Aerial Photography – Photographing Wales From The Air
What is it about the view from above that is so enthralling? I have always been fascinated by the vistas revealed from high places, and soon discovered that mountain-walking satisfied this longing to look down from a high vantage point. Many of Britain’s highest peaks are more that 3000 feet above sea-level and provide a lofty perch from which to view the surroundings.
The view from the air is different. The observer is no longer rooted to the ground, but instead can soar above it, without the need to follow roads or footpaths. It is possible to take in wide areas at a glance, and gain a far greater understanding of the relationships between the man-made and the natural landscape. From the ground, often only the largest features of the landscape – mountains, rivers, lakes and valleys – can be appreciated for their form and scale. From the air, you can gain a much greater insight: a tidal estuary appears as an intricate network of channels, almost mirroring the roots of a tree; farmland often resembles a patchwork quilt; towns and cities, which may appear formless from the ground, can be seen to have grown around natural features, such as a river or surrounding hills.
Nowhere is this more true than in Wales, where the landscape has largely determined how the built environment has developed. In the north, the major settlements hug the coastline whether they are the coastal resorts of Llandudno and Prestatyn, or the defensive towns of Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris, guarded by the fortresses of Edward I’s castles. Further inland, the rocky cliffs and crags of Snowdonia safeguard the land from too much human encroachment. To the south, the Brecon Beacons mark the northern end of the industrial south. Today, little remains of the mining industry and the valleys that flow down to Cardiff are crammed with former coal and steel towns such as Merthyr Tydfil, Ebbw Vale and Pontypridd.
One of the many glories of Wales is its coastline, and the best way to see it is from the air. The most westerly part of Wales along the Pembroke coast is marked by the rocky headland at St Davids, and the windswept islands of Skokholm and Skomer just off the coast. The aerial viewpoint reveals the full drama of these remote outposts.
I have visited Wales many times over the years. When I look down on the familiar landscape from above I am reminded of the Welsh national anthem and the people who are fortunate to dwell in the country, “in which poets and minstrels rejoice.”
Award-winning principal aerial photographer Simon Kirwan has over 25 years professional experience as an aerial photographer, and is the author of several books of aerial photography, covering England and Wales, titles including Lake District From The Air, and Wales From the Air, and is available for new book publishing and commercial projects. Simon Kirwan was named The Observer Outdoor Photographer of the Year 2000, and is a member of the Association of Photographers and the National Union of Journalists, and is represented by Altitude-Photo, the world’s only specialist aerial photographic agency, established by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, author of The Earth From The Air, and The Earth From Above.
Aerial Photography by Simon Kirwan
Travel Photography by Simon Kirwan