Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE and Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken 2 September 2023.
Windmill behind a hedge
Tag: North Leverton windmill
Return to North Leverton Windmill
As I wrote about yesterday, I visited North Leverton Windmill back at the start of the month. I shot five frames in total at the location, three of which are posted here today. The other two were both out of focus to some extent, which I put down to a combination of being in a meadow with slightly springy ground, and also because I was using a 90mm lens that I’ve got on loan at present. It’s a nice lens, but it’s huge compared to my 135mm, and the aperture locking switch is a little stiffer than my Fujinon, meaning there’s a risk of me moving the camera when operating it. I’m not sure if that was the cause here, but it’s something I need to take care with.
It was a hot day and there were few clouds in the sky most of the time I was at the site, although a few blobs of fluffy cumulus had started to appear when I took the two pictures of the windmill.
The people who look after the windmill were curious about my old-fashioned looking camera and asked lots of questions. The mill still produces flour, and is apparently the oldest windmill in the country to have seen continuous operation (it was built in 1813). They were even kind enough to set the sails in motion (even though that kinda made it more difficult to get pictures, it was great to see), and also to move the cars from the front of the mill (which you can see in the first shot), which was very nice of them.
Chamonix 045N-1. Fujinon NW 135mm f/5.6 (second shot: Linhof Super Angulon 5.6/90 on Fomapan 100) & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken 2 September 2023.
Three more windmill photos
These three shots will probably mark the end of my North Leverton windmill photos for now. I still have a few more, but they’re quite similar to what I’ve already shown, so will probably stay in the archive for now.
I think these three are pretty nice pictures though (despite the over-developing problems) and the last of the trio is maybe my favourite of all the photographs I made at the location.
Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 7 mins 45 secs @ 22.5°.
Taken on 25 July 2020
A windmill, a door, and a door bell
Three more photographs of North Leverton windmill today (there will probably be at least a few more to come in future posts too). Today’s pictures were made with my Sure Shot Supreme compact. While it doesn’t provide the same detail as the medium format Zeiss I used for my earlier photos, the 38mm lens was a much better focal length for geting the whole mill in shot.
This next shot is my favourite of the three here. I like the simplicity of it, but there are nice details to be had if you look for them too – the shadow of the windmill’s blades on the left tof the frame, the shed to the right, plus the bell (and what appears to be some sort of cat-flap – although I could quite easily be wrong about this) on the door.
And finally, a detail shot of the bell itself.
Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 7 mins 45 secs @ 22.5°.
Taken on 25 July 2020
North Leverton windmill
I mentioned my photos of North Leverton windmill a couple of days ago, so here are a few of them
The mill was built in 1813 by a collective of local farmers to grind their corn. It was also agreed that the mill would grind corn from other farmers and “industrious poor persons” for an agreed fee.
The windmill is completely without electrical power, relying on the wind to operate – although there are a set of engine stones for use when the wind is too low to turn the sails.
The windmill still sources locally grown grain to produce flour and animal feed, using traditional millstones to grind it.
I had a couple of cameras with me on the day – my Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & my Canon Sure Shot Supreme (plus my phone). Because of the hedges and fences that surround the mill, it was sometimes difficult to frame shots with the fixed focal length lenses of both cameras. Ironically in the next shot, I could have used a longer lens perhaps.
The final shot is of the cottage beside the mill, which had a group of chickens roaming about the place – presumably the source of the eggs in the photo I posted the other day.
Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford Delta 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8 mins @ 20°.
Taken on 25 July 2020
Steel City Snapper photography 