Abandoned bridge

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020 fishyfisharcade10 Comments

The area close to where I live was once occupied by coal mining. The local colliery – Brookhouse Colliery – closed for good in 1985. While the colliery land has been re-purposed in the intervening years – much of it as a country park with large lakes where opencast workings once were – there is still plentiful evidence for it’s industrial past.

In the area around the Trans-Pennine trail there is a network of railway lines, one still active for passenger and goods use, but the others now disused with the tracks and the other equipment removed. Their presence can be felt in the various cuttings and bridges that still remain though.

Today’s images are of one of the surviving bridges – this one crossing the River Rother. Once, while exploring the surrounding area, I found myself atop this bridge and walked its length – a process that became significantly hastier when I noticed holes in the metal beneath my feet! I’ve not been atop the bridge since then, but there is a footpath that runs beneath it beside the river, which is where these were taken.

Canon Sure Shot Telemax & Ilford Delta 400 – Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins

Taken on 4 April 2020

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Crossing calm waters

January 29, 2020 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This is the road bridge that crosses the River Derwent just above Calver Weir. It carries the A625 and I believe is called New Bridge, although I have no information byond that unfortunately. It makes for nice photographs whether viewed from up or downstream though – the nearby weir means that the water here is deep and slow flowing, producing lots of opportunities for reflections.

This shot is my entry for the 2020 film photography contest I’m taking part in – the theme for January is “Openings”.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 & Ilford Pan F Plus.

Taken on 25 January 2020

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Across and up

January 9, 2020 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This is a footbridge across the M1 motorway just north of junction 34. I’ve driven beneath the bridge on many occasions, but have never walked across it before I took this photo. It’s quite a long way down when you get to the upper end, with traffic hurtling beneath.

I’ve thought about taking photos in this area on more than one occasion as I’ve driven past, and so I finally took the opportunity to do so just before Christmas. It’s hardly the most beautiful of places, but there are lots of interesting photos to be had.

Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 23 December 2019

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

A bridge over the River Moss

January 5, 2020January 5, 2020 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Muchos grain in today’s photos, both Holga shots on expired Tri-X which resulted in pretty thin negatives. As a result I increased the exposure in Lightroom which has increased the noise in the images by a considerable amount.

Both images depict a wooden footbridge across the River Moss, where I took a walk last weekend.

Holga 120N & Kodak Tri-X (expired 2012).

Taken on 27 December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Views of the River Wharfe

December 21, 2019 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

A few more images from Boston Spa, taken last Sunday. These show the River Wharf, which was flowing with some force on the day, and there was clear evidence of it having recently breached its banks – flattened grasses around the footpath and debris in the trees much higher than the waterline. The weir was also making a great deal of noise as the water poured over it, and the area below the fall was boiling and churning away from the force.

Sat atop the weir was an entire tree that had been swept downstream at some point and become lodged there. It’s possible to get right to the water’s edge next to the weir and a fence prevents people from accidentally falling into the water below the weir, but the river above the weir is not similarly guarded and was moving with unnerving swiftness, so I stayed well back from the edge. (instead just risking fractured limbs on some slippery rocks).

Thorp Arch Bridge spans the river just downstream from the weir, and again there was significant noise caused by the water passing the piers and notable turbulence and whirlpools just below the structure. The bridge opened in 1760, has five arches and is Grade II listed.

The final image is looking downstream from atop Thorp Arch Bridge, this time shot with the Zuiko 75-150mm zoom.

Olympus OM-1, Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 (and Zuiko 75-150mm f/4) & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 800asa).

Taken on 15 December 2019

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Vintage sidings

December 8, 2019December 8, 2019 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This is the railway station at Elsecar Heritage Centre. It forms the departure point for trains running on the Elsecar Heritage Railway, the only heritage line in South Yorkshire. At this time of the year the line runs “Santa Specials” where you are able to enjoy a trip on a train (consisting of vintage carriages usually pulled by steam locomotive) and the children are visited by Santa who gives them all presents during the journey (adults get a hot-chocolate or a mulled wine). While my own children are too old for such things now, I have fond memories of taking them on these trips when they were younger.

There was no sign of the steam loco on the day I took this and the station itself was closed, so this photo was taken through the gates at the level crossing just beyond the station. Fog and mist always adds a wonderful quality to photos, I think.

I took an almost identically composed picture with the Zeiss Mess-Ikonta just before this one. That’s a nice photograph too and much sharper due to the Zeiss glass, but I think the Holga shot just pips it to the post. Maybe because it’s more contrasty – the Holga’s single shutter speed and limited aperture control largely dictates the final exposure of the image, and I think this slightly darker one wins out in that respect. The Holga’s vignetting and soft edge focus also works very well to draw your eye into the frame, which is often an attractive compositional feature.

Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 30 November 2019

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Packhorse bridge

December 1, 2019 fishyfisharcade5 Comments

This packhorse bridge spans Burbage Brook below the ancient hill fort of Carl Wark in the north-eastern Peak District National Park. The bridge is grade II listed and dates to around 1750. The bridge still gets regular use by hikers as the only span across the brook between the A6187 to the south and Ringinglow Road to the north.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 & Shanghai GP3 (expired).

Taken on 22 November 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Potatoes

March 30, 2019 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

On the edge of the village* where I live there is a farm. It’s located on a tight bend in the road, but the narrow verge is always well-tended, and through the gate and gaps in the hedge, you can often see ducks, geese and chickens milling around. The farm also sells a range of produce, and signs such as the one in my photograph are affixed to this tree and at other places. Once upon a time the farm probably backed out onto an undisturbed river floodplain, but this was taken over by a railway marshalling yard when the local coal mine was still in production (it’s been closed nearly 35 years now), and in more recent times now carries the A57 bypass via a viaduct across the valley, which is what can be seen in the middle part of the picture, just behind and above the hedge. Despite all this, there’s still a peaceful air around the farm, especially when the rush-hour traffic has subsided.

*I use the term “village” in its loosest sense – it’s actually just a suburb of Sheffield, but like many satellite settlements that have been absorbed into the wider metropolitan mass, it’s still known as “the village” be local people.

Olympus Trip 35 & Fomapan 400.

Taken on 28 March 2019

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Ladybower

December 31, 2017December 31, 2017 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This is a shot taken back in the spring with my Lubitel 166 Universal. I’ve since sold the camera after getting my Yashica Mat 124 G – while the Lubitel could take some nice photographs, it was pretty fiddly to use and focussing was tricky.

This is cropped to 6×4.5 ratio from the 6×6 original (although the camera had an adapter that allowed 6×4.5 shots to be made).