest castle in Wales, and was built by Gilbert de Clare between the
years 1268 and 1271. |
|
|
|
|
Fern fronds. For this
type of photograph it's important to get square with both fronds so
that they're both in focus. |
 |
 |
In the South Wales
valleys our groups are always treated to some form of interaction
with the locals. When we turn on onto a terraced street anything can
happen and usually does! On this occasion we got to meet these Welsh
children and their friend . . . |
|
. . . who just happened
to be a very good Merlin the Magician. The group would have been
happy just to photograph him with that great beard, but he
disappeared into his home and returned in costume. Another wonderful
experience. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Llyn
[lake] Gwynant near Beddgelert in Snowdonia National Park. |
|
|
|
|
A Welsh pub at twilight.
It's the 'Tafarn Y Cigydd' which translates as 'The Butcher's Arms.'
|
 |
 |
Menai Bridge over Menai
Straits which connects the Isle of Anglesey with mainland Wales. |
|
A Celtic standing stone
in the grounds of Aberystwyth Castle in Mid Wales. The building at
the rear is the old Aberystwyth University. 'Aber' in Welsh is
'Mouth', thus Aberystwyth translates as the mouth of the Ystwyth
River. |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
The Dwyryd and Glaslyn
estuaries topped by the Lleyn peninsula in North Wales. |
|
|
|
 |
One of
those special moments when things just happen the way you want. I
did need to lie down to eliminate some background distractions
though, so maybe I earned this one! Taken near Trawsfynydd in North
Wales. |
|
Simple, but one of my
favorite shots, or type of shot anyway. The dark background provides
the contrast, and consequently the impact. |
 |
 |
Mmmmmmm, are they
singing 'Baa, Baa Black Sheep' to each other then?! |
And
talking of Trawsfynydd and the owner of the above sheep, this is
Edward Jones who has been a great friend over the years.
This portrait was taken when visiting his farm with one of my
groups. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Strumble Head lighthouse
on the south west coast of Wales. The flowers are Sea Thrift, and
provide the foreground interest. |
|
|
|
|
A mellow afternoon
adjacent to Llyn Gwynant in Snowdonia National Park. The peak is Yr
Aran at 2,451 feet. |
|
One of
Edward the first's castles in Wales' ancient capital, Caernarfon.
Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales here in 1969. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
My favorite spot in
North Wales, the Mymbyr Lakes view to Mt. Snowdon in Snowdonia
National Park. |
|
|
|
 |
The Celtic cross at sunset. Actually this is a gravestone in a
cemetery in Llan Ffestiniog in North Wales, and was a 500mm mirror lens
shot. |
|
Dolgoch
Falls near Abergynolwyn. To 'soften' water you need a shutter speed
of a 15th of a second or slower and a tripod. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Shot from the
Llandecwyn hills near Talsarnau, Moel Ddu and Moel Hebog are on the left, and
Mt. Snowdon, Wales' highest peak, is at right. |
|
|
|
|
A sweet
shop window in Harlech, North Wales. With shots like this it's
important to get as square to the subject as possible . . . or it
will drive you barmy later! |
 |
 |
More of an emphasis on the
sky for this one. Generally one can increase the drama in any sky by
under-exposing, but again, I'd suggest some bracketing. The mountain
range is Snowdonia. |
|
Moelwyn Bach mountain
hangs above the hillside village of Llan Ffestiniog in North Wales. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Shot
from a narrow lane high above Harlech, Mt. Snowdon looms large, but
it is purely the long lens perspective that gives that impression. |
|
|
|
St
David's Cathedral in St. Davids, Pembrokeshire.
It was one of several cathedrals on the Welsh south coast
built in
a hollow to hide it from
the marauding, not-so-friendly, seafarers many centuries ago. |
 |
 |
This shot is on a quiet back lane not
too far from St. Davids. Actually, if the paint had been black I
doubt we'd stop for this! An aperture of around f.22 is needed to
achieve sharpness from front to back. |
|
Swallow Falls near Betws-Y-Coed in North
Wales. Water falls are actually best shot when in the shade as 'white
water' will produce too much contrast. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
A Cricieth
Castle view on the North Wales coastline. |
|
|
|
|
The Pentre Ifan cromlech,
or burial chamber, in southwest Wales. At one time it was an earthen
mound, but with the soil gone it makes a striking silhouette.
'Pentre' is village in Welsh, so Pentre Ifan is 'Ivan's village'.
|
|
My favorite, the Sea thrift which thrives
on the British coastlines during May and June. It is also known in other
parts as Sea
Pink and California Thrift. |
 |
|
Here the Sea Thrift
'hugs' the nest and eggs of an Oystercatcher. Taken on Bardsey
Island just off the tip of the Lleyn Peninsula. |
|
Also on the
Lleyn
Peninsula is this graveyard. Wales produces a lot of slate, and these
headstones will survive for many generations to come. |
 |
|
An old watermill and waterwheel on the
River Teifi at Cenarth. Just downstream you are likely to see Salmon
fishermen still using the Coracle fishing boat that dates back to the
first century. |
|
Bala Lake [Llyn Tegid] one fine,
misty, and sunny morning. |
 |
|
The community at
bottom right is Blaenau Ffestiniog - noted for it's slate production
and for sheep who 'window-shop' on the main street.
The mountain range is the Moelwyns. |
|
Just
another sunset on Harlech beach in North Wales. Note the foreground
interest of rippled sand which adds depth to the shot. |
 |
|
Another
of Edward the 1st's castles. This one is Cricieth, built upon this
rocky promontory, and partially derelict.
|
|
Solva is the Norse name given to this
South Wales harbor the Welsh call Solfach. |
 |
 |
Solva village with it's
colored shop fronts. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Irish
Sea sunset taken from the near Skomer Island in South Wales. I shot
this with a long lens, knowing that I'd crop it in this fashion for
greater impact. |
|
|
|
|
Llandaff cathedral on the outskirts of Cardiff. Living in Idaho as I
do, there is a member of the Idaho Welsh Society who got married
here just after the war. At that time there was no roof as it had
been destroyed during a bombing raid. |
 |
 |
The humble roadside Foxglove. A bit
of an unorthodox view this one, as I'm looking up from below in
macro mode. |
|
Patterns on the beach at Harlech and . . . |
 |
 |
. . . something a little more 'salty'
in the form of this seashell collection. |
|
Wild
Fuchsia. It loves hedgerows close to oceans in several parts of the
British Isles. |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
A Bluebell laden wood
near Harlech in North Wales. |
|
|
|
 |
The humble male Chaffinch pauses for a
shot. |
|
|
