A few days ago I posted another photo of this same scene. That shot was made on a heavily overcast day shortly after we’d had some snowfall. Today’s image is of the same scene made a few days later when all the snow had departed (although there was still a healthy crust of ice on most of the puddles) and the skies were clear allowing the sunlight to make some appealing contrasty shadows.
Time can seperate Many versions of a scene To marked effect
The current COVID-19 lockdown has once again restricted movement considerably. While I believe that short car journeys for the purpose of exercise are permitted (or at least tolerated – given the large number of cars I see parked close to the entrances of the nearby country park), I’ve been sticking to going only to places I can reach on foot. Given enough time, I could venture to a good number of places withing walking distance, although time isn’t always in ready supply due to work and other commitments, so I’ve mostly been staying within a mile or two of home.
The aforementioned country park and the surrounding areas still provide quite a lot of ground to cover though, and while exercise is the primary reason for going out, I’m still carrying a camera with me on these outings – well, with the exception of when I run as part of my C25K plan as, at this stage at least, I have neither the time not desire to make photos while attempting to jog! On days where I just go for a walk though, there is greater opportunity to grab photos.
I tend to find my local area quite uninspiring where photography is concerned, partly due to overfamiliarity, and also because the country park iteself feels a little bland and man-made in a way that open countryside doesn’t (even that land used for various other human activities such as farming or forrestry). However, in these times, “needs-must” takes the forefront and I will have to make do with what I can find. And what I’ve found is that some parts of my over-familiar local area are a lot less familiar than I previously thought, and a walk a few days ago opened up some locations that are full of potential due to my not having fully explored them before.
Even the places I’ve trod many times previously have promise though, and today’s shot is of nothing more extravagant than a tree-trunk stood beside the Trans-Pennine Trail. The section of the trail in question is oft-travelled by walkers, runners, cyclists and dog-walkers, especially at the weekend or in nice weather. Busy locations such as this tend to make me uncomfortable when making photos – I prefer solitude so I can take my time without getting in anyone’s way – but. again, “needs-must” and I shot most of a roll of film while out walking for an hour.
As with many of the photos I make taken in this former coal-mining area, there are signs of industry in one form or another, and in the case of today’s image, it’s the metal fence behind the tree, which prevents access to the railway line ten or fifteen yards beyond. I quite like the fence here though, despite it’s metal utilitarianism. It sets the scene of the place.
Upright spikes of steel Stand guard against trespass On train-tracks beyond
Another couple of lockdown camera portraits, this time my Fujica GW690. It’s a bit of a big beastie!
I’ve just got back from a run – my Couch to 5K journey began afresh this week now my calf is mostly better – and am feeling good about myself as a result of the exercise (such as is with week one of C25K at least!), and I can now hopefully have a relaxed Saturday evening and Sunday with no real plans other than catching up on some TV, maybe read for a while, and hopefully develop a roll of film to keep the blog fed with fresh pictures. 🙂
A pair of strong arms Can be of great benefit With Texas Leicas
Lockdown limitations mean I can’t go out to all the places I’d like and, while I intend to make the most of my closer surroundings, it also means I’m going to fall back on making pictures around the house as well sometimes. Old cameras, such as my Zeiss folder, make good subjects though.
A lens through a lens Vintage rangefinder of old Still working just fine
Edgelands are defined as “the transitional, liminal areas of space to be found on the boundaries of country and town“. I’m not sure that the location in today’s photo is quite true to that description as, while it’s on the edge of an urban area, more recent development means that if merges quite quickly into further, newer, suburban developments long before it can merge into the countryside proper. It seems to be a feature of many industrial cities though that there is no defined boundary between countryside and town. Instead, as you reach closer to the boundaries, so patches of land where perhaps lost industry once stood, or where no development is possible due to natural features such as rivers and their flood-plains, become more commonplace, penned in by industrial estates or suburban housing.
I enjoy getting out into the countryside very much, but I do have an affinity for these semi-industrial / semi-urban areas too. I like the way that I can find relics of the coal-mining that used to be prevalent around here. Disused railway lines, bridges, and brickwork bereft of purpose can be located amongst bugeoning new-growth woodland like the remnants of some past civilisation.
Hidden in the soil Fragments of brick and metal Industry as was
A few days ago I said that there would be another version of the shot posted there to come. And here it is today. This one was made with the GW690 and on a snowy day to boot. I wasn’t sure if the minor parallax difference that would be present from using the rangefinder viewfinder would mess up my alignment of the pylons but it seems to have worked out fine.
Through the winter sky Cables of steel move power Over frozen ground
A familiar scene for anyone who’s followed my blog for a while – the Beighton Station signalbox. I think I’ve mentioned before that the signalbox is scheduled for demolition due to signalling and the level crossing now being controlled remotely. A local effort was made to try and save the signalbox but this appears to have fallen through with the proposed cost to move it to a new location being in the region of a quarter of a million pounds.
At the same time however, I’ve heard that plans to reopen Beighton Station are moving forward, the idea being (I believe) to have a tram-train service that runs between Sheffield and Chesterfield, with Beighton being one of the stops. I don’t expect that it will be much of a station in the traditional sense – most likely a couple of platforms, some bus-stop-style shelters, and a car-park to allow park-and-ride services for commuters. I think it will be a good thing to have though and can imagine it being especially popular in the warmer months if it used as a means for people in other parts of the city to get access to the nearby Rother Valley Country Park.
I’ll be sad to see the signalbox go though.
An old signalbox Its functionality gone To another place
Teazels backlit by the winter sunshine. I used the 70-200mm for this and was at the very edge of close focue when I made the shot. The sun was bright enough to allow a decent shutter speed, although I think the lens was at it’s widest aperture.
Spiked halos shine bright As winter sunshine lights up Dry vegetation
Takeaways, a cafe, a tattoo parlour, and an empty salon make up this row of shops about a mile from home. This is probably a bit of a record shot really, but it’s the sort of thing that will mature with age as the shops change hands and purpose and the cars become old fashioned. I enjoy looking at photos depicting places how they used to be, and perhaps in a decade or two, this one will fit that bill too.
Time moves. Places change So dull contemporary Becomes nostalgic
We’ve had quite a lot of snow so far this winter. I mean that in terms of how much we normally get though, which is generally very little. I can’t remember it snowing at all last year – certainly not to settle on the ground. While other parts of the country see snow more often, and higher elevation areas not too far from us can be seen to be white-capped when everywhere else is bereft of the stuff, we don’t tend to see it often at home. Occasionally, every few years though (maybe a result of ripples of effect from El Nino or some other climate event elsewhere on the globe) we get more snow than usual.
It’s not often more than a couple of inches, but in 2018 we had a good foot of snowfall. Since Christmas, we’ve had three days where enough snow has fallen to coat the ground and roads, and two of those occasions provided enough for snowman building and sledging. I’ve heard rumblings on the news that there may be chance of a cold spell into next week too but, as a photographer, I know that weather forecaster’s predictions should be treat with some caution. Whatever the case, I wonder if 2021 will be a snowy year hereabouts?
We don’t get much snow Some years there’s barely a flake To fall on the ground
Today’s photo was made after the first of the three snow days we’ve had so far.
