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Monfrague is a national park in the northern part of Extremadura, and was founded in 1979; in 2003 the title of ‘biosphere’ was added. Several rocky ridges run through the park and in several places rivers have cut into the ridges that have become passes through them. This has exposed rocks which are stained in places with metallic oxides on which a wonderful variety of lichens are growing creating magical images. These pictures have been photographed at the Castillo de Monfrague, opposite Peñafalcon, where the Rio Tajo has cut through the ridge, and the pass at the Portal del Tiétar where the Rio Tiétar flows.
You can read more about the Parque Natural de Monfragűe by going to the Writings section of this website »
Click on any image below to see the details and enlargements.
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 When the context of a particular place is taken away a state of flux can be generated. This particular area of rock about was 20 x 30cm on a rocky outcrop that was about 10 meters high, but by isolating it without reference to that context its scale becomes ambiguous. Are we looking at a small area of rock, a cliff face or are we looking down upon a plateau?
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 This is from an extremely beautiful rock alongside the road opposite Peňafalcon. Whilst photographing it I had to be wary of vehicles that would emerge from around bends in both directions. The shallow layers into the rock gave me a strong structure to work from which to form the composition. The image reminds me of a dry riverbed that will flood at various times and the water will flow along its course again. This is a point ‘along the way’ as is the rock itself as you travel through Monfragüe.
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 The images taken at Porto del Tietar were the last ones to be photographed (2007 & 2008) and when I started them I was reading a book on the theories of cosmology (‘Parrallel Worlds’ by Mikio Kaka) in which there were some fantastic concepts put forward. The titles of several of the images from this area have therefore been influenced by some of the ideas in the book. |
 When I was younger I sometimes use to dream in abstract images and felt they were something to do with consciousness as an abstract entity in itself, but I never really understood them. When I was processing this picture it reminded me of those dreams and was the reason for the title. What is interesting is that, after naming it, I was reading about some theories of the universe where it was put forward that consciousness might be a form of cosmic dust that we tap into. |
 I like things that bring about transition whether the change is gradual, such as day into night, or much more abrupt such as a border or a frontier. These changes allow the exploration of visual dynamics creating a pictorial interest through movement (transition) or by contrasting elements (abrupt) so that one might emphasise the other. In this picture the lushness of the lichens begin to encroach into the dry arid rock in a way that is neither gradual nor abrupt, but somewhere between the two. |
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Garden of Earthly Delights |
 The whole rock from which this picture was taken was quite extensive and an area of wonderful colour and variety of form. The title is taken from the extraordinary painting by the Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch and painted in 1503/4. Although opinions differ as to its intended meaning, it is generally regarded as a warning against the perils of life’s temptations. I have to admit that whilst I was working on this image in the computer I had to constantly restrain myself from over indulging the intensity of the colour saturation I was putting into the picture. |
 The colour range of some areas of rock adorned with lichens is limited to a narrow band within the colour spectrum, although there is still variety in its subtlety. I am drawn to such areas because they offer something different and I am always wary of not saying what I have already said before as the beauty of these rocks can easily seduce you into taking endless pictures without motive. The colour range of this image is confined to the blue end of the spectrum and had a feeling of being lit by moonlight. |
 I think in another life I could have been a gardener. To see something grow from a seed to blossom into a beautiful flower is a wonderful thing. Alpine meadows and hillsides in spring are amongst my favourite habitats, they are full of special plants. This picture reminded me of a rocky crevice with spring flowers cascading down and when you are high on a mountain it evokes thoughts of the mystery of life. |
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The Source of Imagination |
 This section of rock was too high to photograph close in and so I stood in the middle of the road and photographed it using a 300mm lens. Even standing back it had it had an amazing energy about it, as if it was the source of creativity, and it fired my imagination. |
 When the context of the scale of a small section of rock is removed it triggers our imagination and we draw on the experiences we are most familiar with and give it a context of our own. We are not so familiar with looking at small sections of rock and so we enlarge the scale and create a cliff face. The title suggests a narrative, a journey, and a way to travel through to the other side via a Cavern. When I photographed it this cavern was only 1 x 2 centimetres. |
 When I started to process this image the lichens began to remind me of bubbles and the red rock began to taken on the properties of a liquid, perhaps regressing to an earlier stage in the earths evolution. The title of ‘Turbulence’ was not meant in the sense of disturbance but rather the rising of energy to awaken the senses. |
 In spring of 2006 I was leading a bird watching tour in Extremadura and we were watching an eagle Owl at the Portal del Tietar. Whilst there I found this section of rock that was only about 8 x 5 cms in dimension and I grabbed a quick shot of it. Later that evening I looked at it on my laptop and saw enormous potential and retuned during the summer of that year with my wife to photograph it with my macro lenses which I did not have with me previously. I also explored the hillside and found about another twenty pictures. |
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