Photographer showcases her work at French Celtic Festival

A woman is stood on the rolling hills in Wales. It is a grey, gloomy day with mist coming over. The hills are a mossy green. She is wearing traditional Welsh clothes, a black dress over a red skirt with a white undershirt, you can see the lower half of the sleeves. She has a white head wrap on as well and is holding daffodils. Joann Randles

Joann uses photography to celebrate the Welsh culture and heritage

Matthew Bassett
BBC News

An annual festival bringing the Celtic nations together on French shores for a week to celebrate traditional music, song and dance is under way.

Brittany will host artists from Galicia to Scotland, as people gather for the world's largest Celtic gathering.

Among the Welsh bands, artists and male voice choirs travelling over, there is a multi-award winning photographer, who showcases Welsh life, culture and landscapes in her pictures.

Joann Randles, from Swansea, has a background in film and TV but when Covid hit she decided to transpose her skills to take more artistic photos. Four years on she is representing Wales at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany.

The festival attracts over 950,000 people from all over the world each year and highlights the heritage, music, food and sport from the Celtic nations.

A dark photo. There is a couple in the middle in traditional Welsh attire dancing, the woman holds on to the mans waist. She has a tartan underskirt, with a blue dress on the top, and you can see her lower arms covered in a white sleeved undershirt. The man has a white shirt on and a tartan vest. He has black trousers and khaki socks rolled up with black shoes. There are three people to the left of them clapping, who have the same attire on - one man and two women. On the right there are two women and a man clapping. There are triangular banners strung above the ceiling at the top of the image. Joann Randles

Joann's work has previously been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert museum in London

Two men at a carpentry table. One is sat down and is chipping something at the table. He looks at the camera with a vacant expression. He has short black hair and blue eyes. He wears a black cardigan. There is a man behind him with balding grey hair, he has a cream apron on with a green patterned jumper underneath and the collars of the blue shirt under that can be seen. There are various tools on the table and Welsh love spoons. Joann Randles

Joann's photos have very minimal post-production editing to maintain its authenticity

A boy and a girl are on a horse in a stable. The brown horse stands on hay. The boy cuddles the horse, he has black jodhpurs on and a red top with black stars. The girl is behind him and has turquoise jodhpurs with a white top. She has short blonde hair. Joann Randles

The photos are often taken on location and in challenging conditions

Joann will exhibit her work at the EuroCeltic Arts Exhibition and said she was "thrilled" when asked to attend.

"I absolutely love getting Wales on the map and I'm on a mission to continually push that. I just think we've got such a vibrant nation and such a rich culture

"It's not often you get asked to exhibit such a large collection of work to a large audience."

The Swansea based photographer draws her inspiration from classical artists such as Rembrandt and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Her photographs document Welsh folk dance, traditions and communities.

A man in a shed, he is looking at a fishing net and also has it in his hand. A coracle boat can be seen on a table. He has a blue coat and a black beanie hat on. Joann Randles

Joann uses natural and artificial light to make her photos look like a renaissance painting

A man walking at the edge of a river bank. He has a wet clothes on and they are a dark green colour. He has a coracle on his bank and holds a rod in his hand. He has a bald head. Joann Randles

Joann takes her inspiration from classic fine artists such as Rembrandt and Leonardo Da Vinci

The festival takes place from 1 to 10 August, with each nation having its own pavilion.

As well as formal concerts, the festival will include busking, traditional music sessions, displays, crafts and workshops, and food and folk sessions themed to highlight the Celtic nations.

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