My first photography exhibition - National Library of Wales
Yn fy ngwaith fel ffotograffydd proffesiynol, fi’n cael y cyfle i deithio ar hyd a lled y wlad yn tynnu lluniau o fywyd Cymru.
Dwi wedi dogfennu popeth, o wyliau Cymraeg a digwyddiadau cerddorol i brotestiadau, ysgolion, cartrefi gofal a llawer mwy.
In my work as a professional photographer, I get the chance to go out and about across the country photographing Welsh life.
I’ve documented everything from Welsh language festivals and music events to protests, schools, care homes and so much more.
Yng nghefn fy meddwl, dwi wastad wedi gobeithio y byddai’r Llyfrgell Genedlaethol yn ystyried cynnwys fy lluniau ryw ddydd.
Mae’r Llyfrgell yn cynnwys casgliad o dros 1 miliwn o ffotograffau sy’n gysylltiedig â Chymru, gan gynnwys gwaith arloeswyr ym myd ffotograffiaeth a ffotograffwyr cyfoes. Pa mor sbesial fyddai cael fy lluniau i yn rhan o arddangosfa!
In the back of my mind, I’ve always hoped that one day my photography would be considered by the National Library of Wales.
It features a collection of over 1 million photographs connected to Wales, including the work of photography pioneers and contemporary photographers. How incredible that would be to have my photography as part of an exhibition, I thought!
Nes i ddim gadael fy hun i feddwl y byddai fy mreuddwyd fach i’n dod yn wir, go iawn, ryw ddydd. Ond, yn ddigon rhyfedd, dyna’n union ddigwyddodd!
Cysylltodd y Llyfrgell â fi ar ddiwedd y llynedd, am eu bod am brynu lluniau sy’n dogfennu bywyd yng Nghymru. Roedd ’da nhw ddiddordeb yn fy ngwaith, ac o’n nhw ishe ei gynnwys mewn arddangosfa o’dd ar waith ’da nhw!
I didn’t dare to think that this little dream of mine might actually happen someday but, strangely enough, like a dream come true it has!
The Library got in contact with me at the end of last year wanting to purchase images documenting Welsh life. They were interested in my work and wanted to include it in an upcoming exhibition they were working on!
Wrth ddarllen hwn, falle bo chi’n holi sut aeth y Llyfrgell ati i ddewis fy llunie?
Wel, ar fy ngwefan, mae ’da fi dudalen benodol ar gyfer galerïau cleientiaid. Mae’r mannau hyn ar fy ngwefan yn cael eu diogelu gan gyfrinair. Dyma lle mae fy nghleientiaid yn gallu pori drwy’r lluniau dwi wedi eu tynnu, a chreu rhestr o’u ffefrynnau.
Yr hyn sy’ wir yn ddefnyddiol am y galerïau cleientiaid hyn yw, pan fydd cleient yn dewis un o’i ffefrynnau, mae’r system yn fy hysbysu o hyn. Mae hyn yn fy helpu i ddeall beth yw eu hoff luniau.
Ar gyfer y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol, nes i greu galeri luniau breifat ar-lein a rhoi mynediad iddyn nhw at gannoedd o luniau o’n i wedi’u tynnu dros y blynyddoedd, a oedd yn portreadu bywyd yng Nghymru. Gymerodd e gwpwl o ddyddie i fi ddewis y delweddau a’u lanlwytho, ond roedd e’n gyfle grêt i atgoffa’n hunan o’r amrywiaeth o waith dwi wedi ei wneud, ac o’dd e’n gyfle i hel atgofion sbesial.
Reading this, you might be now wondering how the Library went about choosing from my images?
Well, on my website, I have a dedicated page for client galleries. These are password-protected areas of my site where clients can view the images I have taken, and where they can create a ‘favourites’ list.
What’s really useful about these client galleries is that when clients mark an image as a ‘favourite’, I receive a notification. This helps me to understand which images they like the most.
For the National Library of Wales, I created a private online image gallery and gave them access to hundreds of photographs that I’ve taken over the years which depict Welsh life. It took me a few days to choose the images and upload them, but it was a lovely opportunity to remind myself of the variety of work that I have done and many of them brought back lots of lovely memories.
Roedd rhai o’r lluniau ro’n i wedi eu dewis yn cynnwys lluniau o Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru, protest Annibyniaeth Cymru ym Merthyr, a lluniau o gigs a gwyliau cerddoriaeth fyw.
Ar ôl i fi gyflwyno’r lluniau i’r curaduron yn y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol, aeth sawl wythnos heibio, a nes i ddim meddwl mwy amdano. Hyd nes i fi dderbyn hysbysiad bod 28 o fy lluniau wedi cael eu dewis yn ffefrynnau.
Ro’n nhw ishe prynu prints ohonyn nhw! O’n i mewn sioc!
Among the images that I choose to include were those from The National Eisteddfod, the Welsh Independence protest in Merthyr Tydful, and those captured at live music gigs and Festivals.
After I submitted them to the curators of the National Library, a few weeks went by and I thought nothing more of it. That was until I received a notification that 28 of my images from the selection that I’d sent them had been ‘favourited’.
They wanted to buy prints of them! I was gobsmacked!
Y cam nesa’ oedd archebu prints 16 x 20-modfedd o bob un o’r delweddau yr oedd yr Amgueddfa wedi dewis eu prynu.
Roedd yn rhaid i fi wneud yn siŵr eu bod wedi’u hargraffu ar bapur ffotograffiaeth arbennig, er mwyn ateb gofynion y llyfrgell, a nes i lofnodi pob llun unigol.
O’n i wrth fy modd â’r rhan yma o’r broses! Yn ffotograffydd, sdim byd yn well na gweld copi o un o’ch delweddau wedi’i harwyddo. Gyda’r lluniau’n fawr hefyd, maen nhw wir yn dod yn fyw!
The next step in the process was to order 16 x 20-inch prints of each of the images that the Library had chosen to purchase.
I had to make sure that they were printed on a specific photographic paper, to meet the library’s requirements, and I signed each of them individually.
I loved this part of the process! As a photographer, there is nothing better than seeing a printed copy of a photographic image that you’ve created. At that size, they really come to life too!
Fisoedd wedi hynny, yn hollol annisgwyl, daeth e-bost arall wrth y Llyfrgell yn dweud eu bod wedi dewis un o fy lluniau o’r casgliad hwnnw. Roedden nhw am ei gynnwys yn yr arddangosfa ‘Pobl’, yr oedd y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol yn ei roi yn y Riverside Gallery yn Hwlffordd!
Byddai’r arddangosfa’n canolbwyntio ar ffotograffiaeth ddogfen – fy forte i!
Ar y pryd, o’n i wrth fy modd. Odd e’n sbesial.
Rwy'n dyslexic felly pan yn darllen dydy'r gwybodaeth ddim yn sinco mewn ar unwiath, felly pan yn darllen am yr arddangosfa roeddwn ddim yn ystried pa mor sbesial o'dd yr arddangosfa tan i fi ei weld.
A few months after that, out of the blue, came another email from the Library saying that one image of the collection they bought has been chosen to be included in the ‘People’ exhibition, which the National Library was putting in the Riverside Gallery in Haverfordwest!
The exhibition would focus on documentary-style photography – my forte!
At the time I was very chuffed and thought “oh, that’s lovely”.
Because I'm dyslexic, information doesn't sync in instantly with me. When reading up about the exhibition It didn’t sink in properly. Therefore when the chance came to go and visit the exhibition for myself and it was then that the scale of the exhibition came to light.
Rai wythnosau yn ôl, ym mis Ionawr, o’n i’n tynnu lluniau yn Hwlffordd. Dyma’r cyfle perffaith i fi alw draw i weld yr arddangosfa.
Dyma pryd nath e fy mwrw i! Sylweddoles i pa mor arwyddocaol fyddai hyn i fi.
Am y tro cynta’ erioed, o’dd fy llun i’n cael ei gynnwys mewn arddangosfa!
A few weeks ago, in January, I had a photoshoot booked in Haverfordwest. This provided the perfect opportunity for me to pop in and visit the exhibition.
This was when it finally clicked! I realised how significant this was for me.
I was, for the first time, having my photography featured in an exhibition!
Pan gyrhaeddes i leoliad yr arddangosfa, o’n i methu credu pa mor broffesiynol oedd y cyfan.
Yr hyn sy’n anhygoel i fi yw bod fy lluniau’n cael eu harddangos yn ymyl lluniau ffotograffwyr, gan gynnwys y ffotograffydd Magnum, David Hurn. Mae’n cael ei ystyried yn un o oreuron y DU.
Ffotograffydd arall dwi’n ei edmygu’n fawr, hefyd, yw Raymond Daniel, ac roedd ei waith ef hefyd yn cael ei gynnwys yno. Sai wedi cwrdd â Raymond o’r blaen, ond dwi wrth fy modd gyda’i waith a’i lyfr, ‘Camera’r Cymro’. Fe oedd ffotograffydd priodas fy rhieni nôl ym 1971.
Roedd dad mewn band ar y pryd, o’r enw Dyniadon Ynfyd Hirfelyn Tesog. Mae llun Raymond o fy rhieni gyda’r band yn ddoniol, ac mae e hyd yn oed yn cael ei gynnwys yn ei lyfr.
When I arrived at the exhibition venue, I was overwhelmed by how professional it looked.
What is still incredible to me is that my photography is featured alongside that of photographers including the Magnum photographer, David Hurn. He’s considered one of the best in the UK.
Another photographer who I really admire, Raymond Daniel, also had his work featured there. I have never met Raymond but love his work and book ‘Camera’r Cymro’ and he actually took my parents’ wedding photos back in 1971.
My dad was in a band, at that time, called the Dyniadon Ynfyd Hirfelyn Tesog. Raymond’s group shot of my parents with the band is really comical and it’s even included in his book.
Fy llun o’r band Candelas a ddewiswyd gan y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol.
Candelas yw un o fandiau mwyaf poblogaidd y Sîn Roc Gymraeg yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd, ac mae’r llun hwn nawr yn rhan o hanes!
The photograph of mine chosen by the National Library is one of a band called Candelas.
Candelas are currently one of the most popular bands on the Welsh Language Rock Scene in Wales, and this image is now a part of history!
Ar hyn o bryd, mae’r arddangosfa yn y Riverside Gallery, yna bydd yn dychwelyd i’r Llyfrgell Genedlaethol. Bydd yr arddangosfa’n parhau hyd at 23 Ebrill 2022.
Am ragor o wybodaeth, ewch i wefan Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru .
At the moment, the exhibition is at Riverside Gallery and then will return to the National Library of Wales. The exhibition continues until 23 April 2022.
For more information visit the National Library of Wales website.
