How to Eryri in Spring

The sun will be abrupt
like the flaring underbelly
of a peregrine due south. Keep driving. 

It may feel like time has stopped
moving in a linear manner.
Clock your progress:

count rows of gorse and
umbrous rooftops and branches
snaking through fog. 

Landscape seems to repeat itself.
Do not be alarmed. Push forward,
search for the lore you came for –

quarry songs and desperate hounds,
a girl of meadowsweet flowers.
Voices on the radio will crack

as if pausing to observe
the weather, its potential.
Wind may fuss the mountains.

From the notebook:

Natalie: Whilst in Snowdonia National Park, we stopped at Porthmadog to hop on a steam train at the Ffestiniog Railway Station. The Ffestioniog railway is the world’s oldest narrow gauge railway that winds it way through Snowdonia’s captivating scenery. My poem, however, is not based on the railway – though that trip provided a lot of the imagery within this piece. For me, the most surreal and, I suppose, poetic moment of our journey through Snowdonia was when we entered the national park in our car. We were surrounded by thick white fog and all we could see was the gorse by the side of the road. It felt like we’d entered some surrealist painting or film set. Ultimately, I hope my poem captures the strangeness of that moment; of the low hanging mist and the mysterious Welsh weather. Once again, thank you to my Royal Holloway poets for their help and to my parents for taking us on such a great trip.

Chris: As Natalie says, we spent our days in Snowdonia covered in a thick fog. For exterior close ups, this gave us a fantastic big soft light source which was ideal for the portraits as it gave them a beauty lighting feel. There is a very natural fall off, filling in the shadows, however, it did mean that any landscapes had an overexposed sky. Fortunately for me, Natalie is a beautiful mix of pinks and oranges meaning the Superia picks up her skin and hair really well. I wish I’d had a roll of Portra with me but I’m shooting some Vision 3 right now so we’ll see how they all compare.