Gated Estates - The Globe at Hay

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A friend and the band he has put together have been creating some new sounds recently. They describe it as…

“Agitated art rock from the Brecon Beacons. Climatic melodies, staccato guitars, arpeggiated synths, impellent beats.
Like pulling back a metal sheet at the end of a garden and discovering a circuit board, but all the capacitors have been replaced with rolled up string which unravel very satisfyingly.”

I’m always a fan of great melody and when that comes with high level musicianship, skillful songwriting and innovation, I’m in. I’ve been playing Gated Estates on repeat since they released their first 3 singles and I’m looking forward to hearing the full studio album. This gig was the launch of the album and it was a great show in the old chapel that is now The Globe venue in Hay-On-Wye. An intimate space that they filled with energy. Check them out on Bandcamp or on the socials. The full album is out on the 9th June Music | Gated Estates (bandcamp.com)

Inspiration - Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast

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Inspiration for my photography comes from all types of media and not just the visual arts. Great literature and music is able to conjure those images in our minds eye and so it can become ‘visual’ in some way. I’ve always been a fan of writing and poetry for that ability to create images in my head but poetry in particular has sometimes been challenging for me because I find myself unsure of my interpretation and if it’s too difficult to even grasp a meaning, I’m slightly ashamed to say I just give up on it. It’s good to have a guiding hand to help through the difficult bits and offer thoughts on the piece and I’ve found Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast to be just about perfect for me. Frank reads through one or more poems by a different poet (or cohort) each week and interprets them for the listener, often picking out phrases that he loves and throwing in the odd anecdote that helps to give a broader understanding of the meaning. As a result, I’m able to enjoy the poems because I’ve had that help to get me through the challenging bits and through to the end.

I particularly enjoyed this episode about several pieces from Clare Pollard which have some great descriptions that create images and atmosphere in abundance. It’s always a good challenge to have a brief to work a set of images around and a poem is a great starting point so perhaps I’ll have to pay a visit to Zennor and Whitby one day.

Here’s a Spotify link but the podcast is available on all your usual platforms.

Clare Pollard - Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast | Podcast on Spotify

Milan - San Remo 2023

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A short trip out to San Remo to watch the end of one of the ‘monuments’ of pro cycling; the Milan - San Remo. The race finishes in the centre of town and it’s a great place to spend a few days; exploring (getting lost in) the sprawling alleyways of the old town, cycling along the brilliant coastal cycle path and venturing up into the hills that rise up behind the town for lunches in hilltop villages and some great cycling routes. A chat with the olive oil guy in the market was also a must-do for a stay in Italy.

I was trying to get some shots inspired by my hero of cycling photography, Jered Gruber but soon realised a motorbike and a press pass is the necessary to really tell the story of the day! Obvious I know!

It was still fun to get a few shots of the race, including Mathieu van der Poel winning on his own. Aside from the action it was lovely to be surrounded by the beautiful buildings of this once grand tourist destination and get some images that hopefully convey the atmosphere of a few sunny Spring days on the Ligurian coast.

New local

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I have a new local beach. A place I’ve always enjoyed taking photos at. It’s nice to be able to walk 10 minutes from home to get there now. It gives a good opportunity to really experiment with finding new compositions and to make the most of the light when a glance out of the window looks promising. The last image has an amusing story to it as I got trapped by the incoming tide. I spent a chilly hour and a half in a little cove of the beach where I had to wait until I could scamper around the rocks to safety. I made use of the time and took a long exposure in the near darkness which I quite liked.

Nepal in November

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In November we had a trip to Nepal. I was last in the country around 11 years ago and had always wanted to return to the mountains after spending a month trekking in the Khumbu (Everest) region. Over the last decade the mountains have become more popular so we wanted to go somewhere a little quieter. We arranged to go and trek the Manaslu circuit which traces a loop around the 8th highest mountain in the world. It’s a restricted area so requires permits and a guide both to keep tourist numbers under control and ensure safety, especially over the high altitude pass towards the end of the trek.

It was interesting to see the changes in Nepal since I was last there. In 2015 the country was rocked by an earthquake and as you might expect, the country was ill prepared for the covid pandemic but despite the signs of the earthquake, little had changed apart from the presence of electricity and the internet. The mobile phone has become ubiquitous and masts and power lines were much more prevalent in the mountains since I was last there.

Logistically, trekking in Nepal is made easy thanks to the tea houses that are scattered along the route in all but the most remote areas. It’s basic accommodation but a bed, food, drink, a shower and electricity are all available and not much else is required when walking long distances each day. We also chose to walk up the Tsum valley, a diversion from the route that took us up to the historic monastery of Mu Gompa, close to the Tibetan border. An amazing place to spend a freezing night looking down the valley under a sky full of stars.

Photographically, I travelled light as I would need to carry everything I took which meant no big lenses. I was aware of the miles we were going to be walking each day so my priority was keeping my pack weight down. I took a 40mm pancake lens and in hindsight I probably would have been better off with one of the latest mobile phones. The 40mm is a bit restrictive so is only really the right lens for a small number of shots.

The mountains are a fantastic environment and it’s hard to take it all in with a camera. Sometimes it’s better just to stand and breath in the views.

Another interesting thing about Nepal is how climate change is, or will be, effecting the country. Nepal has such vertiginous terrain. I’m sure if it was stretched out flat it would reach well into the heart of neighbouring India and Tibet. It’s a constant battle to keep roads and trekking routes open as landslips regularly smear huge amounts of rock and mud down the sides of the mountains. As a poor country with little to spend on clear up operations, it’s easy to see how more extreme weather makes the future uncertain for some routes.

One of the biggest pleasures of returning to Nepal was to be among the people again. On my first trip I had travelled through India and crossing the border into Nepal felt like a relief. Much quieter and more laid back. It was special to meet up with old friends who’d helped me out when I volunteered at a school in Kathmandu and it was also great to meet Dafuri, our guide for the Manaslu trek who taught us about the culture and customs in the mountain villages but also filled us in on the local gossip when we wanted to know what people were chatting about!

All in all a great trip.