Identifying the Monster

Posted on 13/07/201313/07/2013 by Alastair

I found this beast in the studio the other morning and immediately got my camera out. Not knowing what it was, I posted it on Facebook and was subsequently pointed to iSpot where it was identified as a horse fly!

You have to click on the images to zoom in and fully appreciate the sunglasses. It was about 2 – 2.5 cms in length and had a low, loud buzz like a large bumble bee. I had always thought of horse flies as vicious little expletives, not monsters like this appeared to be. It may just have been a matter of seeing it in detail and out of context, i.e. in my studio and not in the field (where it should have been).

Abertawe Walk

Posted on 12/07/201312/07/2013 by Alastair

A few weeks ago I started writing a short blog style article for the online version of our local newspaper, the South Wales Evening Post. The articles are about some of the walks I take in the Swansea area and many of them are a little off the beaten track.

My contribution to the paper today (read here) features the River Tawe at Ynystawe but here, on this blog I want to present another part of the river. The StillWalks, “Abertawe Walk”, takes you along the cycle path between the Liberty Stadium and the bridges at SA1 and the Maritime Quarter in Swansea.

The production for this walk was done in the Autumn and the walk takes you through the woods along side the river as well as the cycle path.

The video can be seen here and the photos below are taken from that production.

from Abertawe Walk – Autumn

from Abertawe Walk

End of a French Evening Walk

Posted on 11/07/201311/07/2013 by Alastair

My French evening walk took me so far along the road to St Christophe and then I did an about turn and headed back to Faye la Vineuse the way I had come.

It was getting quite late by this time and the light was going fast but what an evening! And the sounds I recorded . . . you will just have to wait for me to complete the StillWalk.

St Christophe Road

Woodland Reflections

Night time in the fields

Faye la Vineuse

Along a French Wayside

Posted on 10/07/201310/07/2013 by Alastair

More from the road to St Christophe in the Indre et Loire region of France.

French Poppies

French Wild Flowers

French Sunset

Looking at the Loire – A French Evening Stroll

Posted on 09/07/201309/07/2013 by Alastair

This time last year we were in France, the Indre et Loire region. It is our current beautiful weather that has brought this to my mind.

On a few occasions I went for a walk along the St Christophe road from Faye la Vineuse and on one occasion at least I took my cameras and sound kit. I have not been able to do anything with that material since then but looking at the photos again brought back memories of a great holiday.

Over the next couple of days I will be putting up a selection of these images. I have arranged the sequence of photos I want to use for a StillWalk video and now need to work through the sound recording for it. This should take me back there even more than the photos.

Indre et Loire Countryside

Indre et Loire Field

Indre et Loire Woods

If you don’t like spiders, look away now!

Posted on 08/07/201308/07/2013 by Alastair

Evening Light

Posted on 07/07/201307/07/2013 by Alastair

These photographs and more are available to buy at StillWalks Photography.

Exhibition Opening and Tag Along Days

Posted on 06/07/201306/07/2013 by Alastair

The Sights and Sounds of the Countryside project exhibition opening, which took place last Wednesday, went very well – so well I forgot to get photographs! Never mind, the event was enjoyed by all who came and since then I have had a number of enquiries about the possibility of Tag Along days.

StillWalks Tag Along days would not be about production of a StillWalk®. The bespoke StillWalks produced through project work require greater input than would be practical on a tag along day.

Tag Along days would give a small group of individuals the opportunity to accompany me on a walk with their own cameras (and sound recorders) and discover some aspects of the approach to photography I take for personal use and for StillWalks production.

Field recording – there would also be the opportunity to experience environmental sounds through the high quality StillWalks field recording kit which in itself, can lead to better listening skills – this can be a revelation!

Watch the website for more information and if anyone out there is interested, please contact me.

The seats are empty here but they had been full to overflowing!