AONB Commission Day 2 & 3
A few nights ago I decided to take a few images exploring the area around Nant Gwyrtheyn. This is now the national Welsh Language centre and was until 60 years ago a close knit quarrying community. The first exploratory shoot was aimed at getting a handle on the area and I focused on getting a dusk light sequence over the language centre from above. I wanted to use what was available as a lead line and found an old fence which helped with the composition. This is the post processed sequence that shows the transition from day to dusk. The shadows dance across the scene as the light diminishes.
http://youtu.be/jYqntRPZnEU
The selected still attempts to use a well lit foreground to bring the subject to life:
The selected still attempts to use a well lit foreground to bring the subject to life:
While the camera was taking the continuous time lapse sequence I wanted to use the light of the golden hour to capture the nearby farm and its relationship within the landscape and quarries. The farm itself became a subject in its own right:
A closer view of the farm itself:
The abandoned hearth is now home to the sheep that roam the empty rooms:
Even though human occupation ended many years ago some are compelled to leave their marks of exploration:
Exploring the farm grounds yielded abandoned machinery that once would have echoed around the valley in which it was situated.
The rich colour of the rust and texture is born of decay and disuse:
Very little remains of the quarry west of Nant Gwrtheyn. All that can be found are the empty shells of once busy workshops and abandoned machinery:
The quarry was ideally placed next to the sea so that its stone produce could be loaded directly onto ships:
Little remains of the loading pier. All that can be found are two posts and a number of boulders which may have formed a part of the structure:
The sea remains as a constant while the quarry decays. There too granite boulders lie in the waters which are being sculpted by the ebb and flow of the tide. I can only presume that these boulders are the detritus of the quarry men and discarded or used for a purpose that has been lost in the sands of time:
These images where taken during two visits but most importantly they where taken during the golden hour which brings the element of light to what may have been lifeless images. Even though I am concentrating on ways to create a hopefully pleasing and well composed image I am always looking for locations for future visits. I did see a number of individual bushes or trees along the ridge line which would be ideal for framing the old quarry for a series of landscapes. While taking the last image I noticed a sea lion's head bobbing up and down watching me as I positioned the tripod. That was a special moment to realise that nature was attempting to take back what was once and industrialised part of our coast.
A closer view of the farm itself:
The abandoned hearth is now home to the sheep that roam the empty rooms:
Even though human occupation ended many years ago some are compelled to leave their marks of exploration:
The rich colour of the rust and texture is born of decay and disuse:
Little remains of the loading pier. All that can be found are two posts and a number of boulders which may have formed a part of the structure:
The sea remains as a constant while the quarry decays. There too granite boulders lie in the waters which are being sculpted by the ebb and flow of the tide. I can only presume that these boulders are the detritus of the quarry men and discarded or used for a purpose that has been lost in the sands of time:
These images where taken during two visits but most importantly they where taken during the golden hour which brings the element of light to what may have been lifeless images. Even though I am concentrating on ways to create a hopefully pleasing and well composed image I am always looking for locations for future visits. I did see a number of individual bushes or trees along the ridge line which would be ideal for framing the old quarry for a series of landscapes. While taking the last image I noticed a sea lion's head bobbing up and down watching me as I positioned the tripod. That was a special moment to realise that nature was attempting to take back what was once and industrialised part of our coast.
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