Going Backwards – One More from the Park

Posted on 30/11/201330/11/2013 by Alastair

I am pleased to say that I am not actually going backwards – at least I hope not! Just leaving Cwmdonkin Park in Swansea until I have worked on other StillWalks productions from earlier in the year.

And below is the final sound clip I recorded before leaving the park. Are these squirrels or jays? I know they can sound similar and I know there were plenty of squirrels around but I saw no Jays at all. Also available on SoundCloud.

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Abertawe Walk” which is along the cycle path alongside the River Tawe going into Swansea, South Wales. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

After the Tide

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

This week’s featured StillWalks video is “After the Tide”. It will be available to watch all week and will then revert to the sample length video.

The marshes in question are tidal and therefore salt marshes. They are near a busy motorway and the sound of the traffic is almost always there to some extent. Having said this, I should also say that it is one of my favourite local walks and the sound of the traffic does not bother me. Yes, I love the peace you can find in quieter rural locations, but on the marshes, I simply don’t listen to the traffic.

The wind in the grasses and the birdsong are the sounds I focus on and on the occasion of this StillWalks production, the sound of my wellington boots in the water as the tide ebbs.

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “After the Tide” which is from the marshes on the Loughor Estuary, South wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

Sand, Sea and Wind

Posted on 09/11/201309/11/2013 by Alastair

On a windy day in Swansea Bay, watching the movements of the top layer of dry sand getting blown across the seaweed and other debris on the beach is as entertaining as watching the sea itself.

The action of waves in the sea can be mesmerising, but so too can the patterns created by the wind on dry sand as it catches the various objects and undulations of the beach. The sculptures created can be fascinating but watching them be created is even more so.

The camera does not see in the same way as the eye but in these images I think there is some advantage to the relatively narrow depth of field. The areas of blur seem to me to emphasise the atmosphere and effect of the conditions at the time. The textures that show through in the areas of sharpness combined with soft foreground / background, feel much more like it physically was than if everything was clean and crisp and static.

I hope the second sound clip from this photo shoot helps to “put you in the picture”. Even my home made wind shield could not handle the strength of the wind on the beach, but I decided that the distortion and break up of the sound was all a part of the character of the scene.

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Moss Wood Walk” which is from Gnoll Park in Neath, South wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

Rattling the Leaves – Out and About in the Wind

Posted on 08/11/201308/11/2013 by Alastair

The effects of the weather can be truly horrendous sometimes, but when it is not so destructive, it can be exhilarating! The high winds in Swansea Bay last week, brought those people out that enjoy that wildness, at least while it is doing no harm.

Perhaps the fact that it was windy but not raining made it enjoyable not just for the humans but also for the dogs which are allowed onto the beach at this time of year. I was there as well of course, taking the photos I am posting this week and also doing a bit of sound recording.

I only had my small Edirol RO9 recorder with me which meant the strength of the wind was a bit of a problem. However, with the use of my home made foam wind shield and the gain not to high, I was able to get a couple of clips that help to bring some extra atmosphere to the photos.

The first clip was taken on the promenade near the plant with the large leaves featured in the first photo. It is the sound of the leaves “rattling” against each other that can be heard, not the sound of rain!

The Rolling Out of Autumn

Posted on 29/10/201329/10/2013 by Alastair

Autumn comes at different times in different places, even within a relatively small geographic radius. A few weeks ago I was at Cwm Green on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales and, as you can see in the second photo, the trees are just starting to change colour.

I am hoping that the recent strong winds we have been getting here will not shorten the process of falling leaves too much as there are a couple of places I would like to catch for a StillWalks production during this process.

This week’s photos and sounds (lots of pheasants) are from my early morning walk at Cwm Green although the featured StillWalks video this week is from another nearby woodland.

The pheasants and many other sounds can be heard below.

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Woodland Walk” which is from Penllergaer Woods near Swansea, South wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

Autumn Rain

Posted on 14/10/201314/10/2013 by Alastair

As we move into Autumn and the rain returns, along with it comes a change of colour. This week’s featured StillWalks video is “Quarry Walk – Autumn Rain”. It features an old quarry in Carmarthenshire, South Wales.

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video. Click the image below to watch the video.

Last week’s featured video will revert to a sample length low resolution video but you can still buy it through the website walk under the Autumn Walks page.

The Worm’s Head

Posted on 11/10/201311/10/2013 by Alastair

An Autumn evening looking out from the top of the cliffs at Rhosilli at the end of the Gower Peninsula. This is the penultimate image from the StillWalks video “Coastal Walk – Autumn”.

Footsteps in the Sand

Posted on 09/10/201309/10/2013 by Alastair

Rhosilli Bay, at the end of the Gower Peninsula, is a great place to walk. The cliffs above the bay extend out to the Worm’s Head and can get busy on a weekend if the weather is good. The bay, however, like many of the large beaches on the South Wales coast, has the space to cope with a good number of visitors and not feel in the least crowded.

As with any beach, the patterns and textures in the sand change with different conditions and the shells, stones and rivulets underfoot create a range of sounds that all have the aural backdrop of the waves and the wind. The colourful rock of the cliffs (see yesterday’s post) reflect and amplify the sound of the sea but walking away from them allows the nuances of the crunch of tiny shells or the squish of soft wet sand to come through.

And above all that, the birds. Walking back up the cliff, even the smallest of birds can make themselves heard against the sound of the bay. You will need to watch the video at the end of this post to hear and see it all.

Category Archives: Field Recording