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2013-05-17 21:29:00 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 41 +1s)

'Fire & Brimstone' - Black Point, Anglesey

2013-05-16 09:40:45 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 34 +1s)

'The Night-Watch' - Black Point, Anglesey

A last shot from Penmon Point over the weekend on a clear night and a high tide... 

As I stepped onto the rocks on the beach rushing down from the car park seeing the clear skies over the sea, I shone my torch to be sure of my footing, and caught a small mouse with a corner of bread sat there looking at me. At first I thought it would scarper once it got its sight back... but it didn't, and so we both sat there for half an hour or so and watched the milky way rising over Puffin Island and the lighthouse.

It was good bread though to be fair... I wouldn't have run off if I'd managed to get a meal like that if I was him either!

For anyone local to N Wales, I'll be speaking at Cambrian Photography's annual Open Day on Weds, May 22nd, about both seascapes/landscapes, but mostly nightscape... more »

2013-05-12 22:07:42 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

'Someone's Home' - Black Point, Anglesey

2013-05-12 10:48:27 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

'Seiriol's Starlight' - Black Point, Anglesey

#nightskyphotography   #milkywayphotography   #walesuk  

2013-05-09 22:00:43 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 23 +1s)

'The Ancients' - Nant Gwynant, Snowdonia

Atop a peak and overlooking the classic Snowdon horseshoe view in the distance, with the company of an old hawthorn just starting to bud for Spring, and one of the many Eta Aquarid meteors that shot overhead as part of their annual storm.

From left to right the four peaks visible are Gallt Y Wenallt, Y Lliwedd, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) & Crib Goch.

#walesuk  

2013-05-09 19:48:15 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

'Dare You Enter...? How Could You Resist...!' - Cwm Idwal, Snowdonia

2013-05-08 21:24:39 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 50 +1s)

'Raised Arms To The Stars' - Nant Gwynant, Snowdonia

2013-05-05 21:05:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)

'Drama Beyond' - Cwm Idwal, Snowdonia

#walesuk   #mono  

2013-04-29 23:08:37 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 40 +1s)

'The Last Light' - Llanddwyn, Anglesey

#walesuk   #landscapephotography  

2013-04-28 21:11:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

'Wood Anemone' - (Anemone Nemorosa)

A quick shot from Aberlleiniog woods earlier this morning as it was drizzling and I fancied a change in scenery... So headed out for some fresh air with just the macro lens for some close-ups.

The whole hillside up to the castle is carpeted with tiny wood anemone's, primroses, and wild garlic at the moment... Another week or so and it'll smell fantastic there :-)

I guess Spring isn't that bad after all...

2013-04-28 16:51:03 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

'The Insect And The Anemone'

One from Aberlleiniog earlier today as it was drizzling all morning and I fancied a change... The whole side of the hill up to the castle is carpeted with wood anemone's, primroses, and wild garlic... :-)

I guess Spring isn't that bad after all...

2013-04-25 22:17:04 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)

'Springtime Sunset' - Black Point, Anglesey

I'd popped out this evening to hopefully catch the partial lunar eclipse around sunset, but all the nasty cloud cover was busy making its way over to England and ruined my view of the horizon in the south-east...

By the time I decided it just wasn't going to clear at all, I popped down to the shoreline and managed to catch a few blue-hour shots and the last of the sunset colour.

One more chance tomorrow :)

#longexposurethursday   #walesuk  

2013-04-24 21:57:41 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 38 +1s)

'Wind-Swept'

A hawthorn shaped by nature and standing fast beneath a menacing sky...

2013-04-20 23:48:46 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 32 +1s)

'Go, With The Flow' - Newborough Beach, Anglesey

#walesuk   #seascapes   #seascapesunday  

2013-04-20 11:43:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 37 +1s)

'A Shelter Under Snowdonia's Stars' - Cwm Dulyn Bothy, Carneddau

This evening around sunset I found myself driving the opposite way to all the traffic jams on the Expressway trying to get to Anglesey, and headed into the Carneddau mountains from the Conwy valley. 

As well as the usual camera gear and cold-weather gear, I'd managed to pack some firewood and kindling onto the back-pack, and so I set off on a trek for the bothy mountain shelter at Cwm Dulyn.

Managed by the Mountain Bothies Association, it s a shelter for mountain walkers to use as they wish - a shelter in bad times, or a camp-spot for a head-start early in the morning as you traverse the summits...

It did make a nice change to have a nice fire in the log-burner to sit around whilst the camera caught the star's movement across the sky ;)

2013-04-18 21:55:02 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

'Glass And Foam' - Newborough Beach, Anglesey

What bad weather....?! Ok, it was still a little wind-swept on the coast this evening, but not as bad as last night's gales!

2013-04-17 14:20:08 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 28 +1s)

'Llanddwyn Island ISS Pass'

The International Space Station making a pass over Llanddwyn Island earlier this evening, and through the middle of a moon-halo starting to form as the night got colder...

A windy night with some big seas... I took a welly-full of sea-water earlier in the evening as I got drenched up to my thighs, so by this point my feet were like ice ;-)

2013-04-14 22:50:05 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 34 +1s)

I attended a great workshop today organised by +Welshot Imaging Ltd, on post-processing, with demonstrations by 3 great guru's in the subject... +Gavin Hoey, +Eric Renno & +John Arnold.

I put this mono conversion together using the targeted adjustment method in Camera RAW that Gavin demo'd today, amongst many other great tips!

Thanks again everyone involved for all your hard work :-)

2013-04-13 12:01:43 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 39 +1s)

'Leave The Roof Off, I Like The View' - Cwmorthin, Snowdonia

2013-04-13 11:34:32 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

'A Gentle Sweep' - Newborough Beach, Anglesey

2013-04-12 22:04:48 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 36 +1s)

'Marooned' - Newborough Beach, Anglesey

2013-04-11 22:47:25 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

'Twilight Blue' - Newborough Beach, Anglesey

An evening spent through a subdued sunset, but some great light during twilight's 'blue-hour' down at Llanddwyn. One of my favourite times of day :-)

#walesuk  

2013-04-11 15:00:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 38 +1s)

'Waiting To Catch One More Tide' - Newborough Beach

2013-04-07 21:14:02 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 40 +1s)

'Somewhere A Choir Still Sings' - Llyn Cwmorthin, Snowdonia

A derelict chapel sits in the old abandoned mining village of Cwmorthin in Snowdonia

2013-04-07 11:04:17 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

'Branching Out To The Stars' - Llyn Cwmorthin, Snowdonia

A lone tree sits in the corner of the small churchyard in the derelict mining village of Cwmorthin, under a blanket of stars from a clear and pitch-black night sky.

#walesuk   #nightskyphotography   #landscapephotography  

2013-04-04 02:23:00 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 37 +1s)

'Patience' - Porth Llanlleiana, Anglesey

And she has it too, the patience of a saint, to put up with me and my hobby, as well as work hours and the rest of it all... My far better half!

But we spent a lovely hour or so under the stars earlier on a rare chance to get out together, and she also won't have to wait another 110,000 years for Comet Panstarrs to come round again :)

I've been fortunate over the last 4 nights to catch both Panstarrs and the Andromeda galaxy in my shots, and looking through you can visibly see just how far and fast it is moving up through our night sky at the moment... Over the next couple of days it will pass at its closest visible point to Andromeda before moving up into the constellation of Cassiopea above it and gradually getting dimmer as it's travelling away from us.

#walesuk   #cometpanstarrs  #... more »

2013-04-02 00:07:19 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 44 +1s)

'She Shines Under Starlight' - South Stack, Anglesey

2013-04-01 00:10:25 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 46 +1s)

'This Ole House' - Porth Ysgaden, Llyn Peninsula

It's doors are always open...

The Milky Way above, Orion to the left, and even Andromeda and a smudge of Panstarrs too over to the right of shot, just disappearing into the cloudy horizon. 

Whilst the sun did set at that very point around two hours earlier, that's more likely the light pollution from the streets of Dublin over the Irish Sea...

#walesuk   #nightskyphotography  

2013-03-31 02:07:15 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 55 +1s)

'Frozen Peaks' - Cwm Idwal, Snowdonia

There weren't many rocks and stones that managed to escape and peek out of the snow drifts this week...

But this one did! Though Tryfan in the background wasn't so lucky ;)

#walesuk  

2013-03-30 01:03:47 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 40 +1s)

'Wheels Of Industry' - Porth Wen, Anglesey

Remnants of the Porth Wen Brickworks machinery, set against the night sky and Milky Way. 

If you've got a keen eye, just below the left-hand cog is a blurry star, which is the Andromeda Galaxy :)

#nightphotography   #nightskyphotography  

2013-03-29 03:22:02 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 39 +1s)

'Sculpted By Wind & Ice' - Mt Tryfan, Snowdonia

Another great night, spending the early hours under the full moon whilst it lit up the snowy landscape of Snowdonia at the moment. 

Both John Evans and I enjoyed our few hours here at the same time yesterday so much, we had to get up here again tonight!

I imagine its going to be a pretty busy weekend up on these peaks over Easter, even with these conditions... Stay safe if you are planning to go up folks please :)

#walesuk  

2013-03-25 22:25:25 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 48 +1s)

'Brickworks By Night' - Porth Wen, Anglesey

A mooch around the old brickworks tonight, under dark clouds and skies, with a strong wind whipping the seas up and battering the coast... Some waves were so strong they were launched 50-60ft up in the air and across the site!

No stars unfortunately, (like the MET Office promised me!), but plenty of drama :)

2013-03-18 23:11:25 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

'Monday's Blues' - Rhosneigr, Anglesey

The best bit about Mondays, is the end of the day ;-)

2013-03-18 15:10:49 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 46 +1s)

'By Night, She Still Dreams to Sail' - Llys Dulas, Anglesey

2013-03-18 00:59:00 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

'A Pint Of The Green Stuff For St. Paddy' - Penmon Point, Anglesey

The aurora borealis/ northern lights glowing on the horizon this evening (17th March) after a strong geomagnetic storm today.

I had been expecting this to arrive last night from a solar eruption a few days earlier, as they take 2-3 days to arrive at our little planet... But it arrived at 6am this morning when it was daylight and no possibility to view it at all. 

I was up and out at 5am to travel to Manchester and do some street photography with Welshot Imaging at the St Patrick's Parade, so it had already been a long day! But with the weather and cloud set to worsen, I headed out straight after getting home at 9pm and throwing some food down my neck...

The sleet was falling from the moment I arrived, and after a hasty test shot from the car to confirm it was visible, I sprinted to the... more »

2013-03-14 22:10:33 (3 comments, 4 reshares, 51 +1s)

'Dead Trees Against A Living Sky' - Newborough, Anglesey

The Milky Way set against a barren clump of dead pines on the edge of the beach at Newborough, on a night where I had the whole place to myself for miles around, under a starry sky...

2013-03-14 11:10:52 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 37 +1s)

'A Long Wait For Something Spectacular' - Ynys Llanddwyn, Anglesey

When all the while it's right there in front of you...

My view for the evening, sheltered up behind a rock-face out of the wind. I'd just caught the Comet Panstarrs over to the right, between the moon and thin orange horizon, but once it disappeared behind those clouds that was it...

Instead I had orion, jupiter, a crescent moon and a night-time spectacular of one of the best bits of Anglesey :)

#walesuk   #nightskyphotography   #astrophotography  

2013-03-14 10:42:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

'Comet Panstarrs' - Ynys Llanddwyn, Anglesey

March 13th, 7:31pm

A thin crescent moon, along-with a great Earthshine showing the rest of the moon, and the Comet Panstarrs just about visible bottom-right between the clouds.

3 cold nights just to try and get a glimpse, and it was really only that! It had only just become visible after the setting sun started to fall-back, and 15 secs after this it had disappeared behind the clouds moving across from the right.. I did manage a closer shot but it was still partly obscured.

Still... I don't have to wait 110,000 years to catch that one again!

#cometpanstarrs   #walesuk  

2013-03-13 14:46:49 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 41 +1s)

'Night Reflections' - Newborough Warren, Anglesey

#walesuk   #nightskyphotography   #nightsky   #astrophotography  

2013-03-13 11:29:55 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

'Between The Sun And Snow' - Newborough Beach, Anglesey

I hiked across the Warren to Newborough beach on Monday evening at sunset, ideally to try and catch a glimpse of the Comet Panstarrs as that starts its display in our skies for a short time...

It'd been a strange day of blue skies and snow for pretty much most of N Wales, and I was treated to a lovely sunset and enough passing snow showers to keep me on my feet and moving! 

Unfortunately the snow flurries passing across the sea to Ireland put pay to any comet sighting as they were to high on the horizon, but hopefully we'll get some clear skies soon enough to catch it :)

#walesuk  

2013-03-05 11:38:16 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 37 +1s)

'St Seiriol's Stars' - Penmon Priory, Anglesey

Whilst my alternative plans tonight got put out by mist and dew-point on the other side of the island earlier this evening, I headed over to the Priory at Penmon to try and catch what might be the last of the clear skies for a few days...

It's harder than you think to try and find a quiet dark corner somewhere with enough dark skies and as little light pollution as possible to try and pick up any detail in the Milky Way above us every night, but if anyone's thinking of starting a campaign to give Anglesey a chance at a Dark Sky Status and start switching some lights off, please sign me up ;)

Even though it looks quite light here, believe me when I say its almost pitch-black... the camera on a long exposure picks up a lot of the ambient light from the distant streetlights whilst capturing the stars, and your... more »

2013-03-04 17:46:27 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 42 +1s)

'I've loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night' - Galileo

2013-03-03 00:41:02 (3 comments, 8 reshares, 52 +1s)

'A Crown Of Thorns' - Bryn Cader Faner, Porthmadog

A bronze-age ring-cairn situated in the hills of Snowdonia. It is a small cairn 28ft wide and less than 3ft high, with twenty-one or so thin slabs leaning out of the monument like a crown of thorns.

The monument sits on a hill overlooking the ancient Bronze Age track-way which starts at Llanbedr, a seaport for one of the main trade routes to Ireland, and proceeds to Wessex and the south of England via Trawsfynydd, Bala and the Tanat Valley. 

It was robbed by 19th-century treasure-hunters, and still bears the scar of them disturbing the centre of it. Later used as a target for gunners in the World War and they removed some of the raised stones.

2013-03-02 18:18:59 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

'A Funerary Sky' - Bryn Cader Faner, Porthmadog

A bronze-age ring-cairn situated in the hills of Snowdonia. It is a small cairn 28ft wide and less than 3ft high, with twenty-one or so thin slabs leaning out of the monument like a crown of thorns.

The monument sits on a hill overlooking the ancient Bronze Age track-way which starts at Llanbedr, a seaport for one of the main trade routes to Ireland, and proceeds to Wessex and the south of England via Trawsfynydd, Bala and the Tanat Valley. Hundreds of miles!

It was robbed by 19th-century treasure-hunters, and still bears the scar of them disturbing the centre of it. Later used as a target for gunners in the World War and they removed some of the raised stones.

2013-03-02 14:53:55 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 24 +1s)

'Stargate' - Bryn Cader Faner, Porthmadog

A quick taster self-portrait of what's to come from a great night's shoot in conjunction with Helen Iles Photography up at the Bronze Age ring-cairn of Bryn Cader Faner. 

Clouds again threatened to ruin our fun, and this shoot has been on the cards for awhile, just waiting on a weekend break in the clouds, but we were rewarded with some great skies now and again through the evening :)

www.facebook.com/helenilesphotography
www.facebook.com/kriswilliamsphotos

#walesuk   #selfportraitsaturday   #nightskyphotography  

2013-03-01 00:06:58 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 30 +1s)

'In A Quiet Corner' - Capel Lligwy, Anglesey 

A constant battle with dew-point and mist tonight, with either the lens fogging up or the landscape itself! Nevertheless, with the moon rising later each night at the moment, and great opportunities to view the Milky Way once it was clear, I managed to catch this lovely hawthorn I spotted yesterday, on a return visit tonight, beneath all those stars :)

#walesuk   #nightskyphotography  

2013-02-28 16:28:28 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 34 +1s)

'A 12th Century View' - Hen Capel Llygwy, Anglesey

A brief, too brief, hour spent watching the Milky Way earlier this evening over the 12th Century ruins of this Chapel, before a bright moon-rise washed out the sky with light... Certainly one that's down on the list for a revisit on a new moon :)

Who am I kidding, I'll be back there in a few hours tonight!

#nightskyphotography   #nightsky   #walesuk  

2013-02-28 16:25:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

'Such A Silent Sunset' - Newborough Beach, Anglesey

I took a trek across Newborough Warren on this evening with one of our boys, and over across to Newborough beach through the dunes. As anyone with a teenager will know, sometimes you just need to get them out of the house! ;)

The sunset tonight was a subdued affair, but the hazy cloud and mist gave everything a very ethereal and peaceful pink and orange hue - a pleasure as always...

#walesuk   #landscapephotography   #seascapephotography  

2013-02-25 21:27:46 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 35 +1s)

'Starlit Forest' - Nant Ffrancon Valley, Snowdonia

#darkskyplaces   #snowdonia   #walesuk   #skyscapephotography  

2013-02-25 00:56:16 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

'A Pull To The Coast' - Porth Swtan, Anglesey

Decided as there was cloud cover for the first time in a week or so that I should get back out to the coast, while the sun was almost still up for a change lately :-)

#walesuk   #landscapephotography   #seascapesunday   #seascapephotography