A unique commercial photography commission steeped in Welsh legend
A finne’n ffotograffydd masnachol proffesiynol, dwi’n cael cyfle i dynnu lluniau o bob math o ddigwyddiadau, ac i weithio mewn gwahanol leoliadau.
Ar ôl bod yn gaeth i’r cartre’ am mor hir dros y gaeaf 2020 achos cyfyngiadau Covid, o’n i wir ishe mynd ma’s i dynnu lluniau o fywyd unwaith eto. Felly, ’nôl ym mis Ebrill y llynedd, o’n i mor falch o gael comisiwn gan Menter a Busnes. Mae Menter a Busnes yn fudiad sy’n cefnogi busnesau yng Nghymru. Comisiwn ffotograffiaeth fasnachol ddifyr ma’s yn yr awyr agored oedd hwn – un o’dd yn frith o chwedlau! Darllenwch ragor i glywed mwy amdano.
As a professional commercial photographer, I get to capture all kinds of events and go to a variety of different locations to shoot. After being locked in for so long over the winter of 2020, due to Covid restrictons, I was so longing to be able to go out and about capturing life again. So, I was thrilled when back in May, I was hired by Menter a Busnes – an organisaton that supports businesses in Wales. They had in mind a fascinating outdoor commercial photography commission. One that was steeped in Welsh legend! Keep reading to find out more about it.
Roedd angen i fi deithio o gwmpas Cwm Dyfi ar gyfer y prosiect, a thynnu lluniau o dirnodau a mannau o ddiddordeb o amgylch y cwm. Fe ofynnwyd i fi yn benodol i dynnu lluniau haniaethol/abstract ac artistig o’r tirnodau, gan eu bod ishe eu defnyddio nhw yn rhan o brosiect ieuenctid. Eu nod yn y pendraw oedd denu diddordeb pobl ifanc i gymryd rhan mewn gweithdy a fyddai’n dangos Biosffer Dyfi a’r cyfleoedd entrepreneuraidd sydd yno. Mae ymgyrch cyfryngau cymdeithasol a ffilm wedi’i chynllunio- Prosiect Ti Bia'r Biosffer. Fe fydd yn gyfres o ffilmiau byrion, yn dangos entrepreneuriaeth yn y dalgylch o gwmpas yr afon Dyfi. Dros ddeng mlynedd yn ôl, dynodwyd yr ardal hon i fod yn ardal Biosffer UNESCO - un o 7 yn unig yn y DU, a’r unig un yng Nghymru.
The project required me to travel around the Dyfi Valley and take images of landmarks and points of interest around the valley. I was specifically tasked with taking artistic and abstract shots of the landmarks as they wanted to use them as a part of a youth project. Their overall aim was to get young people interested in participating in a workshop to showcase the Dyfi Biosphere and its entrepreneurial opportunities. A social media and film campaign – the Ti Bia'r Biosffer project – is planned. It will be a series of short films showcasing entrepreneurism within the catchment surrounding the river Dyfi. More than ten years ago, this place was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere area - one of only seven in the UK, and the only one in Wales.
Ar gyfer y comisiwn ffotograffiaeth fasnachol yma, ges i gyfle deithio i ganolbarth Cymru a phrofi gwahanol leoliadau, yn cynnwys sawl lle nag o’n i wedi ymweld â nhw o’r blaen. Ges i gyfle hefyd i weithio bach yn wahanol, a thynnu lluniau a’u golygu mewn ffordd fwy arbrofol. Nes i joio ma’s draw yn tynnu lluniau o’r holl leoliadau, a mwynhau cymryd fy amser wrth dynnu lluniau’r gwahanol dirweddau enwog.
Dyma rai o uchafbwyntiau’r daith i fi:
For this commercial photography commission, I got to travel to mid-Wales and experience different locatons including many places that I’d never been to before. I also had a chance to work slightly differently, and to capture and edit images in a more experimental way. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing all the locations and having the luxury of time to capture the various landmarks. Below are my personal highlights of the road trip:
Yn ystod misoedd y gaeaf rhwng Ynyslas ac Aberdyfi, ar draws aber y Ddyfi, gallwch ymweld â’r Goedwig Hynafol.
Pan ofynnwyd i fi fynd yno i ddechre' o’n i’n edrych ’mlaen gymaint achos mai chwedl Cantre’r Gwaelod yw fy hoff chwedl Gymraeg. O’n i wir ishe tynnu lluniau o’r goedwig gudd. Y gaeaf yw’r adeg orau i weld y goedwig hynafol pan fydd y llanw cryf wedi golchi’r tywod i ffwrdd. Yn anffodus, achos nes i ymweld ym mis Ebrill, doedd dim gobaith gweld y goedwig! Roedd hi’n ddiwrnod stormus. Roedd hi’n wyntog ac yn bwrw glaw mân.
Yn benderfynol o gael llun, dyma fi’n tynnu llun o rywbeth a oedd yn awgrymu’r chwedl, gan wneud hyn drwy ddarlunio bod y gât ar agor.
During the winter months between Ynyslas and Aberdyfi, across the Dyfi Estuary, you can visit the Petrified Forest. When I was first asked to go there, I was so excited as the legend of Cantre’r Gwaelod is my favourite of the Welsh Legends. I was so hoping I could capture the sunken forest. The petrified forest is best seen in winter when the strong tides wash away the sand. Sadly, because it was the month of April when I visited, there was no chance of seeing the forest! It was a stormy day. The wind was blowing and the rain was drizzly. Undeterred, I decided to capture a hint of the legend and did this by illustra:ng that the gate was open.
Darllenwch ragor am y chwedl ddifyr fan hyn.
Read more about this fascinatng legend here.
Tref Aberdyfi oedd y lleoliad nesa’. Gofynnwyd i fi dynnu lluniau o dai lliwgar Aberdyfi.
Yn ddelfrydol, byddech chi’n meddwl y bydden i ishe tynnu eu llun nhw ar ddiwrnod heulog braf, ond roedd hwn yn ddiwrnod reit stormus. Roedd hyn yn siwtio’r prosiect i’r dim, achos do’n i ddim ishe i’r llun bortreadu’r tai yn rhy amlwg.
Yn lle tynnu lluniau cwbl glir, penderfynes gau drws y fan a defnyddio diferion y glaw i guddio’r tai. Roedd hefyd cyfle i arbrofi drwy dynnu lluniau ma’s o ffocws ar gyfer rhan yma’r prosiect.
The next location was Aberdyfi town. My brief had been to capture the colourful houses of Aberdyfi.
Ideally, you would think that I wanted to photograph them on a nice sunny day, but this day was quite stormy weather. This actually suited this project nicely as I didn’t want the picture to illustrate the houses too obviously.
Instead of taking nice crystal clear shots, I decided to close the window of my van and use the rain droplets to mask to houses. I also got to experiment with taking out of focus shots for this part of the project.
Ar fy ffordd nôl o Aberdyfi, galwais draw i bentre’ Pennal i dynnu llun o gerflun Owain Glyndŵr, sydd yn Eglwys Pennal. Ro’n i’n chwilio o gwmpas y pentre’ am ddelw fawr ma’s o garreg, ac yn methu dod o hyd iddo i ddechre’. Yna, dyma fi’n ei weld wrth gerdded tuag at yr eglwys. Odd e’n llai nag o’n i’n ei ddisgwyl. Penderfynes i dynnu llun o’r cerflun o bell, gan ddefnyddio’r clawdd o’m mlaen i gyfleu gwyrddni dros y cerflun. Es i mewn i’r fynwent i edrych yn agosach ar y darn o gelf anhygoel hwn, ac i gofio am y Cymro y mae’n ei goffáu – Tywysog Cymru.
On my way back from Aberdyfi, I called in at a village called Pennal to photograph the statue of Owain Glyn Dwr, which is located in Pennals Church. I was looking out for a large statue around the village but couldn’t spot it at first. And then I saw it as I was walking towards the Church. It was smaller than I expected. I decided to photograph the statue at a distance using the hedge in the foreground to create a green mask of colour over the statue. I went into the graveyard to take a closer look at this wonderful piece of art and to remember the Welshman it commemorates, the Prince of Wales.
Pan fyddwch chi’n meddwl am dref Machynlleth, falle mai’r cloc yw’r peth cynta’ sy’n dod i’r meddwl. Mae’n dirnod enwog reit ynghanol y dre’.
Pan nes i ymweld, o’n i’n falch fod y tywydd yn wael y diwrnod hwnnw a finne’n sownd mewn goleuadau coch! Rhoddodd hyn gyfle i fi dynnu llun atmosfferig o’r tŵr cloc enwog yn y glaw.
When you imagine Machynlleth town, the clock is likely to be the first thing that pops into your head. It’s a well-known landmark and is located smack-bang in the centre of the town. On the day I visited, I was thankful for bad weather and being stuck in red traffic lights! It allowed me to capture this atmospheric image of the infamous clock tower in the rain.
Dyma ragor o luniau o’r comisiwn ffotograffiaeth ar gyfer Menter a Busnes.
Allwch chi ddyfalu ble y tynnwyd y lluniau hyn, a beth yw’r tirnodau? Rhowch sylw isod a rhannwch eich cynigion gyda fi!
Here are further images from the photography commission for Menter a Busnes. Can you recognise where these were taken and the landmarks they capture? Comment below to share your guesses with me!
Dwi’n gobeithio eich bod wedi joio darllen am y comisiwn ffotograffiaeth fasnachol yma.
Os ydych chi’n meddwl am wneud prosiect a’ch bod yn chwilio am ffotograffydd masnachol yng Nghymru, cysylltwch â fi. Dwi wrth fy modd yn gweithio ar brosiectau o bob math.
Gallwch weld mwy o fy ffotograffiaeth fasnachol yma ar y wefan ac yn y blog.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this commercial photography commission. If you have a project in mind and are looking for a commercial photographer in Wales, do get in touch. I love working on a variety of projects. You can view more of my commercial photography work here on the website and featured in the blog.