First Dawn of Autumn

I like to think that 1st October is the first day of autumn when winter clothes are aired ready for the cooler air. How strange then to be on the coast of Anglesey near Penmon Point at 6:30 in the morning wearing a t-shirt! And what a start to my autumn photography, my favourite time of the year...

Click the image for the bigger picture

 No computer trickery here just a couple of Lee ND filters on the front of my Nikon.

Newborough Forest

The last day of the Easter break saw me wandering around Newborough Forest near Maeltraeth, Anglesey. It was a new location to explore and the light and weather were quite stunning. I found several lovely glades where new life was blooming and captured spring at its very best. Please enjoy this small selection of pictures...

Click the image for the bigger picture

Click the image for the bigger picture

Click the image for the bigger picture

Thunder on the Mountain*

Easter Monday was another perfect day with a visit to Rhyd Ddu to watch the little trains of the Welsh Highland Railway tackle the climb up to the little station with an alternative view of Snowdon the prize.

Click the image for the bigger picture

Click the image for the bigger picture

*Thunder on the Mountain by Bob Dylan from the album 'Modern Times'

Rhosneigr

Easter Sunday saw us out with family and good friends at Rhosneigr beach. It's a wide sweeping beach with stunning views. What better place to pitch your tent or sail the seas - clear blue skies and stunning scenery - deep joy!

Click the image for the bigger picture

I also got a chance to try out some boat-to-boat photography using my little Leica...

Click the image for the bigger picture

On An Island*

Once back from North Yorkshire a trip to Anglesey was planned, which was blessed with excellent if windy weather. I did some exploring on the north-west coast of the island ending up at a small cove on the northern edge of Trearddur Bay. I wandered out onto the headland and took this picture of the incoming tide.

Click the image for the bigger picture

 

A superb afternoon was finished off with a fish and chip supper at the excellent White Eagle pub in Rhoscolyn with its fabulous views of Anglesey and the Lleyn Peninsular. The food is very good and the place is well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Click the image for the bigger picture

The following morning I went wandering along the Menai Straits and encountered Admiral Nelson keeping watch for errant French frigates.

Click the image for the bigger picture

*On An Island by Dave Gilmour from the album of the same name

Who Knows Where the Time Goes*

Here we are almost two thirds through the first month of the year and I really don't know where the time has gone. It's certainly not been eaten up by me making images because I've hardly had an opportunity to get out and about... and the weather's not been that inspiring. Still, I've one or two images to tinker with over the coming days.


But I have had a little time to trawl through my archive and bring you yet another shot of Pen yr Ole Wen, which really is a majestic lump of rock. This was taken last Easter from the banks of a perfectly calm Llyn Ogwen. Shortly after I made this shot the wind got up and the mirror calmness disappeared. 


I played around with various crops and edits before settling on a black and white conversion in ACR 5, a tiny, tiny bit of post-conversion work in Elements and no crop.

Click on the image for the bigger picture

*Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Fairport Convention from the album "Unhalfbricking"

Sailing Home

Click the image for the bigger picture

Another Anglesey sunset... this one is a photograph from the original Menai Bridge looking west along the Straits. The sun had just dropped below the horizon when a small boat passed under the bridge and into view creating some lovely foreground interest.


Hand held for a change and very minor tweaking of the levels and saturation. 

Snow and Ice

On the way up to Cwm Idwal (see the last entry) I took a number of photographs of Tryfan, Pen yr Ole Wen and Llyn Ogwen with my compact camera. Once downloaded onto my computer I saw that there was enough images to make another panorama. This one's a bit of a monster; there's ten images in total stitched together with Photoshop Elements.


Anyway, here it is for your enjoyment....

Click the image for the bigger picture

Winter Bites...

Click the image for the bigger picture

I have much sympathy with those who for the past ten days or so have been snowbound, stranded, missed holiday flights, school and a whole lot more. Where I've been there hasn't been so much snow but below zero temperatures and freezing fog have been much in evidence. Brrrr!

Two pictures for you from my recent travels; above is the majestic Pen yr Ole Wen, 3,209 feet of Welsh mountain. I'd been to Cwm Idwall and just before I turned for home the clouds cleared and the sun shone on the snowy summit.

I've been tinkering with panoramic images over the past few days and the picture below comprises two images of a frozen Llyn Idwal. Photoshop Elements did the stitching of the two images and I'm quite pleased with the results.

Click the image for the bigger picture

Please feel free to leave some comments.

Holiday Homes 3

Click the image for the bigger picture!

Fresh overnight snow followed by freezing temperatures in Snowdonia produces a wonderful sight for walkers and photographers alike. A storm is gathering over Foel-Goch bringing the threat of yet more snow and adds some drama to the scene while Llyn Ogwen remains frozen over despite early morning sun. New Year's Day 2010.

Holiday Homes 2

Click the image for the bigger picture!

Anglesey... a late August sunset at Tywyn Fferam on the west coast of the island.

I'd only just arrived on the island for the weekend when this stunning sunset presented itself. A quick dash up the coast to another favourite location and the fastest setup ever to snatch a few shots from the headland overlooking the beach. No filters were used and just a tad of under exposure with the merest tweak of the saturation in Photoshop Elements.

Holiday Homes...

Click the image for the bigger picture!

Okay, I admit it.... this isn't thirty minutes from my home, more's the pity! I'm lucky to be able to travel quite often so 'temporary holiday homes' give me endless opportunities to stretch the thirty minute rule.


This is the western end of Llyn Padarn at Llanberris looking east towards Pen-y-Pass and the Snowdon range. A lovely still summer afternoon, blue skies, fluffy clouds and perfect for landscape photography. I spent most of the afternoon here looking for the right picture. This whole area is a lovely part of the world.