More images from the StillWalks video “Forest Walk – Winter” which is from the forest at Fforest, carmarthenshire, South Wales.
Tag Archives: woods
Seasonal Shift
I know I am skipping a season by posting these photos now, but they are from a completed StillWalk of the same forest in Fforest, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is a prompt to myself to produce a new video of the same place this Autumn.
Unlike the Fforest walk I am producing from recordings and photography on my iPhone (see this past week’s posts), “Forest Walk – Winter” is a StillWalks video properly produced albeit with my Edirol RO9 recorder rather than the Fostex FR-2LE and the RODE NTG3 Shotgun mic I normally use these days.
Crossing the Bridges
Yesterday I went through gates, today I am crossing bridges.
Foot bridges can serve a similar role to gates in a StillWalk. Useful as way markers both visually and aurally, the design, materials, condition, sounds – all play a part in identifying a stage in the walk.
Here are two of the foot bridges I encountered on my recce walk of the River Morlais and Troserch woodland with a view to producing a new Summer time StillWalk.
Walking Through the Gates
A recce walk through recently discovered woodland revealed a number of elements that can be very useful in the production of a StillWalk.
Gates, both the images and the sounds can, in the sequence of a StillWalk, provide a visual and aural way marker and in doing so, give a sense of progression. If the gates are of different design or in different states of repair, this too can be recognised as a way marker if the walk is circular, sending a message to the viewer that they are on the return journey.
There were several gates along the River Morlais leading into Troserch Woods. All were either of different design, at different angles, more or less rusted . . .
The sounds of the gates are also unique, though this is as much because of the surrounding conditions as the type of gate – here is an example from StillWalks on SoundCloud.
End of a French Evening Walk
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
Looking at the Loire – A French Evening Stroll
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
Blind Determination
Sam is blind, has only three legs and diabetes but on a hot day in this beautiful secret (see yesterdays post) woodland, he enjoyed his swim and was determined to get the sticks thrown for him.
Click the image or play buttons to view the videos.
. . .
A Well Kept Secret
Not seeing the wood(s) for the trees is another expression that would perhaps describe what I felt about our discovery of a nearby woodland at the weekend.
We have lived here almost 30 years and there are many beautiful places we have seen both near and far in Wales and the UK but still we find that some of the most stunning beauty is virtually on our doorstep. It felt like it had been a very well kept secret so I am not going to reveal its name or location, but I think it is definitely going to be the subject of a new StillWalk the moment I get the opportunity.
Most StillWalks videos have a location button on the video page – but not all! Here, anyway, is a bit of iPhonography of the place.