This is an image of the old bridge in Conway. The angle of view is chosen to emphasise both the detail of the engineering and the whole bridge, the parts and their sum, if you like. The presence of the 2 figures walking through gives a perspective on size, and whilst I might have been tempted to introduce a blur in other circumstances, I have chosen to keep the whole image in focus as no one part is more important than another - they are a homogeneous whole. A mono treatment is chosen to fit with the age of the bridge and the overall feel of the image.

This is my first attempt at photojournalism. This former Victorian textile mill in the famous town of Haworth, West Yorkshire has been partly demolished and rebuilt into luxury homes. There is a lot of controversy over the way some of the mills in the area have been renovated.  I have been taking photos of this development over a period of 2 years to document the work in progress. This triptych gives a snap shot of the before and current phase of the work and I welcome the opportunity to share it with you.

This lake, in Copenhagen, regularly becomes an ice-rink in winter. The fresh ice makes an inviting mirror for the birds to slip and slide over. 

The glassy lake, church spire, bright, reflected buildings and daylight moon gave me a tingling thrill, (or was that just the extreme chill)? So I caught the colourful, elongated reflections, on a bitter-cold, super-dry, crystal Danish day. Despite a pandemic and the many obstacles in my way, I hope I managed to represent a little moment of joy!

I have always intended to capture an image of this poor vessel and I did

so a couple of years ago. Indeed, I captured quite a few including some

which showed that it had a busy commercial life before it ended up,

neglected, on Ferryside beach. I can easily imagine the crew working on

her and I wonder what they would think if they saw her now.

She was launched in 1992 after being built in Liverpool and, contrary to

the belief of many of the tourists in the area, was not a trawler but a

dredger.

I like the contrast she now brings to that beach: the fibreglass

pleasure craft around her compared with her metal hull. Nature has also

added to her artificial colours!

I feed the birds in my garden all year round but the visits from the jays are infrequent.  They are very hesitant and easily spooked.  However, lately they have become a little braver and so I decided to photograph them using some seed encouragement.  I wanted to photograph the vibrant colours of the bird whilst it was feeding.  The nyger seeds appeared to be its favourite and I was pleased to be able to capture it when it looked in my direction for a second.

My intention when creating this image was to show the apparently large moon rising over the fenced off, rural Ministry land.  This is an optical illusion that causes the moon to look larger and more orange in colour when it is close to the horizon.

This was my viewpoint from work during the alert level 2 restrictions in Wales. This, to me, is sign of the times in the Covid era as we had restricted numbers within our auditorium due to the rule of 6 and having seats becoming unavailable to ensure that social distancing was maintained, as 2-meter distancing was mandatory during level 2 restrictions at public places in Wales. As someone who works in the theatre as a Front of House Assistant, I’m so used to seeing the theatre full with 593 people. To see it at a very limited capacity, it was quite a surreal experience. The main thoughts of this title was that the photo was taken in The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen and at the time there was a film called ‘Save the Cinema’ which was based on a true story. It’s a story on how a local hairdresser & youth opera leader saves the theatre from being demolished, luckily, she won her battle. I think, now more than ever, we need to support the arts as theatres and live entertainment venues particularly have suffered during the pandemic and now, they have to be saved from closure once again.

It was a wet dark January day. It made it a lot better to watch this fox pouncing around the field.He looked happy when he caught a snack.

The orange looked solid but give it a squeeze and a semi-solid interior appears.

I’ve been experimenting with making portraits with a projector and I’m enjoying trying to do stuff “in camera”. I think that protecting images on top of the subject can add an extra dimension and meaning - perhaps a glimpse into what’s on the subjects minds. A young mind thats always racing with ideas

I had gone to St. David’s to visit an exhibition showcasing the work of Mike Perry. After seeing the show, I walked around the city partly out of simple interest but also to practice looking. As in really looking.

From across the road, I noticed these two hanging signs: one depicting a dark horse (of the famous Lloyds TSB variety) and the other a grinning fish on a bed of chips. To me, this is what the Decisive Moment is about- the recognition of visual coincidences and ironies. It isn’t just the simple fact that two signs depicting animals are near one another, but also the emotional juxtaposed dichotomies delivered by both. On one sign, there is the majestic, proud horse that one can imagine letting out this mighty neigh as he rears his front legs as a warning. On the other, a cartoonishly rendered fish who alternates between expressing his joy and representing sustenance on a plate. In a darkly humorous fashion, it is almost as though he is absolutely ecstatic at the thought of being eaten.

On a brief account of aesthetics, I decided to photograph in black and white because it was a grim day for the weather. I also thought the original blue of the fish and chips sign to be overpowering compared to that of the horse. In monochrome, the photograph became a level playing field for the signs.

The intention behind this image was to recreate an earlier image also entitle "Domestic Bliss" made on the 'spur of the moment' in 2015. However, the image should not be the same with newer more contemporary objects being utilised in it's construction yet retaining some of the original characteristics - the Ironing Board and Iron alongside an item of clothing on the Ironing Board and a situation comedy of some sort being displayed on the television. The shirt being ironed was selected to feature a scene and some text from the 1960's series the Prisoner while the scene on the TV was selected from the series 'Satellite City' - both series portrayed situations that could be said to be far from normal and thus reflect the current situation while referencing many of the feelings and emotions experienced throughout the last two years of the Pandemic.

A country lane in Carmarthenshire after a downpour. The road is a stream and the clouds have cleared after the deluge. The low sun emphasises the time of day and together with the reflections from the water frame the gate, which is shut, giving a sense of enclosure which, when combined with the branches of the tree overhead trap the viewer in the image. The fisheye lens emphasises the position of the viewer within the frame, with no means of escape obvious. The mono treatment adds to the surreal nature of the image.

When we were set the challenge of presenting a photo in a circle I set off with my camera to find some images that I thought would work. It found it quite hard initially, you really have to think about and experiment with what will actually work in a circle.  I had a couple of choices, but in the end opted for an image I had taken in the Autumn when I was practising some intentional camera movement, which I think works perfectly with the black background and draws you into the vortex!

Whilst shooting the overflow of a ramshackle junk-shop, I was startled by the owner, who emerged to give me a hard, “Paddington Stare” - but perhaps he was only curious! 

Feeling somewhat curious myself, I caught the rather Dickensian moment. To underline that idea, I edited the image with a nod to the etchings of Hablot Knight Browne, “Phiz”, an illustrator of Dickens’ stories. Hopefully the round framing also complements the theme.

I like making abstract and pattern images using the photos I have taken of the flora and fauna around me.  This image began as a photograph of the canopy of a mature ash tree in full summer foliage.  Layering duplicates of the photo in different orientations produced an image that reminded me of a high cathedral ceiling with the light flooding in through the stained glass windows and I can envisage that such an organic structure could exist somewhere still waiting to be discovered.  I added the leaf border to the circular frame to soften the hard edge and make it feel more natural.

My intention when creating this image was to replicate the rotation of the tree branches with the circle.

I’ve taken many images of seaside piers over the years but for this image, I wanted to try something a bit different. Mumbles Pier in Swansea still has some of its Victorian railings along its structure and I used these railings to try and create a unique image which I have not seen publicly done before. The pier is photographed a lot by many people, but not like this before. This image shows the end of the pier with both the old lifeboat station (no longer used) with the new lifeboat station. The pier is currently in the process of being developed, and the old lifeboat station is now planned to be a restaurant with huts being built along the pier. It may not be that long before this view changes!

Out on a frosty morning to take photos of Teasels . This unusual circular specimen became the inspiration for the theme.

I viewed this at a distance but it really needed a bird's eye view therefore I created a stereographic projection of the panorama to give this impression.

I picked this image for the themed section because I like the repetition of circular shapes. I also like the simple composition (which is aided by the mono presentation). The frozen moment in time raises the question: is the ball going in the hoop or will the shot be missed?

I went to Llandovery to check out a sheep sale and was expecting to make a few stereotypical black and white pictures of old farmers in flat caps. Fortunately, I broke out of this mindset when I started to notice mundane but unusual subject matter such as decayed Astro turf and colourful patches on the floor.

My rationale was William Eggleston’s notion of photographing democratically- when you are treating every subject as important as opposed to the usual approach of trying to find something mind blowing (which often fails). In the case of the table and stools, I was initially attracted to the brightness of the red, then, soon after, I noticed the circular shapes. The resulting image depicts an attempt at creative furniture design that is at odds with its rural setting as represented by the messy, straw-strewn floor. 

Admittedly, I didn’t think to use a circular frame until sometime after making the photograph but the visual repercussions of having three circles within a larger circle was too good to resist. It is great to have the opportunity to create something where the format helps to communicate an intended idea- in this case, colour and shape. 

This image was constructed deliberately to "Zoom" for the display and sharing of images by "Camera Clubs" during the last two years of the Pandemic. While the use of a Vignette and Selective Blurring of the image is intended to reference many of the uncertainties encountered during the period 2021-2022 it does mean that the image,  while it cannot be said to fully meet the criterion laid down in the brief, does meet my personal  expectations for the finished image as it was envisioned. It is a little 'dark' and there are a few 'bright' spots (one of which is the webcam indicator) and while they could be removed in post-processing would detract from the image as envisioned and intended.