For this day trip I brought along all my photo gear but on arrival decided, as I often do, to just walk about with my Leica M-D and iPhone. No tripods, bags and filters. A simple approach. Below is a selection of images I captured on my Leica M-D with 50mm Summilux. I regretting not bringing my wide angle lens for the rocks not the beach but I do love the 50mm focal length and the restrict that places on me as a photographer.

The weather was pretty flat today. I can imagine in low warm light and if the tide was out there is a lot of potential for a nice series of Landscape Photographs here. For now though I’m happy with the photographs form my first visit. It’s good to visit somewhere new with no idea of what to expect.

Below is a selection of images I captured with my iPhone.

All of the prints on this blog are available as Archival quality prints. Contact me for details…

Connection with the Landscape is something I’ve always felt and tried to convey in my images. But here it was different, like I had been here before or there is a memory of something positive in my past that is lodged in me somewhere. Like a really positive feeling and connection has taken place here before for me. During shots I was conscious to stop and take in this place, quite often I can find myself rushing about trying to see different compositions and images and as the light fades doing all I can to capture what I’m seeing. Today I was as happy to feel what I was seeing. It wasn’t a race. More freezing of time to just be.

I remember many years ago, probably ten years ago when I was walking down Helvellyn in the Lake District. The light was perfect but I had to be somewhere, probably my parents house for tea so not to be accused of treating them like a hotel. I remember making a conscious note that I’m always rushing about. Always have to be somewhere and then when I’m there, I’m there for 5-10 mins taking images then I’m going somewhere else. I don’t seem to just sit and look, take in what I’m seeing. The urge of having to capture what I see is always there and always has been but these days I’m trying really hard to focus less on the process and more on the being. I think my lack of physical and mental energy these days has forced me to change.

I’m trying to spend more time living in the present moment. Focusing on right now, what I’m experiencing, feeling, seeing, hearing. I seem to spend a lot of my time in the past or the future. I’ve always been ambitious, a dreamer you might say and as the opposite of that I seem to spend a lot of time going over things that have happened in the past and usually things that serve me no purpose in the present moment or the future. I think this visit to Llanddwyn Island is a turning point, or what you might call a watershed moment for me. I seem to have broken through to another level of thinking, or not thinking and just being. Such was the profound connection I felt with this place it made me realise that just because things aren’t how you wish, doesn’t mean you’re worse off. There is, and always has been within me the ability to form great connections with people, places and things and for that I am grateful and honoured. Maybe things aren’t like they were in the past, maybe times have changed but it doesn’t take away from the positives I feel or the connections I still feel so strongly inside of me. I think it took this visit to Llanddwn Island to make me stop and think. Make me connect within myself and just take a few moments to live in the present and be thankful for who I am and what I am.

Llanddwyn Island on Anglesey once home to Dwynwen the Welsh patron Saint of Lovers is a place of special significance to so many. There are many versions of the legend of Dwynwen, did she want to be released from an unhappy love or did she want her young lover but circumstances with her family denied them a chance. Whatever the truth the story of love and heartbreak resonates with so many still to this day. Such is the power of love. It never goes away. Whether stood beside your love or thinking of them on Llanddwyn Island there is no denying this is a truly romantic and beautiful place, as the myth has proven, true love lasts forever and where better to appreciate, remember or hope for love than Llanddwyn Island.

Anyway you’re here to see photos so here they are. A few compositions I experimented with and maybe these images will do justice in conveying how amazingly beautiful this fine place is.