The Nick Livesey Experience

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Discovery

I’ve discovered the work of other photographers in all sorts of ways from books, videos, personal recommendations and even by meeting them in person. However, after a few months, I rarely remember how I discovered them. This of course rarely matters and all that matters is that you do now know about them.

There is one photographer that is different. I still clearly remember watching My Mountain Healing by Nick Livesey and saying to myself this is a guy I need to meet. Rarely has a story of one man’s journey captivated and entertained me so much. With his passion for both the mountains and photography clearly apparent in the video I felt an instant connection with the man who had followed a dream and moved to the mountains.

A Book and an Opportunity

One of the many advantages of having a YouTube channel is that it can open doors for you. Soon after discovering Nick’s work he announced that he was publishing a book called Photographing The Snowdonia Mountains. My first thought was that I wanted to talk about the book in an episode of On My Bookshelf on my YouTube channel. However, I didn’t want to just sit in my office and record something like I normally do. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to go out on location in Snowdonia and talk about the book there. I then thought to myself how good it would be to do that with the author himself.

So, I boldly sent Nick an email and to my delight, he replied saying he thought it was a great idea! After a little bit of planning and working of schedules, we got a date in the diary and I drove off to Wales to spend the day with My Livesey. It truly was a fantastic day.

Full Time Mountain Guide and Photographer

My time with Nick had left me eager for more adventure in Snowdonia, but as is often the way, life has a habit of getting in the way of the fun stuff. Fast forward to summer 2020 and Nick announces that he is going full time as a photographer and as a mountain guide. This announcement renews my desire to get back to Snowdonia and to engage Nick’s professional services as a guide.

With most of the world still suffering from the effects of the global pandemic organising such a trip wasn’t without its challenges though. We were both determined to make it work and we booked in a provisional date for a day in the mountains in October.

As October approached and I got more excited about my mini photography and walking holiday, parts of the UK started going into local lockdown and Wales looked like it might close.

One of the reasons I hire an expert like Nick is for the breadth of their local knowledge. When the Welsh government announced the Conwy (the part of Snowdonia where Nick lives) was in local lockdown I was sure that Nick would have a plan B. Worried that I wouldn’t be able to visit Snowdonia I dropped Nick a message and he quickly reassured me that he had plenty of routes he could guide me on in Gwynedd (which wasn’t in local lockdown but still part of Snowdonia).

That was all I needed to hear, and I jumped in the car and made my way up into north Wales, passing through Conwy (not stopping) and finally on to the beautiful village of Beddgelert in Gwynedd. I couldn’t wait to start my Snowdonia adventure the next day.

Snowdonia and The Nick Livesey Experience

The following day I met up with Nick and we drove (in separate cars) to Rhyd Ddu where we would start our ascent of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). Walking with Nick was like taking a stroll with an old mate. We’d barely got out of the car and we were chatting away like two mates who hadn’t seen each other in while. The time quickly passed as we ascended the Rhyd Ddy path and onto the Llechog ridge.

We were having so a good craic that we almost forget to get our cameras out to photograph the view. While I am certainly the first to bang on about the magical light of golden hour, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the rugged ridgeline that lay behind us. Despite the grey skies, I thought it was a fantastic view.

Llechog Ridge, Snowdon, Wales - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30 f/4 at 17mm, f/11, 1/8th sec at ISO 64.

Our ascent carried on up the Llechog ridge and on towards the summit. As you might expect on any ascent to the summit of Snowdon there were a fair few walkers about. There was even some talk of queues forming to “touch” the summit. I’ve ascended Ben Lomond a number of times, and despite it being a very popular Munro I’ve never had to queue to get the top.

As I took in the view, Nick had started a conversation with a walker on his way down from the summit. At first, I thought they were just talking about the names of various mountain peaks, but it soon occurred to me that they were talking away in Welsh! I’ve always been impressed by how much Nick has not only embraced the area but also how he appreciates the local language and how important it is to the local community. For Nick, the language and culture of Wales are as important as the hills and mountains he enjoys.

Allt Maenderyn Ridge #1, Snowdon, Wales - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30 f/4 at 16mm, f/11, 1/4th sec at ISO 64.

Though the final ascent involved a walk along a narrow ridge it was nothing to get worried about and we were soon on the summit. A few people were hanging around the summit visitors centre but there wasn’t a queue to get to the cairn at the top. I could have walked those last few meters of ascent to touch the cairn but to be honest, the walk for me wasn’t about getting to the very top to get a cheesy Instagram shot. I was quite happy to have a break, a sandwich and chat away to Nick. At this point, I would normally share a photograph of the magnificent view from the top, but given we were in complete cloud it would have been a very boring shot!

View from Allt Maenderyn Ridge, Snowdon, Wales - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 34mm, f/8, 1/15th sec at ISO 64.

One of the benefits of having a knowledgeable and experienced guide with you is that you can change your plans at short notice or take a less well-trodden route. For our decent Nick suggested we descend via the Allt Maenderyn ridge instead of retracing our steps. We were soon below the cloud line again and as I took in the view, I had a moment that can only be described as complete relaxation. It wasn’t a big vista view, and it wasn’t a view that had me reaching for my camera but there is more to walking in the mountains that just have a great place to take photographs. It’s hard to describe how wonderful it is to stand on a high ridgeline looking far down into the valley below, but it is an experience I recommend to everyone.

Allt Maenderyn Ridge #2, Snowdon, Wales - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 28mm, f/11, 1/6th sec at ISO 64.

We descended a little further down Allt Maenderyn ridge until we came to a small plateau which offered a little shelter from the westerly winds. As we enjoyed our break and a few refreshments, Nick spotted that the cloud cover was changing rapidly, and spots of light were racing across the ground. We needed no further encouragement and got our cameras out.

The light would come and then go again. As is the way in the mountains, the conditions were changing rapidly. One minute were were chatting away and the next we were shouting “look, over there” and running with our cameras to get a shot.

Nick had originally planned to descend further and then ascend Yr Aran but Nick suggested that staying where we were would likely yield the best results if we wanted to carry on shooting. Well, I wasn’t about to start disagreeing with a man of Nick’s experience!

Mynydd Mawr from Allt Maenderyn Ridge, Snowdon, Wales - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 24mm, f/8, 1/4th sec at ISO 64.

Of course, he was completely right. Yr Aran remained in the cloud for the rest of the day and we enjoyed watching the ever-changing conditions of the mountains around us. Despite the cold, I was having a fantastic time, but so was Nick. As I had witnessed on my first meet up you can just tell by looking a Nick that he is completely at one with his surroundings. He is a man that absolutely loves what he does and by being in his company you can’t help but feel a just a little bit of what he feels.

As the sun dipped behind a distant mountain, we decided to start heading back to the car park. Soon our head torches were on and it got dark. It’s times like this that I was glad to have engaged the services of a mountain guide. If I’d been on my own, I would have had to have left that spot a lot earlier to get back to the car safely. With Nick there, all I had to do was follow the head torch in front and I would be back at the car!

Returning to the car, I reflected on what a cracking day I had. The day was always about more than just photography. It was about the walking, the experience of being in Snowdonia and of course the company of local legend Nick Livesey. It was a day not to be forgotten.

If you ever find yourself in Snowdonia National Park and are looking for a local, knowledgeable mountain guide who has a real passion for the area or for someone who will help you make the most of your photography (or a bit of both like me), then you won’t do any better than the services of Nick Livesey.

Personally, I can’t wait to go back and catch up with me old mate Nick.