Wales | alan frost photography

Dunraven Bay – a brief visit

Dunraven Bay is situated on the south coast of Wales in the Vale of Glamorgan. The bay itself faces west and is also known as Southerndown beach after the nearby village.

I visited this lovely coastline on a cold and windswept afternoon at the end of March. I was fortunate to find the tide was out, revealing the sands and rocks which make this such an interesting place to photograph. With the weather as it was there were only a few people around, just a handful of walkers and their dogs to leave their foot and paw prints in the sand.

I tried to imagine what it would be like mid summer, in warm temperatures and blue skies. The car park would be full, families would be enjoying the lovely beach, children rock pooling and building sand castles. The surf would also attract windsurfers and others who enjoy their water sports. For me though, I enjoyed the isolation, free to wander and explore, and take shots of anything which took me eye. Rarely did I have to wait for people to move out of the frame.

I hope you enjoy the selection of images shown below. To view a larger version click on the image and it will open in a new window.

Looking through the archives – Welsh hillside

Welsh hillside

I always enjoying looking back through photographs that were taken a few years ago, partly because it’s a fun thing to do and secondly to see whether or not a colour image taken before I decided to concentrate on monochrome, would convert well to black and white. This particular shot of three sheep on a Welsh hillside in Ceredigion was taken back in August 2010 – a very typical grey day during a Welsh Summer!

The second shot is of a Welsh track taken on the same walk. The pathway leads the eye to the rain clouds ahead.

Welsh track

Fortunately I will be visiting Wales again later this year. Snowdonia this time. It’s an area I do not know at all but it has great photographic appeal. The combination of mountains, lakes and dramatic skies is right up my street. Yes, I am sure it will rain but that just adds to the atmosphere. I can’t wait!

Both shots were taken with a little Panasonic LX3. A camera I still own although it rarely gets used these days.

A reminder of a different Summer

As I type this entry the sun is shining and for once we are enjoying a wonderful summer of dry days and very warm temperatures. This was not the case back in 2010 when we went to Wales for our ‘summer’ holiday. We were staying in a cottage in Ceredigion, in mid Wales. The countryside all around was very beautiful but it was largely overcast and wet. Certainly very different to the weather we have enjoyed in recent weeks. Nevertheless these conditions can provide some good photographic opportunities, as the picture below illustrates.

Three sheep on a Welsh hillside

When this shot was taken (in the first week of August of 2010) I was only just beginning my interest in photography and everything was taken in colour, not black and white. Looking back through the archives I found this image. In colour it really had very little going for it, but when converted to monochrome the three sheep stand out and the rain clouds circling the surrounding hills were typical of the conditions we experienced.

Although I love Scotland, Wales is a little nearer, so I hope it will not be long before I can return and explore the hills and coastline of this unspoilt country.