Fantastic Landscapes: the Photography of Gary McParland.

The Fairy Ring - (c) Gary McParland


Good photographs are inspiring. They speak to our emotions, like good stories do.

I love taking pictures but I am not a photographer. I would like to be, but my heart and mind are set on writing. Instead of light and a camera, I have chosen words and a laptop (and paper and pens) as my tools.

And I am happy. Day by day I get to experience the joys and pains of learning my trade. I feel alive, perhaps more than ever. The more I read and write, the more I see what I can't do yet. But I improve, and the journey itself is exciting, exhilarating and rewarding. Most of the time.


Light & Legend - (c) Gary McParland

Deciding to be a writer has only increased my respect for people who have acquired skill and craftsmanship, regardless of what kind. From raising or educating our children to helping us sleep at night. From growing food to presenting it on a plate in the most beautiful and seductive way.



I love men and women who have a passion, and the desire and perseverance to learn their craft and improve. Their work has a soul. It speaks to our emotions, tells us stories and inspires us to come up with our own.

  

The Poisoned Glen - (c) Gary McParland

One of my most recent discoveries is photographer Gary McParland. When I saw his picture 'The Fairy Ring' (see above), I was smitten. My mind took flight. I wanted to write stories and create characters to populate those fantastic landscapes.

What I especially like about his pictures, besides the great choice of scenery, is that he manages to capture not just the beauty and wonder, but also the timeless elemental power of our surroundings.



Based in Northern Ireland, most of the landscapes Gary photographs are situated there, in Ireland, Scotland and the UK. I also really like his nature close-ups, and the boats/wrecks.



His style of photography evokes a fantasy atmosphere, but don't expect candied new-age imagery with purple moons and elves riding unicorns. Instead, he presents the raw, natural strength in nature and interprets it in a full spectrum of emotions that feels very authentic to me.  



Morning Mist - (c) Gary McParland

Sometimes his photographs are gentle and dreamy, like a misty coastal morning or filtered sunlight in an autumn forest; sometimes they are fierce reminders of how fleeting and mortal we are, like ever-changing waves pounding on unyielding rocks. 



His landscapes are no backdrops for frail, winged fairies and pastel butterflies. They inspire to create characters that live, breathe and survive. The fairies who live here bite and laugh and love and fight to preserve what's theirs. These are lands where humans live with dragons. The fire-breathing kind.

I tip my hat to Gary McParland's skill in capturing atmosphere in light, and I can only admire the dedication and the patience it must have taken to create these works.

Thank you, Gary, for the wonderful images and your kind photo permission!

Dunluce Castle at Twilight - (c) Gary McParland

For more information and images, visit http://garymcparland.1x.com/ or http://www.garymcparland.com/ 



♥ Bookmark or share this post ♥

Magic, Mist and Limestone: the Rollright Stones.

As some of you already know, the novel I am currently writing is set in the Cotswolds, a gorgeous area in the Heart of England. The region is known for its undulating rural landscape, idyllic villages with limestone cottages in all shades of honey and, as if that weren't enough, for its award winning hotels, restaurants and breweries.

I'm very lucky to have a number great friends who live there, so I usually get to visit the Cotswolds several times a year. Over the years, a few places have become very precious to me, one of them being the Rollright Stones, and another one an absolutely wonderful restaurant.

The King's Men

The Rollright Stones consist of three smaller sites: the King Stone, the Whispering Knights, and the larger stone circle called the King's Men.
The Whispering Knights, a burial dolmen, is the oldest, believed to be 5000 years old. The 77 stones of the King's Men are slightly younger, but still 4500 to 4000 years old.

It's an amazing place. You cannot help but wonder who built these monuments and to what intent. When you walk around there, you inevitably connect with our distant past and with the countless people who have visited this place before us, asked the same questions and were equally awestruck by the magic that seems to ooze from the ground. Especially during twilight or on a misty day, it's so easy to imagine yourself in a place between the worlds.

Lichen on the King's Men

When you get the chance to visit the Rollright Stones, please do so with respect for the unique and ancient character of the place. All too often people sit or stand on the stones, or let their children play on them. The stones are not only ancient and therefore irreplaceable, they're also covered with over 50 types of lichen, many of them several hundreds of years old.

The site is managed by the Rollright Trust, a registered charity dedicated to the protection and conservation of the stones. They have a very comprehensive website with lots of information about the history and the mythology around the stones, and practical information on their location and even how you can book the site for private events.

You can help the Trust to take care of this truly wonderful place in several ways: by becoming a 'Friend of the Rollright Stones', by buying related books on Amazon via the Rollrights site, and they have just released a beautiful calendar for 2011, which you can get here (£6 + postage). I ordered mine 2 days ago, so they should be on their way!

If you've ever visited the Rollrights, I'd love to hear about your experiences!

Read more about the Cotswolds here.

♥ Bookmark or share this post ♥