Portfolios |
Last Added: Tinglewood
9 July 2003 |
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Faces in
the Grain: Tinglewood - In Montevallo, Alabama,
just south of Birmingham, there is a park near the university with an unusual
collection of images. Many years ago, a local man began gently bringing
out faces from the wood of the trees that grow in profusion here, gently
shaping their forms and letting them be seen. This tradition has continued,
and the park now has many faces and creatures throughout, making it a magical
place, well worth a visit |
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Crag on
the Clyde: Dumbarton - Dumbarton Rock has been
the site of military significance for most of human history. Whether as
a British stronghold against the Picts and the Scots or a castle holding
out for the Scots against English invaders, this fortress has scene the
test of time. A volcanic plug rising up beside the Firth of Clyde, it dominates
the landscape and the small town surrounding it. It is a truly magnificent
refuge, now passed by by time. |
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Fort by the
Forth: Cramond - Cramond, in a small suburb of
Edinburgh, was the site of a Roman fort in the third century AD. Today,
it is a rather quite village, its peacefulness broken only by tourists coming
to see the ruins left behind and the medieval kirk that shares its site.
Nearby, a small river flows into the Firth of Forth, and is home to swans
and gulls, while a land bridge leads out to Cramond Island in the Forth
itself. |
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Day in the
Life: Encinitas - Encinitas, a small town on the
California coast between Los Angeles and San Diego, holds a special place
in my heart. It is forever associated with my grandfather in my mind, a
place to visit on weekends and holidays, to swap stories and see the sea.
This Day in the Life is from January 2003, and a stroll down Encinitas
main drag, Highway 1. |
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Castle by
the Sea: Bamburgh - Bamburgh Castle lies on the
shore of the North Sea in the northernmost reaches of England, on a windswept
pier of rock jutting up out of the sands of the local coastline. A fortified
centre for millenia and the centre of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria,
this crag is currently occupied by the heavily modified medieval fortress
erected on its crown. Now, it guards little more than a sleepy seaside village
and the memory of what it once was. |
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Holy
Island: Lindisfarne - Lindisfarne Island lies off
the northeast coast of England, seemingly isolated and lonely. However,
this windswept isle was a major monastic centre during the Anglo-Saxon period
in England, and its sacking by Viking raiders in 793 signalled the beginning
of their raids on Britain. Today, the island supports a small village, with
the remnants of the abbey and the Elizabethan-era castle still to be seen. |
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Abbey
on the Rye: Rievaulx Abbey - Rievaulx
Abbey is
a fantastic ruin, hidden away in the Yorkshire Dales along the valley
of the River Rye. Once one of the richest monasteries in England, it now
lies in ruined, isolated splendour well away from the bustle of modern
life. That stillness seemed best captured by monochrome film, so here
are the best twenty-four images from a late summer day there. |
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By
Land Or Sea: Three Cliffs Bay - A dual portfolio
of Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower Peninsula in southern Wales. The Gower
is well renowned for its natural beauty and its fantastic coastline - for
good reason. The photos come from two separate visits, in April 2000 and
September 2001, and I was lucky enough to get fantastic weather each time
for the particular type of film I had decided to use for each trip. If you've
never seen the Gower, go - until then, whet your interest with these images. |
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Summer
Skies - A portfolio in a more classic mode, this
series of photographs was put together from several early morning sessions
in the pastures of Mountjoy Farm, on the southeast edge of Durham, England.
Two months of sleepless mornings and several rolls of film weren't able
to make a morning person of me, but did convince me that some prices are
worth paying. The weather conditions in Durham are odd - often clear mornings
until the sun rises, at which point the clouds roll in and render the day
dull and grey before dispersing just as the sun is dropping. While it makes
it difficult to get good light for photography much of the time in town,
it can lead to some truly spectacular imagery - provided one is willing
to stay up and brave the wildlife, tromp through fields, and be very, very
patient. And I even get along with the local badgers now |
