The Biting Wind

Llanelli Coedcae Comprehensive

In spite of the biting wind, we decided to carry on with our field trip to Burry Port, and what a time we had – short and shivery, that is! The minibus took us to the harbour, first to the east side and we thought it best to do the training part in the bus, which was just as well because, despite all of us being well wrapped up, we couldn’t stay out for very long. And nearly the first thing that happened was that my hat flew off in a gust of wind and landed in the harbour! Even I had to laugh.



Above: Coedcae kids braving the weather at Burry Port

It was good hat, though and I really missed it for the rest of the day. We took lots of pictures of the boats, the railings, the buildings and the sea (not to mention my hat in the water) before nipping back in the bus briefly to go round to the other side of the port where the old lighthouse is situated. Here we took as many photos as we could before making it back to the bus before we froze. Back at school, I did the normal thing of looking at the children’s three best pictures and was very pleased indeed at the quality of the work, even though some were obviously taken with shaky hands.


Maes y Morfa Juniors

A trip to the Elli Centre for the juniors was a really good idea. Lots of interior shots of corridors, details of fruit on show and other goods made for some interesting compositions. On the way back to the minibus we also took pictures of some of Llanelli’s most important buildings including Eglwys Elli, Ty Elwyn, the old cinema and the newly refurbished town council building. Great pics were taken today and I’m very pleased with the work as we looked at it on our return to the classroom. I’m certain we’ll get some very fine work next time we go out on our second field trip.



Ken Day, photographer

Llanelli Coedcae Comprehensive and Maes y Morfa Juniors

Once again, it was a great pleasure for me to start a new project in different schools. This time, we're in two Llanelli schools, starting in the morning with Coedcae Comprehensive, then going on to Maes y Morfa after lunch. The class were so delighted with their cameras and couldn't wait to start snapping each other in the room. As usual, I introduced the ideas about landscape, with which we will be working, such as 'don't forget the big things'.



Above: Half the Maes y Morfa children happy with their cameras

That means, of course, the sky, the sea, the ground; and then there are all the things in the landscape that make each one special, like trees, roads, buildings, cars, people. We've got to think about why the things in the landscape are actually there. Why was the castle built on a hill? Why did they put the road in the valley? What do the hedges do? These questions will help us to take better landscape pictures.



Above: The Coed Cae class with the new cameras

Then we looked at how to hold the camera when framing and shooting. What are the important things? Keep it steady, hold it in two hands and squeeze the camera to operate the shutter. This way you help to stop blurry photographs. So, we practiced that by taking pictures of each first, then going out to the school grounds and snapping the trees, walls and buildings – not forgetting the people!



Above: The other half of the Maes y Morfa class with their new cameras

I was very pleased to see everybody's best three shots at the end of each session. It was a very good start to the project, with some interesting work. Next time we will go on our first field trip. Let's hope for nice weather!

Ken Day, photographer

Time in the Classroom

I never thought I'd be happy to spend time in the class room, rather than go out and take pictures; but today was the exception. We spent the day doing the first day of the computer training sessions at Milford Haven in both the comprehensive and the juniors, and while the weather did its worst, we were snug indoors.

Starting, as usual, with the comp kids, we learned how to download from the camera and how to create and name folders. This is very important to know, otherwise finding our work later will be nearly impossible. Once we had created the relevant folders for all the field trips we made, there was time to have the first go at looking closely at the pictures we have taken. There are so many that it will take quite a time to choose our best twenty. Once we have them, we will make the final choice of ten, which will go into the exhibition.

Having spent the time with the comp, Cheryl and I did the same thing with the juniors in the afternoon.

I must say that everybody from both schools did very well and taking a first peek at some of the images the children have made was very encouraging. I'm sure we will have a cracking show.

Next time we meet, we will continue working on the computers, making those first all too difficult choices about which pictures we think are best. The added challenge when we make the final ten to be exhibited will be to name the pictures and to say why we have chosen them.

Ken Day, photographer

What a nice change!

What a nice change! It’s January, so it won’t be warm, but today the sun shined for us as we explored Pembroke Castle with the kids from the comprehensive this morning. It really is big, with thick walls overlooking the river and town and a huge central tower that is nearly eight hundred years old. With lots to see and explore (and photograph) we went all round the castle taking many pics of everything from details in the stones to the mysterious underground cavern where stone age people lived. Having explored the towers and the buildings and looked at the views, we spent time at the gatehouse, where there is a museum and exhibition.

We saw waxwork tableaux of royal banquets, scenes of life in the castle during late medieval times and many other interesting exhibits. We learned that Henry VII was actually born there. Most of the kids liked the scale model of the castle and the grounds as it would have looked in medieval times. In fact, when it came to looking at the pictures back in class, quite a number of the children chose photos of the model as one of their three favourites for the day.



Above: Comprehensive class outside Henry VII%27s Tower

Apart from taking great images of one of Wales’ most impressive castles and having a nice morning out in the rare sunshine, we did learn how important it is to keep checking your work by looking at the photos as they are taken.

Unfortunately, for staffing reasons, we were unable to go out with the juniors in the afternoon, but we hope to make a new arrangement very soon.

Next time we meet, we will start work on the computers, downloading the work and beginning the process of choosing the best work.

Ken Day, photographer

A Bigger Picture in Wales: Experiencing the Landscape

I seem to concentrate on the weather a lot recently, but with some justification as far as field trips with the kids from Milford Comprehensive and Junior Schools are concerned. Today is not going to be an exception. Low cloud, drizzle and cold followed by real rain – that was our lot today. However, my disappointment at the quality of the light was not shared by the children. They are happy to be out and about with their cameras, whatever the weather.

After about half an hour we drove to St. Anne’s lighthouse, where we had another walkabout, this time on the paths around the old lighthouse and near the new one. This gave us a different perspective on the sea, especially when a tanker passed below the headland. Some good pictures were taken of the pasture with sheep in the foreground and the passing tanker behind.

Back in school, we again looked at the children’s best pictures in the back of their cameras. This is the bit everybody likes – reviewing the morning’s work and making those difficult choices. This time the challenge of deciding the difference between natural and man made added another dimension to the process. The next time we meet will be the first Friday back at school in January and we will have our last field trip. The added challenge will be to take more time over the picture taking by looking at each shot as it is taken in order to check the focus, framing, blurriness and levelness. We should be able to ensure that even more good pictures are taken that the kids can be proud of.



Above: St. Annes Head with the comprehensive kids

After lunch Cheryl and I met the juniors at Gelliswick, a small village with a shingle beach near Milford Haven. It is ideal for this field trip, with its theme of looking at the landscape and seeing what might be natural and what man-made. The shore itself with plants, sea and shingle was easy to identify as part of the scenery that was almost purely natural, while most of what we could see – the jetty with its pipeline, the road, houses and even the fields, we decided were either actually made by humans or at least altered. The children had a great time taking pictures of almost everything around them: on the foreshore with stones, shells; the sea with boats and the pipeline; and the houses by the shore.

It was good to get back to the classroom, though. Some of us took a bit of warming up!
Looking through all the children’s work that day was a great pleasure. They had done some brilliant work and everybody was keen to point out what they thought was nature and what was changed in the landscape.

Next time we meet will be the last of the field trips and we will be concentrating on taking the very best pictures we can by checking each frame after we have taken it. Then, if there is a mistake – maybe the horizon will be not level, maybe we missed the thing we were trying to picture – we can take the photo again. This way we take more care and pay more attention to what we are trying to achieve.

Ken Day, photographer

A Big Picture in Wales

At last we have been able to do our second field trip. The weather has been so bad in the last few weeks with torrential rain, floods and gale force winds that we had to postpone our scheduled day out. The trouble is that the schools need to know in advance to fit in their timetables. Anyway, this time it worked out pretty well. The visibility was very good and the clouds dramatic, giving the children plenty of opportunities to get good landscape pictures.

Cheryl and I arrived at the comprehensive at 9.15 – just in time to follow the two minibuses to Neyland, where we parked at Brunel Quay, not far from the statue to the great man (Isambard Kingdom Brunel, that is). The wind hit us straight away, not bothering to go round us! Excitement got the better of the bitter wind and the kids wasted no time at all making pictures of the sea, clouds, the monuments to the town’s great history and the quayside itself. Walking round looking at the new bridge, the beaches and the rails set into the tarmac, lots of very good photos were being taken. Almost the final thing arriving back to the buses was staring up at the bronze statue of Brunel with a ship in one hand, a train in the other and his trademark stovepipe hat firmly on his head. Grateful to be back in the warmth of the classroom for the last morning lesson, we took time to look through all the day’s photos.


Above: Mliford juniors enjoying taking pictures despite the cold at Neyland

This is one of the main advantages of digital photography – looking in the back of the camera at your work before it is downloaded and getting a real sense of how well the session has gone and how many are cracking images. This time the challenge has moved on. Today the children had to choose their first, second and third best pictures, show them to me and give reasons for their choices. I was very impressed by the quality of the work. There has been a general increase in ability to look through the camera and compose a picture, as well as the all-important measure of holding the camera steady to reduce blurring from shake. The single vital thing, though, is the joy and satisfaction they are all getting from picture taking.

Next week we’ll go to Pembroke Castle if it’s raining and Sandy Bay if fine. The new challenge will be to say something about the landscape and the things in it – for instance, why is the castle where it is, and what natural forces have helped shape the land forms – and at the same time take great pics.


Above: Milford Comp kids at Brunel Quay

Well, after a short lunch exploring the Mackerel Wharf, we met the juniors, who had walked down to meet us. Two new children have joined the group, making a full complement of fifteen. Both Katie and Ieuan are very keen. Braving the cutting wind, we walked around the wharf taking pictures of the sea and sun, the boats in the marina, reflections in the puddles and all sorts of other images that fired the kids’ imaginations. Like the comp, the juniors are getting a lot out of their picture taking and are producing some very good work. We were all ready to go back to the warmth of the school for the last part of the day. It was so cold! I’d forgotten how much colder you feel when wind chill is added – next week I’ll wear proper winter gear.

Looking through the day’s photos and appreciating the care they all have taken was a very nice experience. The challenge of choosing the three best (and why) was taken up with enthusiasm. Also, we started to take the pictures more carefully, trying to look at the whole picture as well as the main subject. Next time we’ll look at the things in the landscape and ask ourselves how they came about or why they are there.

Ken Day, photographer

A Big Picture in Wales

Wet, wet, wet!

Milford Haven today has been rainy from 9 am to 3pm, just the time we have been doing the first of our outdoor photo sessions with children from the comprehensive and junior schools. Cheryl and I were a few minutes late due to big road works along the way, but that made no difference to anybody’s enthusiasm at the comp.

So, we made our way immediately in the minibus and cars to Withybush Woods, which is near the airport and has paths through the woods. Dripping though it was, there were no complaints and loads of photos taken. We looked at leaves on the ground, moss and patterns of trees against the grey sky. After a while we came to a wooden bridge and took more pics of rain falling on water, and the group had the job of standing there trying to enjoy the rain while I took their picture. A bit further along the path we came to a lake with a small stone bridge and a lovely granite seat.


Above: MH Comp Withybush Woods

Some great shots were taken here. Then we made our way back to the vehicles in very good spirits, despite the constant rain. Back in class, everyone looked the pictures taken that morning and had the tough job of deciding which was the best. It was easy for me – all I had to do was sit and look at all those lovely photographs!

After lunch Cheryl and I met the juniors at the Rath, and supposedly in the under the cover of the bandstand. The weather, however, was doing its best to spoil our afternoon by blowing the rain horizontally at us off the sea. Luckily, the Winter Gardens are close by and we were at least out of the worst of the wind and able to take some photos. It’s a nice place to visit even on such a day. Apparently, the swimming pool used to be there and now it has been landscaped, making lots of photo opportunities for the children.


Above: MH Juniors Rath Golf

The rain eased a bit, so we walked over to the Memorial Gardens, where there are plenty of chances to take different kinds of images, with mature trees, various memorials and other structures. Having taken all the pics we could, the children made their way back to school and we set about sorting the photos we’d all taken that afternoon. It’s not an easy task, but it gets us in the swing of making decisions about what looks good. This practice will be handy towards the end of the project next spring when we will need to look at all the photographs and make the difficult choices of our ten best to go in the exhibition.

Ken Day, photographer.