Exploring South Wales - Part One
I’m currently journeying through the Welsh countryside and coast on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales. The landscape is vastly different from my home county of Essex in England. From rolling hills to rocky coasts, the land is full of intricate scenes, which at first can be quite overwhelming. But it's full of photographic opportunities that I look forward to exploring over the next few days, and I'll be documenting the journey on this blog.
Camera Choices
I've brought along three cameras, covering 35mm, medium format and digital. This gives me plenty of scope in terms of what sort of look and feel I want to create for my pictures on this trip, and I'll elaborate further on my gear choices for this trip now.
I've brought along a Leicaflex SL MOT with a Summicron 50/2 lens for my 35mm kit, with several rolls of Fomapan 200. I've been using the Leicaflex extensively for my 35mm work recently; the minimalist design and high build quality make the combination with the Summicron 50/2 a beautiful camera to use. For my medium format kit, I have a Bronica EC TL, paired with the Nikkor 75/2.8 lens. I've brought two backs, one loaded with Ilford SFX 200 and the other with Ilford Delta 100, of which I have several rolls. This is the most recent camera that I have purchased. The Nikkor 75/2.8 is a fantastic lens which yields sharp results, especially when paired with a fine grain film such as Ilford Delta 100. I'm also planning to shoot the roll of Ilford SFX 200 with a Cokin P007, which is a 720nm infrared filter. I plan to shoot this roll on a bright sunny day, which should create some striking black-and-white infrared photographs. I feel that the absence of a wide-angle lens may cause some issues at some locations I have planned to visit; however, I will have to make do with the standard lens. The Olympus OM-D EM-1 II has been my main digital camera for several years now. I've paired that up with the Olympus 12-100/4 PRO. This lens has become one of my favourite pairings, offering fantastic coverage with high sharpness. I also brought along the Olympus 30/3.5 macro and the Sigma 30/1.4 DC DN, just in case any macro or low-light situations pop up.
Port Eynon
The first part of my journey started in a small coastal town called Port Eynon, situated on the South Coast of the Gower Peninsula. The coastline along this stretch of the peninsula is full of rich history, spanning back through the centuries.
Salt House
I started off by visiting the old Salt House ruin. Built in the 16th century, there are three large water collection tanks that collect sea water; inside the building, large iron pans were heated to evaporate the water and leave behind salt, which was then carried to the northern part of the building for continued drying. Salt production ended in the 17th century at the site; however, oyster fishermen from Port Eynon continued to live in the building into the 1880s.
I mainly used the Olympus kit here, although I did shoot the odd frame with the Bronica and the Leicaflex. The ruin itself proved to be quite the challenge for finding an interesting composition. The backside of the building has large amounts of overgrown bushes, shrubs and grasses, although there was a well-kept dirt coastal path that ran alongside the building. The side of the building that faced the sea has very little to no locations to set the stand, with the water collection tanks taking up the majority of the space. The lack of a wide-angle lens on the Leicaflex and the Bronica made it quite tricky to create a successful composition.
Port Eynon Coast
Past the Salt House, the land meets the sea, and there is an amazing array of rock formations along the beach. Many of which had striking orange tones contrasting against the subtle grey of the rock surface. I shot plenty of digital frames here, along with the Leicaflex and Bronica as well. There were also plenty of washed-up wooden logs on this part of the coast, which also makes for an interesting subject to place in the foreground of the composition. I found several compositions here, with the rocks creating many photographic possibilities in regard to framing. The landscape sweeps round, creating a bay in which Port Eynon sits. The landscape features rolling hills and rocky cliffs on the edge of the coast.
I didn't explore much further than just past the Salt House. Further round the coast, there's a famous location called Culver Hole. This is a huge limestone wall that covers the entrance of a cave, with two doorways and windows. The structure appears to originally have been used as a dovecote, although there are various other stories regarding its use over the centuries.
I'd like to visit this structure in the future; however, it needs careful planning due to the tide being a factor in accessibility.
I look forward to visiting several other locations throughout the week, and I'll update this blog with my adventures as I go along. Part two coming soon!
