People

Coracle Races on the River Teifi

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I headed up to Cilgerran on the Bank Holiday weekend to watch the annual coracle races. Coracles (or cwrwgl in Welsh) are traditionally used on the Teifi and the races are a long standing tradition. In use for over 2000 years, coracles have a rich history as a simple one person boat used for fishing as a pair by dragging a net down a stretch of river between two of the small boats and the design has been used in different cultures all over the world for fishing as well as transport for people and livestock. In Wales they would originally have been made from a willow frame with animal hide stretched over the bowl. The design of the boat was specific to each river making it possible to identify roughly where each was made. Nowadays they are more commonly made from ash with painted canvas or fibreglass used as the waterproof material that forms the hull.

Victory in the races is largely down to good technique with a unique paddle stroke used to propel the coracle forwards without it spinning out of control. There was a good crowd at the weekend but in the past the event was much bigger as this film from 1969 shows.

Watch Coracle Races, Cilgerran online - BFI Player

More info - Welcome | The Coracle Society

Merched y Môr - Fundraiser in St Davids Cathedral

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Merched y Môr are a group of brave friends planning to row the Atlantic next year and they are raising money through various events before they depart in 2025. Last weekend saw a concert in St Davids cathedral with the Goodwick Brass Band and the Landsker Singers. Here’s a few pictures from the evening. Look out for other events coming soon including an opportunity to try firewalking!

Bump Shoot at Milford Haven

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Ceri and Martin are close to welcoming their new addition to the world and wanted some pictures of them and their bump before life gets a bit more chaotic! We took a stroll around the waterside at Milford Haven docks for a relaxed shoot as the sun was disappearing.

Portraits with Ed

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Ed needed some images for his website and was only down in Pembrokeshire for a few days so we didn’t have much choice with the weather. It was a damp day at Pwllgwaelod but we made the best of it and his daughter certainly bought some colour to the shoot.

Portrait Workshop with Craig Fleming

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I went down to London at the weekend to attend a workshop led by the photographer Craig Fleming who has had several entries in the Portrait Photographer of the Year Award in the past. It was a chance to watch his process, ask questions and spend some time in a studio environment which is rare for me. The model was Laurie Delaney who was fantastic to shoot and made it easy to make some portraits I was pleased with. Craig created a very relaxed and open atmosphere so no question felt too basic and it was easy to follow his lead.