A charcoal sky

For the first few months of spring I decided to go out and try and capture the mood of the season. Unfortunately that mood had been predominately one of cold, sleet and steely grey skys. And while this wasn't idea for exploring or taking holidays it was perfect for capturing moody dramatic pictures of the sky.

Under this chrome dome branches from the trees spread capillary like over clouds and man made monuments alike. In the background the building sat like black sentries. It was a beautiful and apocalyptic world to explore with my camera.

As I wandered I took my time to sketch shade and light, capture contours, branches and leaves. In other words I changed the world with my camera and with it drew a charcoal sky.

Penarth: And the sea came in

In the Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman, death is compared to the sea. Not a sudden surge that sweeps everything away but a tide that comes and goes gradually and slowly wears it all away. Penarth more then anywhere else in Cardiff reminds of this idea.

It once was a vibrant, bright promenade full of small businesses, a thrivingly active port and a bustling stone beach overflowing with families visiting the sea. But old age has crept slowly upon it and now with its gently decaying pier and slowly eroding sea front, the waterfront has taken on the atmosphere of a setting more akin to Wuthering Heights or the poems of Keats.

The night I took these pictures a storm was rolling in and the rain soaked me and the stony shore. I love nights like this when the sky turns to charcoal and the sea threatens to swallow everything in endless greys and greens. And I can for a second imagine a town recapturing what made it great, a beauty waterfront slowly reclaimed by the sea.

An artistic blur

One of my favourite techniques which I've experimented with when taking pictures recently has revolved around zooming in on a subject while setting the camera on a low shutter speed. The feeling of speed and the abstract patterns produced create quite a wonderful effect. While this technique may be hit and miss when it does work the effect is spectacular.

These pieces once again show my fascination with the idea creating a piece of photography that could be seen almost as a piece of abstract and impressionistic art.

Nottingham

This weekend I got to explore the historic city of Nottingham, its an intriguing city filled with nocks, crannies, caves, ghosts and caverns. The beauty of this trip came from finding the gift of unexpected photographic surprises from the innocuous and seemingly ordinary. It was also a chance to flex my photographic muscles in different ways such as still life and in portraiture work. Something that I love to do but don't often get the chance to. Hope you enjoy.
 

Spirituality in Art

I was pleased recently to have been invited to take part in a gallery displaying images of spiritual in art. My photography and art has always been heavily inspired by my unorthodox approach to the divine. As such I felt I could take part and (hopefully) add something meaningful to this event.

I have included a quote and one of my pictures that will be used as part of my display which I hope gives a bit more insight into my art and how I see the world.:

"For me one of the main things that is so attractive about photography is just how beautiful the world is. And in seeing that beauty one can't help but to feel a sense of awe, a sensation of touching something greater and more wonderful then can be understood by the rational senses. In other words for me to take a picture of something truly beautiful is in some way for me to reach out to God and find myself immersed in His/Her great beauty. For me all these pictures represent moments when I have somehow touched or found that moment in life when one connects for a moment with the divine."

And here is a link to the actual event itself:

https://www.facebook.com/events/211070629060412/?fref=ts

Autumn photos

Welcome to my new blog, I'm a photographer based in newport and cardiff and I wanted to share my art with the world. These are new autumnal shots I've taken.

Autumn for me is a time when the world changes and is in transition, its not quite one thing or the other and in that moment of transition you can find both beauty, warmth and a profound sense of loss. I like to think my photos reflection that and speak about the beauty of the natural world during this time.

 

To create these images I use alot of close ups or long exposures, I think this helps to create images that, like autumn itself, are transient, in motion or capture a moment in time that might at any moment become lost.