Our best pictures for 2020

Dimitris — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 14:16:16 +0000

2020 marks 12 years since Athena Picture Agency was founded, we worked through 2020 to produce yet another portfolio of pictures.

Since March, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic bacame in itself a news category of its own which was enough for us to produce a blog of our coverage.

Having gone through hundreds of images, these are our very best for the year.

Stef Kamil Carlens performs at the No More Shall We Part exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium. Saturday 01 February 2020

Will Humphries swims in freezing weather conditions in Langland Bay, near Swansea, Wales, UK. Thursday 13 February 2020

PWaves crash against the promenade wall and lighthouse in Porthcawl, south Wales, UK. Saturday 15 February 2020
Re: Strong winds and heavy rain caused by storm Dennis has been affecting parts of the UK.

Two firemen bring two young children to safety after being evacuated in Nantgarw, Wales, UK. Sunday 16 February 2020

A young boy enters a flooded lane caused by storm Dannis in Pontypridd, Wales, UK. Sunday 16 February 2020

Jeremy Corbyn with local resident Richard Oliver whose house suffered flood damage at he area of Rhydyfelin near Pontypridd, south Wales, UK. Thursday 20 February 2020

Interior view of Retrosexual antique shop, Athens, Greece. Thursday 27 February 2020

Summer Solstice, a fishing boat departs from the port town of Oropos as the sun rises over the mountains of Evia island, north of Athens, Greece. Sunday 21 June 2020

Dean Beddis at his used records stall in the indoor Provisions Market which is being re-developed in Newport, south Wales, UK. Thursday 23 July 2020

A young couple from Hereford rest in their van on the site of an illegal rave party, in woods near the village of Banwen, in south Wales, UK. Monday 31 August 2020

A full moon, known as a Halloween Blue Moon, is seen rising over ruins of the Acropolis of Lindos, a Doric temple built for Athena Lindia, the ancient goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, marking the end of the tourist season in the country which was affected by the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic. 1974 was the last time a blue moon was visible in the UK and Ireland and in 1944 was the last one visible across the whole world with the next one in 19 years. Saturday 31 October 2020

Swansea City Councillor Rob Stewart lays a wreath during Armistice Day at the cenotaph in Swansea, Wales, UK. Wednesday 11 November 2020

The locally grown barley used to make whisky at the Welsh Wind gin distillery near Aberporth, Wales, UK. Wednesday 25 November 2020

Owners the Welsh Wind gin distillery Ellen Wakelam and Alex Jungmayr, near Aberporth, Wales, UK. Wednesday 25 November 2020

A football fan identified only as James (C) with other campaigners protest against the use of facial recognition technology used by South Wales Police, outside the stadium in Cardiff. Sunday 12 January 2019

Prince Charles stands next to an Aston Martin DBX, worth £158,000, at the Aston Martin Lagonda factory in St Athan, south Wales, UK . Friday 21 February 2020

Harriet Prothero Sultani who runs a rental union in the Roath area of Cardiff, Wales, UK. Thursday 10 December 2020

Four people walk their dogs as the sun rises over Swansea Bay, Wales, UK. Friday 25 December 2020

Natasha Jenkins enjoys a walk through the sunflower field, which has re-opened after the Covid-19 lockdown in Rhossili, Wales, UK. Sunday 26 July 2020

Craig Williams, owner of Capelli hair salon in Bridgend, Wales, UK. Wednesday 19 February 2020

Musician Cian Carran who is against the redevelopment of the Britannia Park in Cardiff Bay, Wales, UK. Tuesday 15 December 2020

A low cloud in Swansea Bay, Wales, UK. Wednesday 20 May 2020

Summer solstice in Swansea Wales UK

athena_admin — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 11:18:16 +0000

News photography is a form of historical record-keeping and documenting celestial events certainly is a major event.

I am not strictly speaking about astro-photography, after all, I am well into press and editorial photography.

Having to photograph this year’s summer solstice in Swansea Bay certainly involved a very early start to the day and some forward planning as to finding out where the sun could be seen rising from.

Being a clear day helps. Haze in the horizon although not ideal may well help in that there isn’t as much contrast between the sun and the landscape.

The summer solstice occurs when a planet’s rotational axis or geographical pole on either its northern or its southern hemisphere, is most inclined toward the star that it orbits. On the summer solstice, Earth’s maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°. This happens twice each year (once in each hemisphere), when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the north or south pole.

The sun rises over Kilvey Hill by Swansea Bay, Wales, UK

The summer solstice occurs during the hemisphere’s summer. This is the northern solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the southern solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs some time between June 20 and June 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the Southern Hemisphere. The same dates in the opposite hemisphere are referred to as the winter solstice.

A cyclist travels on Oystermouth cycle path as the sun rises over Kilvey Hill in Swansea, Wales, UK

As seen from a geographic pole, the Sun reaches its highest altitude of the year on the summer solstice. It can be solar noon only along that longitude, which at that moment lies in the direction of the Sun from the pole. For other longitudes, it is not noon. Noon has either passed or has yet to come. Hence the notion of a solstice day is useful. The term is colloquially used like “midsummer” to refer to the day on which solstice occurs. The summer solstice day has the longest period of daylight, except in the polar regions, where daytime remains continuous for 24 hours every day during a period ranging from a few days to six months around the summer solstice.

The sun rises by the clock tower of the Guildhall in Swansea, Wales, UK

Our entire catalogue of pictures can now be found here.

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Our best pictures for 2020

Summer solstice in Swansea Wales UK