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Ever fancied visiting another planet, but couldn't afford the fare?
Never mind though, if you want an 'out of this world' experience, try Parys Mountain on the Isle of Anglesey.
At one time the largest copper mine in the world, Parys Mountain is now a huge hole in the ground, the landscape fantastically sculpted by decades of effort.
Liz and I always had it in our minds to visit this place, after having driven past it on numerous occasions on our way around the Anglesey coast, getting fleeting glimpses of abandoned workings and piles of slag in the distance.
When we actually made the effort to drive up to the open cast mine and look around we were left slack jawed at the immense, ruinous beauty laid out before us.
The colours especially, caused by leaching ore, were just spectacular, and what had started as a brief looksee from the car park turned into a full blown afternoon's explore and photograph session.
The sun played ball as well, with soft, even light from a translucent overcast sky keeping the contrast levels within reason and allowing those beautiful colours to fully saturate.
The photos I took that day were surreal, and looking at them again gives some idea of what Parys Mountain is like, but nothing can compare with a visit in person.
It really was like visiting another planet.
Filename - parys mountain 04.jpg
Camera - Canon EOS 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 80mm
Exposure - 1/125 sec @ f11, ISO200
Location - Parys Mountain, Anglesey
This image - 533x800px JPEG
Conversion - Adobe Lightroom
Comments - Polarising filter used to enhance colours
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