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| "Broken Light" Anglesey © Glyn Davies 2011 - Buy print HERE |
Heavy dark clouds hung over the A55 as I chased towards Holy Island, but swathes of sunlit blue sky fluttered on the horizon beyond me. I wanted a walk today, to really get some fresh air in my lungs, to feel my legs working again after what seems like weeks of being stuck in the gallery. I parked up and on leaving the van was immediately buffeted by strong winds, but I was at least spotlit in warm sunshine at the same time. I headed off around the coast, the paths muddy and slippery after the heavy rain, so that as I walked I had to use my thighs to keep my legs from sliding out sideways in split formation :-)
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| "Coloured Rain" Anglesey © Glyn Davies 2011 - Buy print HERE |
The surf was heavy but blown out, and sets of long waves were thumping the cliffs, but somehow, in the bright sunshine, I just couldn't connect with the obvious beauty in front of me, photographically just another clichéd rough sea shot from this corner of Anglesey, I needed more than that, more than the Flickr approach to Anglesey. Things changed for the better, I found light inspiration just up ahead!
I loved the sheer contrasts at this point, sharp rocky cliffs against soft grass, light against dark, dry against wet, safety and danger. The intensity of light was the only uniform constant, selecting patches of land and seascape, stitching the view together in wide tacks.
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| "Black Rain" Anglesey © Glyn Davies 2011 - Buy print HERE |
The shattered headland created a huge chasm, almost possible to drop into if one were to run carefree and ignorant along the cliff-tops! Across the deep divide, grass blew on the stack-top in obtuse late afternoon light. A rainstorm was building on the horizon, and then moved swiftly from the South West until almost without noticing it, I'm suddenly immersed in it's midst, blown sideways and saturated by pounding rain. I huddled down on the ground to shelter my camera which I was simply not going to try and put away by opening the LowePro rucksack ! I had enough foresight to don my RAB over trousers and Kag in advance, I also pulled the additional LowePro rain cover over the back-pack itself, and I waited …. and waited … and waited until after 10 minutes of horizontal rain I just had to move. I stuffed the Canon Mk3 and 70-200 into my Kag which was uncomfortable to say the least, as it pressed hard corners into every rib, and headed back across the now rain faint cliffs towards the van. I had planned to walk right around to South Stack but I had already felt the first very wet seepage, right to my boxers !
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| "Approaching Squall" Anglesey © Glyn Davies 2011 - Buy print HERE |
I was really shocked that these expensive Rab over-trousers had failed so badly, and I am looking into what to do next, re-proof them 'again', or just give up on them and find a better alternative ! I was also not impressed that my smart looking Berghaus Goretex jacket was fashionably too short :-( My top half remained perfectly dry, the wicking effect worked flawlessly, but the short hem meant that the heavy rain simply poured onto my naughty bit zones and soaked them. I need a longer jacket for walking, one which covers me bits !:-)
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| "Rainbowed Sideays" Anglesey © Glyn Davies 2011 - Buy print HERE |
I have also just bought a Think Tank waterproof shell cape which I will be trying out in the next couple of days. I hate the fact that rain stops play, and even the hermetically sealed 1DSMk3 can only take a certain amount of water punishment before buzzing enough is enough. I will write a proper blog report about how this performs in real situations.
I would also be keen to hear from walkers & mountaineers about which over-trousers they use which actually work and don't get me drenched ?!
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| "The Puddle that Warned" Anglesey © Glyn Davies 2011 |
All words and images are strictly copyrighted to Glyn Davies © Glyn Davies
All of Glyn's images are available as fine-art Limited Edition Prints here at www.glyndavies.com
