This page will always be a work in progress. New things pop up and old ones disappear all the time, as is the nature of things. Many of the resources listed here are local, but all are ones that I think are worth further investigation.
MORE TO FOLLOW SOON…
Galleries & Camera Shops
ORIEL COLWYN, COLWYN BAY. Situated above Theatr Colwyn, this small gallery is a shining beacon for photography of all kinds in North Wales. It hosts exhibitions, talks, events and workshops and attracts speakers including internationally respected and renowned photographers of all kinds. Entry to the gallery is free, and the frequent talks are free with a voluntary donation towards the costs of staging the events.
ORIEL Y CASTELL in Caernarfon features the stunning wildlife and landscape photography of Andy Teasdale. It’s a selling gallery; Andy does all of his own printing, mounting and framing. He also makes most of his frames himself out of locally sourced real wood.
GLYN DAVIES’ GALLERY, also in Caernarfon, is home to his award-winning fine-art landscape photography.
OPEN EYE GALLERY, LIVERPOOL. This gallery has special resonance for me as it was where (in its original home) that I took my first steps in photography as a hobby, on a Workers’ Educational Association night class, in around 1979. It gave me a solid grounding, and much of what I learned on that course has stayed with me. The Open Eye has since made its home at the Pier Head in Liverpool, and is a much-respected gallery, well worth a visit if you happen to be in or near Liverpool.
CAMBRIAN PHOTOGRAPHY OF COLWYN BAY. Dedicated camera shops are few and far-between these days, and good ones even more so. Just a stone’s throw from Oriel Colwyn, Cambrian is a well-stocked store for both new & used equipment and is staffed by knowledgeable, helpful and enthusiastic people.
Events
The NORTHERN EYE FESTIVAL is hosted in the North Wales town of Colwyn Bay on the odd-numbered years and is now in its 6th iteration. Centred around a core Speaker’s Weekend, the 2025 festival will take place on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October, and is located principally in the historic Theatr Colwyn building, the oldest working theatre in Wales and home of Oriel Colwyn. It’s a friendly festival that likes being a little different and non-exclusive with an overarching desire to champion photography and widen its reach. It includes speakers in the theatre and exhibitions and events at locations around the town centre.
The Northern Eye Festival, established in 2012, is a partner with THE EYE FESTIVAL, which also runs bi-annually in Aberystwyth. This year’s event takes place between Friday 17th October to Sunday 19th October.
PHOTO NORTH FESTIVAL [Details to follow]
WALES INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF PHOTOGRAPHY [Details to follow]
ORBLE is an international organisation that runs local photographic groups, classes and workshops in a huge variety of genres and for all levels of experience and all at very reasonable prices, in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
PHOTOWALK.Me operates in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, and organises free photowalks, workshops and meet-ups.
Photographers and other sources of inspiration
Documentary photographer ROBERT LAW is based in North Wales. His photography captures both rural and urban environments and the people within them. He’s is a contributor to MILLENNIUM IMAGES, London and was shortlisted for Portrait of Britain 2019 and the British Photography Awards 2019. He founded THE NORTH WALES PROJECT [Instagram] in 2019 to encourage and show the best documentary photography in the region.
NEIL JOHANSSON ARPS is a Street, Urban & Alternative Photographer, based in Rhyl.
Based on The Wirral, STEVE STARR is an analogue devotee, primarily (possibly exclusively…) shooting in black & white. I came to know Steve from meeting him at Oriel Colwyn’s Photo Talks, and his own exhibition there. The link is to his blog.
NIALL McDIARMID is a Scottish photographer living in London who’s most recognised for his street portraiture, but there’s much more to him than that. His use of colour, especially pastel shades, is very distinctive and Niall is one of those photographers whose work you can recognise without being told whose it is. I’ve been fortunate enough to take part in a street portraiture workshop with him during a previous Northern Eye festival. Great photographer and a thoroughly nice chap, to boot.
MORE TO FOLLOW SOON…
Photography Groups & Camera Clubs
THE NORTH WALES PHTOTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATION has a list of all its member Camera Clubs.
Books & Magazines
PHOTOBOOK JUNKIES. I’m unable to resist photobooks and have amassed a fair collection over the years, many of which have come from this online source. It has a huge variety of new & used books of all photo genres, including first editions and signed copies. The books always arrive incredibly well-packaged and getting the wrapping off can be quite time-consuming!
BLUECOAT PRESS They publish the work of many excellent, world-class photographers.
SEREN BOOKS is a Welsh publisher, not specifically photography-related, but it has many photography books in its Art & Photography section, including work by the renowned Welsh Magnum agency photographer David Hurn.
FRAMES MAGAZINE is a high-quality printed magazine, edited by Tomasz Trzebiatowski (more of Tomasz later…), a photographer based in Lucerne, Switzerland. The magazine’s website is full of photographers’ portfolios, articles, newsletters and podcasts, and is definitely worth a visit.
MIXAM PRINTING Self-publishing your own books or zines can be an expensive process. However, Mixam Printing’s service is very affordable, while retaining high quality.
ESCAPE REALITY SECONDHAND BOOKS, PENMAENMAWR [Facebook] is a gem. It’s an unstaffed honesty shop that always has a wide range of fiction and non-fiction titles in stock, all at great prices. I drop in quite often and rarely leave without adding to my photography library.
STRAND BOOKSTORE, NEW YORK CITY. Not exactly local, admittedly, but Strand is one of my favourite stops when I visit my son in New Jersey. It’s a vast store inside, and has a huge selection of books on all subjects, but that’s not where its appeal lies for me. There are racks upon racks of second-hand book bargains arranged around the outside of the store, with prices typically ranging from $3 – $7. It’s a rare occasion when I come away without picking up at least a couple of titles, photography-related or not.