Sweet Saltiness, Anglesey © Glyn Davies 2010
An unusually short but sweet blog post this time, "Phew you may say" but there are less pix, shot over a very short time one evening and really, I wanted to talk to you about the Manchester trip to see the Don McCullin exhibition! I will slot in my exhibition review blog at some point in the next week or so!
Having had a brilliant weekend (well Sunday) with my brother Si, sis-in-law Donna and amazing gorgeous nephew Lev, I was already on a high. When Monday morning came around, the usual desperate need to get out was minimised, I already felt happy and satisfied. Of course the other issue was an exceptionally beautiful day with bright sunshine, icy mountains and clear blue skies - aaagh, yuk, clear blue skies, beautiful to be under, to admire, to warm the heart, but not to inspire photographically! I knew that if I was on the hills, I'd be bored with the featureless picture postcard skies and even the coast was not appealing with flat calm seas and cloudless skies. I was quite, quite uninspired by what was on offer, though thoroughly enjoying the bright sunshine!
So I did some housework (brownie points) washed my thickly salt encrusted van, polished my now salt smeared van and was shocked by the chrome corrosion on the front edges of the side bars and generally drank tea, listened to Radio 2 and enjoyed being home alone! It felt warm and energising.
However, I have an inbuilt boredom with being at home too long, and the twitching was starting - the twitching to load up my rucksack and head off for a photo or two. I mean that you know - I am at that point in my career/experience, when I know I can be extremely satisfied capturing just one or two excellent photos from any trip out, and knowing I can and will do it, each time, every time. Of course on full days out I am confident that I can create whole handfuls of moving, atmospheric and dynamic shots - it's not arrogance, it's sheer confidence after almost three decades of fully professional shooting.
A Gentle Touching © Glyn Davies 2010
And so it was, at about 4.00 pm, I headed for the West Coast of Anglesey, as usual, to catch the dipping sun. I turned up at one of my favourite spots and ambled, totally arbitrarily along the shoreline, enjoying the water, the sounds, the heat and colours of the warm sun and the glistening rocks emerging from the receding tide. Funnily enough, the stark sunshine, at this time of day, at least creates strong shadows, long shadows and sparkling sea tops. As it sank lower the colours intensified further and amazing hues resulted, almost, but not quite unbelievable.
Mouth Watering Explosion © Glyn Davies 2010
I cowered at the most outward edge of one of the reefs whilst deceptively small waves slapped up against proud rocks and sent huge clouds of spray rocketing my way, soaking me and the tripod but inexplicably missing the camera itself, thankfully.
I was shocked at just how quickly the cold set in, and how fast the sun God set over the horizon. Once his light had extinguished my fingers became claw like, the tripod felt like a popsicle and my ears no longer flapped :-) It became really cold but the colours remained exciting and warm, a strange stage of contrasts. Stark isolated rocks became darker and blacker, silhouetted against the embers of sunset, and the camera extended it's opening hours creating soft motion filled exposures, minimising the complex seascapes in front of me.
Sweet Warmth on a Cold Evening © Glyn Davies 2010
I happily retreated back to the constant warm interior of my cold van, its tungsten glow a reassuring security against desertion in the blackening landscape. I stopped off in Llanfaelog at the tiniest store near the church, for a bag of Maynards Wine Gums, worth every penny of the £1.59 cost, exuding sweetness and energy on the fast drive home down the A55 towards the snow covered hills.
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