Capturing Bannau Brycheiniog
- James Kelly-Smith
- 2 hours ago
- 14 min read
Join me behind the scenes of my March photography trip through the beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (the Brecon Beacons) in Wales. I’ll take you through breathtaking locations, unexpected mishaps, rewarding moments, and share some essential photography tips I used along the way.
About Bannau Brycheiniog
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park lies in the southern part of Wales, stretching from Abergavenny in the east to Llandovery in the west, from Sennybridge and Brecon in the north to Merthyr Tydfil in the south. It covers around 520 square miles, offering vast areas to explore.
The park is divided into four main areas (east to west), and bear with as the names can get a bit confusing:
The Black Mountains (which includes Waun Fach - its highest peak - and Sugar Loaf)
The Brecon Beacons (which includes Pen y Fan - highest peak across the park - and Cribyn)
Fforest Fawr (which includes Fan Fawr - its highest peak - & Fan Gyhirych)
The Black Mountain - not to be confused with it's eastern sibling with the additional 's' (which includes Fan Brycheiniog - its highest peak - and Picws Du)
Geological Wonderland
The area is a geological treasure trove. Even if you're not into rocks, the landscape alone is captivating. Picture it like a layered rainbow cake – each rock layer laid down over time, then twisted and tilted by tectonic forces. The last Ice Age, ending around 12,000 years ago, sculpted much of the current terrain—those dramatic bowl-like corries and glacial lakes (or Llynnau) are some of the park’s most striking features.
You’ll find steep valleys, waterfalls, and gorges formed by glacial meltwater, alongside reminders of more recent history—fortifications, old mining sites, and villages nestled in the folds of the land.
They may not be the tallest peaks in the UK, but their shapes and colours are truly unique. As someone lucky enough to live just over an hour away, it’s criminal I don’t come here more often. Determined to fix that, I dedicated five days this March to immerse myself in this incredible landscape and capture Bannau Brycheiniog.
Preparing to capture Bannau Brycheiniog
Photography trips begin long before the shutter clicks. A lot of people assume it's just about having a good camera then pointing and shooting, but the real magic lies in the planning—especially for landscape photography, where weather and lighting are everything.
I’d previously visited Bannau Brycheiniog in late autumn to capture the woodland waterfalls at their colourful best. This time, I was hoping for early spring conditions—maybe even some lingering snow. No snow this year, but I did get treated to some beautifully atmospheric mornings and golden evenings, so definitely can't complain.
Scouting and Scheduling
Planning starts with a long list of potential locations. I use Google Maps, OS Maps, and Street View to scout promising spots and consider composition possibilities. I also browse social media for inspiration and often do in-person recces.
Once I’ve shortlisted the locations, I schedule based on light and conditions: some are better at sunrise, others suit moody, overcast skies. A week before the trip, I build a loose day-by-day plan, checking multiple weather apps constantly. Of course, nothing is set in stone—the weather changes at the last moment (especially these days and in amongst micro climates like mountainous areas). Also, the best shots often come from reacting to the moment and allowing your unconscious and intuition to do the work. Essentially, the main attitude to have, and as the saying goes, "he who dares, wins!". I mean, not always, but you have to be in it to win it! (That's enough sayings!)
Carn Pica - where it all started
One place that was top of the list was a sunrise at Carn Pica. This is an ancient burial site that sits on the top of the western edge of the 'Central Beacons' or Brecon Beacons range of the National Park. It overlooks the Black Mountains range, so you get good views of Waun Fach and Sugar Loaf right in the distance with the Talybont Reservoir sat in the valley below. There are a few ways to get to this spot, but my favourite was is to park up at Blaen y Glyn. I would say that the walk up is a beautiful view, especially of the valley of Blaen y Glyn, but I have always done it in the dark of an early morning. But I have come back this way during light hours, so can attest it is beautiful. Warning - the first stretch is a very steep climb.
For those who follow me on social media will know that Carn Pica is a particularly special spot for me. It was the viewpoint that really kicked started me in getting a camera. It was a early morning hike I took where I witnessed a beautiful sunrise and my cameraphone just didn't do it justice. 5 years on, I have been chasing that view I took and after 3 attempts over the years, this was the morning that I captured it. Bucket list shot - ticked!
Exposure Bracketing
In terms of capturing this can be quite tricky. I was up here a couple of years ago for what was another incredible sunrise, but I ruined the photos by blowing out the highlights - and was a lesson definitely learned. Cameras are not the human eye, and cannot process what photographers call high 'dynamic range'. This is the measure of light and dark in a scene. Conditions where the dynamic range is high means the lighter parts of the scene, so the sky in this instance, is much brighter than the shadows, which is the ground as the light hasn't hit it directly yet. If not exposed right, this can mean one of two things can happen. Either the detail in the extreme highlights are not captured and the camera will just capture 'pure white', or the detail in the extreme shadows are not captured and the camera will capture 'pure black'.
This is where knowing the capabilities of your camera comes in. Since then, I have learned that my Sony a7iii is extremely good at bring up shadows in post-production and therefore I can expose my image more to capture the highlight details. I have also learned since a technique called 'exposure bracketing'. This is where you capture a scene at multiple different exposures (usually one over exposed, one under exposed and one in the middle). Then in post production you can merge these images together and the final image will have the details in both the highlights and the shadows allowing for greater adjustments. This means that when you move the slider to lift the shadows and blacks, you don't get the horrible noisy grainy look which can happen due to the camera not capturing the detail. Also, it means you can reduce the highlights and whites slider without have blank spaces in the sky where it failed to capture cloud details.
The 'Central Beacons' - Pen y Fan & Friends
After my successful morning at Carn Pica, I was on a bit of a high, and ventured behind me towards the main peaks of the park. My next planned shot would come a bit later in the day, capturing the peaks of Cribyn & Pen y Fan. This was a few miles away, but a lovely walk. It's probably one of the most popular circulars when you hit Fan Y Big (always one to cause a snigger!! It's actually pronounced more like 'Van-uh-Big'). I got to Fan y Big just as the sun rose above the peaks behind me, and with the thin layer of haze in the sky created a really nice diffused reddish glow. It actually proved to be hazy all day which proved quite useful for some daytime photography, which I'm not particularly used to or a fan of. After a brief stint up Fan Y Big to visit the 'diving board' - getting a selfie is a must - I then made my way to my next location which was on the slopes of Cribyn.
The peak of Pen Y Fan is always an iconic one with it's flat top. But its angles I have captured before haven't really grasps the vast dramatic nature of the peak, the same with Cribyn really. My aim this time was to capture both from a more dramatic angle, and that would require me to take an photo from a lower perspective. I walked to a spot on the incline towards its final and very steep ascent (think the stairs at Minas Morgal towards Mordor in the Lord of the Rings movies) to the top of Cribyn. Here was a great angle to capture both peaks with various small ponds (or puddles) to choose from for great foreground interest. I used the wide angle lens for this, my Sony 20mm f1.8, which accentuated the sweeping nature of the landscape. I also did a portrait version, which when it came to editing, looked amazing in black & white given the great lighting angles hitting the peaks.
Legend of Cwm Llwch
As you know, love a good folklore story and there is an interesting one surrounding Pen Y Fan. Towards the bottom of its slopes towards the north is a lake, Llyn Llwch. It is said that every May Day an enchanted island would appear accommodated with vast amounts of fairies. It is said it was an awesome sight, but visitors were warned they were forbidden to take anything from the island. Of course, there is always one who ruins it for the rest of us. Apparently one visitor swam over to the island and took a flower. This angered the fairies and when he got back to shore, he lost all his senses, and the island never rose again!
Brecon Beacon Greeting Cards
Why not add to your stationary some of my Brecon Becaons/Bannau Brycheiniog A6 greeting cards, including pictures of Pen y Fan, Sgwd Gwladys & Llyn y Fan Fach.
Blank inside, so perfect for any occasion.
Four Waterfalls Walk
One of the national park’s highlights isn’t just the mountains but also it’s Waterfall Country. An area full of ancient forests and narrow gorges cradle some of the UK’s most enchanting waterfalls.
There are two main trails you can do to chase a large chunk of the waterfalls. The Elidir Trail (includes the beautiful Sgwd Gwladys, which if you follow me will have seen a few times - aslo see my blog post "Tradgey of Gwladys" regarding it's folklore). Also there is the the Four Waterfalls Trail which includes Sgwd Pannwr & Sgwd Yr Eira. Whenever I have a few days in the area, I always choose to visit the waterfalls in overcast or drizzly weather. For one reason, the wider vistas don't benefit too much from those conditions (unless some intense mood in the sky), but also I think it's the best time capturing water. You don't really want extreme light filtering through the canopies as it can causes some very contrasty conditions which the camera will struggle to deal with (and have that blowing out highlights issue). Also the best time would be after a few days of rain (ideally heavy) so the rivers and waterfalls have a lot of water flowing. However, it had been pretty dry for a couple of weeks, so I actually wasn't holding out for much. But I was pretty surprised to still find some of the falls at least were flowing pretty well.
I caught a beautiful shot of Sgwd y Pannwr, utilising a couple of large rocks and a fallen tree branch as some foreground interest. But my best shot of the day was of Sgwd Yr Eira. It's a beautiful waterfall and is so-called named 'Snow Falls' because of the way the water falls over the rock edge. It is also a waterfall that causes alot of spray - which I guess resembles the 'snow'? I have been here before after some very heavy rain and it was actually impossible to get a clear shot. (I know I said to visit after heavy rain, but we landscape photographers are never satisfied. But in all seriousness, there is a balance with getting the prefect conditions). For this shot I had to wade a little into the river, as I really wanted to get the camera close to the foreground rocks, and really depict the flow of the river. Although I successfully didn't fall in (this time), I set up my tripod and squatted down to get the shot and ended up with a very wet bum!! This is what happens I guess when you are so focused on getting the shot, sometimes you lose all sense of your surroundings. Another lesson learned.
Capturing Waterfalls
Couple of things to mention when photographing waterfalls. Firstly, you see a lot of us photographers love a good long exposure when capturing the waterflow. This means that we keep the speed of the shutter slow, capturing some of the movement, creating some smooth, silky photos. This is definitely down to preference whether you take this approach or not. I think it has it's place, and it gives an ethereal, mystical feel to an image, which for those know me or followed me for a long time will recognise that is right up my street. But, I definitely don't think this is appropriate all the time. The big waterfall nearby, Henrhyd Falls, I captured a while back after some really heavy rain and it was raging. This was a perfect time to use a much faster shutter speed to almost freeze the water. For me, this felt more appropriate to really show the layers of water shooting over the ledge. Smoothing out those details would have taken away the movement.
Secondly, definitely invest in some filters, especially if you are going to capture the slower shutter images. Water reflects light, and can create some very bright spots, especially if the surrounding foliage is wet. A polariser will help reduce the reflections, ensuring you don't have small blown out parts to the image. ND filters bring down the exposure of a scene (essentially a black see-through bit of glass, with varying levels of 'blackness'). Slowing down the shutter speed will bring more light into the camera, so these filters will help to compensate for this. Personally a 3 stop ND filter is the one I use the most, but I do also have a 6 stop one (which is darker) too which I have used very occasionally.
Dragon's Back - Hazy Sunsets
One of the evenings I decided to capture the sunset up what is known as the Dragon's Back. Situated in the Black Mountains area, it's a series of hills that undulate getting progressively larger, resembling the a sleeping dragon. Of course, I'm all over that!! If you progress further up the hills, it will take you to Waun Fach, which is the prime peak of the Black Mountains and a second largest peak across the whole of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. This is a place steeped in history and if you start at Pengenffordd, like I do, you will find yourself walking up to the ruins of Castell Dinas before you get to the 'Dragon'. It's a very
steep climb, and don't expect to see an awful lot of the iron age fort remaining, but it's the highest castle in England and Wales and great to see nonetheless.
It ended up being a very hazy evening, so it wasn't quite the sunset that I was expecting. However, it was still beautiful and the sky lit up with a pinky/orange glow. This was one of those times that I had extensively researched the shot I wanted, having been there a few times before and using Google Maps to find the best spot. Of course, still need to do a bit of wandering around when you actually get there, but it makes that process a lot less time consuming and I got to spend just a great evening sat watching the sun descend. Even had some time to take a few selfies of me enjoying the view.
Llyn y Fan Fach - The Grand Finale
My final evening of the trip I went to the west to the 2 mountain lakes of Llyn y Fan Fawr and Llyn y Fan Fach. These are accompanies by a few mountains, Fan Brycheiniog and Picws Du to name a couple. The aim was to capture a sunset, and again I knew exactly where I was going. But despite this, I got there really early (actually about 6 hours early!!). So I had a lot of time to play around. The weather was pretty warm for March (when the sun was out), and there was probably about 50% cloud cover. So it was definitely one of those times where sunset was a gamble. I actually find that quite exciting in a way. It doesn't matter how much planning you do, it all depends how the clouds land at showtime. Have had it before where it's looked promising and then a huge band of cloud sits on the horizon obscuring the sun in it's final moments.
What would this evening bring?
I had walked up from the east side, so the first point I got to was Llyn y Fan Fawr. Have been here a few times and on a still day it can be deadly quiet, maybe the sound of a couple of birds. Today was one of those, so I took the opportunity to just sit for a while and take in the surroundings. Even had a snooze in the sun...I mean, why not eh? I did wander around the lake and played around with some water shots, but it really wasn't the best time of day for it, with very harsh shadows throwing out compositions.
When time got on, I decided to start making my way to a spot on Fan Brycheiniog which overlooks the other lake, Llyn y Fan Fach and it's picturesque peak Picws Du. On my way I captured a few shots of the mountains casting their large shadows. Really liked the big contrasting look of the light, although at this point the wind had picked up a bit, so hand held was a challenge.
When I got to the spot, conditions were looking an absolute dream. There was low cloud with a small gap on the horizon, which promises for epic sunsets. The key is waiting for the sun to dip below the clouds and it feels like you are hit with a bang of intense orange light. Actually felt that this sunset was taking forever, knowing this was going to be an amazing evening. The temperature dropped quite dramatically, so I was stood there with all of my layers on, dancing about to keep warm just waiting.
As mentioned above, this was another instance where exposure bracketing was needed. In fact, this sunset was a lot more intense that the Carn Pica sunrise. When the light and darks are as extreme as this, it can be easy to get a bit carried away in the editing process and bring the shadows light up and highlights right down to show all the details. But this can look really unnatural and is definitely a common error amongst photographers. So getting that balance is really key. Don't be too afraid to slightly under-expose the shot if that is what the scene was actually like.
Below you will see the end result and just how amazing that evening was. It was just an epic way to finish off the trip.
In Conclusion - A Fantastic Trip
Exploring Bannau Brycheiniog is always a pleasure and is an unneeded reminder of why I keep coming back to the mountains—there’s always something new to discover. I've listed alot of the successes of the trip here, but some failures included a morning on Mynydd Llangorse where the sunrise just didn;t play ball and another non-sunrise at Pen-Y-Crug. The conditions can sometimes be challenge, but that is always part of the thrill. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or just someone who loves the outdoors, this part of Wales offers so much - a perfect blend of wild beauty and peaceful escape.
Have you been to Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) before? Let me know your favourite places in the comment below. I’d love to hear about your own adventures in the hills.
If you want a piece of this adventure, some of my photos from that trip are now available to buy in my print store.
They are printed on superb quality matte paper, accentuating every detail, and designed to resist UV damage so the colours will always look good. I also offer a contemporary black frame for your print, professionally done as I find framing can be a nightmare. If black is not for you, I can also offer other frames, so please feel free to message me.
Thank you once again for reading, I hope you enjoyed and it has inspired you to get out and about. And as always, thank you for supporting my work.
James
Other photos from the trip:
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