Front Cover – St Brides - I chose this image as the cover for my 2018 Calendar as it is a typical Pembrokeshire scene with the iconic cottage still there after all these years and nearly everyone I know has been here and fallen in love with this beautiful place.
January – Druidstone Haven – Quite simply one of my favourite beaches, I come here quite regularly even without the camera as it is often quiet and a great place to unwind taking a long walk on the stunning coastal paths which lead to neighbouring Broad Haven and Nolton Haven, or you can view the beach in its entirety if the tide is out which reveals an impressively large beach with hidden caves.
February – Blue Lagoon - I visited here regularly when very young and through my teenage years, an old quarry with water colour the product of its mineral content, the Blue Lagoon has now become popular over the years thanks to ‘Coasteering’ and diving competitions being held here attracting visitors far and wide. I prefer to visit when it is quiet, as I remember it so early morning is best. I photographed from this angle as it gives you a chance to see the wonderful history which is shown by the earth on the cliff face. It can also be a little tricky for some people to get to the water’s edge of the blue Lagoon so this also gives me an opportunity to take them there.
March - Newgale - I have been asked for a long time if I have ever done any shots of Newgale and would it ever appear in my calendar or as a print so here it is! I avoided the iconic look of looking down to the beach from the hill. Having said this it needed to be recognisable too, so hopefully the pebbles in this shot give it away. I wanted to capture the ruggedness of this platform as it told a story of the battering’s it had taken over the years with the Newgale flooding’s that happen in extreme bad weather.
April - Freshwater West - I included this memorial which is located at Freshwater West as it means a lot to so many people. If you visit here in November you will find numerous Poppy wreaths laid by these people. The beach itself is extremely popular all year round and you can often find surfers here due to its great waves. I was blessed with a great sky that evening also which I find brings a lot to this image.
May – Manobier Castle - I last visited here when I was on a primary school trip so only remember bits of what it was like so was nice to return there recently. I found it difficult to get a ‘unique’ shot until I found a view that required me standing in the small stream that runs to the beach. Sounds easy enough but when you’re in it slowly sinking into the stream silt and not wanting to move until you get the right shot, then it’s a different story. Ten minutes and one wrecked pair of trainers later I got the shot I wanted!
June - Whitesands – Situated a little over 2 miles from St David’s is the beautiful Whitesands. Steeped in hidden history it has been under a lot of research by archaeologists over the last few years. I do tend to prefer looking at the beach from the coastal path which runs along it as I think it’s a much better view being amongst the grasses and hidden sandy paths leading to the beach.
July – Bosherston Lily Ponds – A stunningly beautiful spot on the Stackpole Estate, popular with dog walkers, families and photographers this place harbours some of the best nature you can find in Pembrokeshire with Otters and Herons making regular appearances, so always a good idea to take along a pair of binoculars or camera with a zoom lens! While walking around these huge ponds you could also take in the ‘Eight Arch Bridge’ and Broad Haven South beach which is situated extremely close by.
August - Tenby - Not many words needed here, everyone knows this place and nearly everyone seems to have been here no matter who you ask in whatever part of the world! I wanted to give a ‘crab’s eye view’ as although a lot of people visit Tenby, they don’t or maybe can’t walk around the harbour when the tide is out, so I created this especially for those people who have often wondered what the view is like ‘from down there’
September - Marloes - On a walk to Marloes Sands to photograph the beach there I couldn’t help but capture this field full of barley as I was passing. What made it even more special was the beautiful cloud formations in the sky that evening. The path through the Barley field seems to take to you far and beyond which is what I love about this photo, one of the many lovely fields you pass while walking down to the beach, just beautiful.
October – Stackpole Court - This summer house has always fascinated me when seeing photos of it however I had never visited the place until last year. I chose a crisp autumnal afternoon in October as the ground in the area was littered with fallen leaves and I thought it would make a superb ‘autumn’ shot for the calendar. My timing was great as the sun had lowered to a point in the sky which created great shadows and was a lovely golden colour, and even better the ‘starburst’ effect I wanted to create was made a lot easier due to the position of the sun….the Fern was in an ideal spot too!
November – Picton Point - To me this place is a little overlooked as a Pembrokeshire location but gives stunning views of the River Cleddau that you cannot get elsewhere. Situated near Rhos we found this place by accident one evening while in the local area. I had vague memories of being here before, probably when I was young. There was perfect stillness that evening with only distant bird chatter and the sound of small waves lapping the shore below, a perfect place to end a busy day and watch the sun depart for the night.
December - Gwaun Valley – Travelling from a freezing winters morning photographing in the Preseli Hills we took a wrong turn and ended up in a totally White Gwaun Valley. The surrounding areas were frosty but this quaint village was totally White with hard frost. After a warm up in the Dyffryn Arms it was time to get some shots and this wonderful metal Cockrell on a post brought a smile to my face and I said at the time ‘this would make a great calendar shot!’ I returned a few weeks later to hunt down the owner of the ‘Cockrell’ to ask if he would mind it being in my calendar and he kindly obliged so here he is.
Back cover – West Dale – I decided to photograph one of the many pebbles on West Dale beach up close as I found it fascinating how many of them have this White stripe through them. It made me think how this stripe came to be and appear in many of the pebbles there, which then got me thinking on how old they are and all sorts of questions buzzing round my head. I think we have all held a pebble whilst at the beach and wondered its history at some point or just loved the feel of them. I also wanted to bring out the relaxing feel I got while I was there that evening, so an out of focus back ground gives it that ‘dreamy’ look with the pebble taking centre stage in the foreground
Also available in Pembrokeshire from: Vincent Davies Department Store (Haverfordwest), Victoria Bookshop (Haverfordwest), The Sheep Shop (Haverfordwest), Siop Fach Tearoom (Mathry), Pembroke Castle Shop (Pembroke), Elements of Pembrokeshire (Saundersfoot)
