Mountain Ponies of Carneddau

• Intermediate
• Landscape
• Moderate Fitness
• North UK
• Outdoor Event
• Photography
• Wildlife
• Workshops

Wild Arena have joined forces with highly respected wildlife photographer, Kevin Morgans, to offer a great opportunity to photograph the famous Mountain Ponies of Carneddau, North Wales.

The Welsh Mountain Ponies are a strong breed that dates back to the time of the Celts.  During the Tudor period, around 1509, King Henry VIII ordered the ponies to be destroyed because they could not carry a knight in full armour, but thankfully this request never succeeded.   The Romans, however, admired the ponies for their strength and ability, and even shipped some of them back to Rome to carry out specific tasks.  In more recent times they were used to pull carts in the coal mines, but now the mines are closed and there is no longer work for them, they are free to roam the Carneddau hillsides.

The session will begin with an extended briefing on techniques and ideas over a hot drink at our meeting point. Once everyone is refreshed and set up for the session, we will make the short drive to our location for the best chances of seeing the iconic Mountain Ponies at relatively close quarters.  Delegates would normally make this trip in their own vehicles.

Upon arrival, we can then begin the walk onto higher ground in search of our subjects.  The Mountain Ponies can vary in location from a 5 -10 minute walk to further afield, perhaps 30 minutes from the cars.  We can obviously make this walk at a pace that suits everyone, and there should not be a need to hurry.

The Ponies are normally found on an open and beautiful hillside, providing many opportunities for images with varying backgrounds.  We hope to be able to try various techniques for pictures, including using different lenses, utilising the light, colour versus monochrome and challenging compositional norms.  Late autumn, winter and early spring often provide interesting lighting and early sunsets, weather permitting, should offer a tremendous range of dramatic opportunities.

Roughly halfway through the shooting session, we can stop for a hot drink and review to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the progress of the session.  We can then continue working on pictures, both as a larger group, or by splitting down into smaller parties to cover more ground.

Once the guides feel the light is fading or the group has exhausted the opportunities, we will gently make the walk back down the hill returning to the cars around 4.30pm.

Throughout the whole session, there will be guides present who will take time to help everyone with their photography.  Kevin Morgans is a highly respected wildlife photographer based in the North West of England with many awards to his name.  This area of North wales is his ‘home patch’ and he has photographed the Wild Ponies here for many years.  David Southard from Wild Arena will support Kevin and together they should provide all the support our small groups should need.

The Carneddau Mountains

The Carneddau Mountains include the largest contiguous areas of high ground (over 910m high) in Wales and England, as well as six or seven of the highest peaks in the country – the Fifteen Peaks. The range also encloses a number of lakes such as Lyn Cowlyd and Lyn Eigiau, and the Aber waterfalls.  The Irish Sea to the north and the Conwy Valley to the east surround the area and this rugged but beautiful landscape will provide us with the backdrop for our exciting Mountain Pony workshops.