Fire performer Sophie Liengaard Forster celebrated the arrival of the winter solstice on Friday and photographer Simon Pizzey captured her as the sun began to rise.
Sophie wore a headdress of ivy, ferns and mahonia for the striking pictures as Simon snapped her with a ring of fire that she often uses in her dramatic act.
Rodborough Common was the backdrop for their photoshoot on the the shortest day of the year. Sun rise was at 8.13am, and sun set at 3.59pm, giving this year's shortest day a length of 7 hours 46 minutes.
The winter solstice is the oldest and most important festival in the pagan calendar and dates back thousands of years. Pagans gather at Stonehenge on the following day to greet the first new sunrise as days lengthen.
The solstice event happens at 22.23 GMT in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun reaches its most southerly angle of -23.5 degrees and the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun.
Members of the Gloucestershire Camera Club also shared some of their beautiful photographs with the paper.
- Have you captured any photos of the winter solstice? Send them to sarah.watson@newsquest.co.uk
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