“The sun rose first on the dead and the sleeping. On the ruins of Victorian Ironworks. On the terraced roofs of the miners. On the weekday pubs, on the Sunday chapels and on the grimy frowning hills”                     (Every Valley, Norman Prouting (Script) 1957 BFI.)

Why “Hiraeth Photographic”?

“Hiraeth” is a Welsh word that cannot be translated into English. It is more a “feeling” or “state of being” than something which can easily be described. It is more than “homesickness”, deeper than “longing”, both nostalgic and yet not. It has been described as a “sense of place” yet it is not confined to any single place. It is all of these things and yet none of these things. If you want a dictionary definition then follow the link – “Hiraeth”

“Hiraeth” is a good working title for this blog – like my photography I both know what it is about, what I want to achieve and why I want to achieve it but, I also do not know these things (with any degree of certainty) – It’s just something that comes from deep within…..

While I hope that I can use this blog to “showcase” my particular brand of photography, its primary function is to act as a “Critical Research Journal” (or CRJ) for the MA in Photography at Falmouth University (two years, online study/distance learning).

Top Image: Aberfan from Merthyr Vale