An Introduction to an Intimate Corner of Eryri's Wild Beauty
One of my favourite parts of photography is discovering new landscapes that ooze photographic potential. A couple of years ago, I set foot in one of those landscapes: a lesser-trodden, mystical valley in the heart of Eryri (Snowdonia) for the first time. My eyes were immediately awakened to the magic it held, and two years on, I am beginning to see how I can harness that magic and create a series of stories from it.
It’s not a well-known area, and I much prefer it that way. Solitude finds me quickly when I am here, allowing me to connect with that special creative space within. If I were to look online, I doubt that I would find many photographs from here to inspire me, which, for an artist pursuing — dare I say it — originality, I am glad. This is one of those rare landscapes that has preserved its dignity. In the modern digital world, landscapes seem to be quickly losing that, and so many people seem to be all too focused on bragging about exactly where they have been so that others might pat them on the back and then go out and follow in their footsteps. I even recently learned of an app where people share their photographs along with coordinates. What a way to kill the soul’s curiosity!
I suppose that’s one of the reasons why I’m writing this, and, come to think of it, why I share anything I create in the first place. I want my work to inspire my audience; inspire people to go out and seek their own places of sanctuary in nature; inspire them to ask important questions, and then to have the courage to find their own answers; inspire them to embrace the magic and the mystery of the unknown in pursuit of personal growth and transformation.
We live in a world in which our curiosity is quickly becoming dangerously suppressed. Too often, we are told what to think, where to go, and what we can and can’t do with our lives. I want to inspire people to do, go, and say (within reason) whatever and wherever their creative instincts lead, not to follow the latest set of coordinates to a place to imitate the work of the next ‘influencer’ they see on Instagram. I want to exist in a world where people prioritise their personal growth over the growth of their online following.
There is so much beauty in the world that is yet to be witnessed; to find it, we have to learn to think for ourselves, open a map, and head outside with an open heart and a curious spirit. It may have taken me almost a decade of searching, but I am now beginning to find the places that resonate with my soul. I feel an incredible amount of fulfilment that my quest to discover my own vision has led me to these tiny pockets of raw, untamed beauty in the heart of Eryri.
These landscapes will entrance me, no doubt, for the rest of my life. As guardians of such innocent beauty, they require trust to be built and a relationship to be nurtured if they are to reveal their sweetest fruits and rewards in the form of photographs. It would be completely disrespectful to assume that one could turn up once and ‘capture’ its entire magnificence in one arrogant click of the camera’s shutter. Patience is, of course, the photographer’s greatest virtue. Beautiful things need time to unfold.
As we are now over summer’s hill and autumn is quickly approaching — new hope has found me after we had rain here in Mid Wales this morning for the first time in at least a month — I’m beginning to imagine what creative possibilities await in this charming corner of the national park that has been left seemingly untouched by the hands of time. There is a timeless beauty here that I feel I am beginning to recognise as I mature as an artist, and I am excited by the thought of what else might unfold as I come into deeper presence with this ancient landscape. I look forward to sharing this unfolding with you as we head into my most creatively rich time of year.
Why not come and discover Eryri’s (Snowdonia’s) wild beauty for yourself:
Talking to Trees: Multi-day, Non-Residential Snowdonia Workshop (Coming in 2027)