
Front Cover – Broad Haven. I chose this image for the front cover purely because of its impact. I was going through my photos from an evening at Broad Haven and as soon as I saw it I could envisage this scene with ‘Pembrokeshire’ written above it. I have had to keep this image secret for months until the Calendar was ready but the feeling I got when I saw it for real as the front cover was immense!

January – Porthgain. Having a close bond with this area due to family history there makes it hard not to include Porthgain. I chose a view which is different but very recognisable due to the white building. I also wanted to bring people that have visited there back to a point where they probably would have stood as many people walk around the Quay walls.

February – Tenby. I steered away from the typical ‘Tenby’ scene to bring a calmer feel to the town of Tenby. I wanted to capture the fact that Tenby is beautiful not just for its colourful buildings but for other aspects also. This image was captured at 5.30am and I would recommend to anyone that seeing this place at that time of the Morning is special, you see it….and hear it, in a whole new perspective.

March – St David’s Cathedral. Due to St David’s Day being in March I simply felt obliged to put this photo in. I had taken a shot a few weeks prior to taking this and although happy with it, I felt it lacked strength. I was then passing through St David’s one evening on route to Whitesands Bay and we made a special stop as the clouds were telling me a great shot was in the making, I am glad I listened.

April – Strumble Head Lighthouse. I was thrilled to visit this place after so many years of seeing its light from Porthgain cliff tops and wondering where it was. I cannot really explain why it took me so long to visit this place but it is now amongst my favourites.

May – Ty Canol Woodland. I had it in my head since last year that I wanted ‘Bluebells’ for ‘May’ in my next Calendar. After visiting a few places I still didn’t have the image I wanted. Then while having a weekend up north of the County I visited Ty Canol woodland and was greeted by meadows of Bluebells and mossy stones. A truly beautiful walk and very magical.

June – Solva. After I produced last year’s calendar I was asked a lot about Solva and why I did not include one of Pembrokeshire’s most popular places. Well, apart from having no room left in my 2016 Calendar, I hadn’t yet got a shot I was really happy with without going down the route of Solva and its classic harbour scene. Having scoured the coast path on either side I eventually found what I was looking for and something I was happy with and a unique view of a much photographed place.

July – Between Havens. I wanted to include part of Pembrokeshire’s famous coastal path in this Calendar and it was on a walk from Druidstone Haven to Nolton Haven that I got a very special vibe about this place. So much so that I retuned at Sunset to capture the Sun light up the paths flowers with its Golden light as it went down.

August – Blackpool Mill. I have taken lots of photographs from this area and was never really happy with the result, it was either a dull sky, or the water current too strong churning up the river bed making it look mucky. So it took a few visits to capture it with an interesting sky and to have a calm river giving me the reflections I wanted. I think I will be visiting this place in autumn as I can imagine how lovely it looks with the yellows and reds of the trees

September – Druidstone Haven. This image was taken after I had finished deciding on what photos will appear in the Calendar and it was nearly in production. There was something about it which saw me removing a photo and replacing it with this one. My nephew had built this while I was there on a ‘photo’ evening. I wanted to brush up on my aperture skills while waiting for a Sunset and got this result, definitely one of my favourite shots to date.

October – Green Bridge of Wales. I included this famous landmark as it is a place which can be sometimes quite difficult for people to visit and because its shows off natural beauty at its best. The area surrounding it and the neighbouring Stack Rocks is sometimes closed off due to firing on the Castlemartin range, and of course it is always best viewed on a nice day, so considering these factors, it narrows the window somewhat. Have been there a few times now and it is one of those places which has a magnetism and you have to pull yourself away to leave.

November – Broad Haven. This was one of the first photos I decided to have in this year’s Calendar. I chose it not only because of the colour and light but because of the ‘prehistoric’ feel it gives off. It could be a scene taken from thousands of years ago, unspoilt by man and yet so beautiful.

December – Carew Castle. I chose this shot for this particular month as it has a very wintery feel about, yet also gives off a warmth from the rising Sun. Carew is a very atmospheric and a place for reflection which is another reason to have it in the month of Christmas. A Robin redbreast on the branches would have been ideal but you can’t have everything!

Back cover – Whitesands Bay. You can’t really see much of what this place is like but I wanted to leave people with a warm photo and something that reflected Pembrokeshire and its surrounding beaches. This photo seems to end the 2017 Calendar perfectly…as I carry on looking for more treasured places for 2018 and beyond….
My 2017 Calendar is available to purchase from this website and is also available at selected stores in Pembrokeshire. Click HERE to buy one now!
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