David Wilson 

Up hill and down dale: a photographer’s journey through Wales

In his latest collection, published this week, landscape photographer David Wilson turns his attention to his home country of Wales. Take a look at a selection of his pictures
  
  


Wales book photography: Cnicht mountain from Croesor village, Snowdonia
Cnicht mountain from Croesor village, Snowdonia
'Rising to a shapely 689m (2260ft), Cnicht is known affectionately as the 'Welsh Matterhorn'. The brightly lit washing in the foreground acts as a handy scaling device, allowing you to appreciate the full grandeur of the mountain. For the purposes of contrast it helps that it was a white wash!'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales
Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales
'Throughout Wales you stumble across examples of an industrial heritage in decline. Blaenau Ffestiniog was built on slate, but most of the mines have closed. This image could be a metaphor for those bygone industries: a neat row of workers cottages with the obligatory chapel dwarfed by a mountain of slag'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Cwmorthin Mine, near Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales
Cwmorthin Mine, near Blaenau Ffestiniog, north Wales
'The slate in this area was mined rather than quarried. The miners would live in barracks, returning home on weekends. It was a gruelling existence fraught with danger. The valley is now dotted with the empty shells of buildings and there is a quiet hush to Cwmorthin where once there was energised industrial activity'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Dylan Thomas's Writing Shed, Laugharne
Dylan Thomas's Writing Shed, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire
'Laugharne's most famous resident lived in a house known as the Boathouse by the river's edge with his wife Caitlin and their children for the four years leading up to his death. From his writing shed, with its glorious views over the estuary, he penned some of his most celebrated works - interspersed with the occasional saunter round the corner to Browns Hotel'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Eglwys y Grog, Mwnt, Ceredigion
Eglwys y Grog, Mwnt, Ceredigion I love discovering whitewashed buildings in the landscape especially when they're as evocative as this church at Mwnt. Sitting within an earth and stone embankment and with its simple architecture, the church is redolent of early Christian buildings. Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Fan Foel, The Black Mountain, South-West Wales
Fan Foel, The Black Mountain, south-west Wales
'A late winter's afternoon with the sun dipping westward, a solitary wind-bent tree and some sheep. Wales has its fair share of barren locations; wildernesses where you can escape modern life. The Black Mountain is one such place: an area of rugged, brutal beauty'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Lambs at Blaen y Nant, Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia
Lambs at Blaen y Nant, Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia
'This image was part of a wonderful day I spent on the organic farm of Gwyn Thomas. He was readying these lambs for their final journey to the dinner plate. Gwyn has farmed the valley all his life following his father and countless ancestors before him'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire
Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire
This picture conjures up a traditional image of the Welsh village: cottages hunkered down behind sturdy walls alongside what was once the hub of village life, the chapel. I was drawn by the simplicity of the three pine ends seemingly connected by the telegraph pole. The mist helps soften the image'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Rusty Moggies
Rusty Moggies
'The Welsh weather takes its toll on man's labours; nothing escapes the scourging rain and winds'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Hafod Rhisgl, Nant Gwynant, Snowdonia
Hafod Rhisgl, Nant Gwynant, Snowdonia
'As a Welsh landscape photographer, you have to factor in the odd downpour. It's an element I like to incorporate into my photography whenever possible; provided I have my wife Anna holding a large golfing umbrella over me! The battered old caravan appears to be cowering for shelter under the tree'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: Dinefwr Park, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire
Dinefwr Park, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire
'A high-key image, I like the starkness of the bare trees set against the white sky and wintry surroundings'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
Wales book photography: The road to Tregaron, Cambrian Mountains, mid Wales
The road to Tregaron, Cambrian Mountains, mid-Wales
'I stopped here for a spot of lunch on the old drovers' route back to Tregaron, and was drawn to the incongruity of the phone box marooned in the middle of nowhere. Often referred to as the 'Welsh desert', the Cambrian Mountains roll on for miles: a sea of grassland bisected by the very occasional road'
Photograph: Wales A Photographer's Journey by David Wilson / Graffeg
 

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