Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
I wasn’t sure how this photo would turn out when I took it. The lighting was quite challenging, with a dark, backlit gravestone, with a bright halo of leaves and a bunch of glowing dandelion sugarbabies in the foreground. It worked out better than I expected, with the F80’s meter making a good job at balancing the scene and capturing the lichen on the gravestone.
Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
In the midst of the picturesque Hope Valley stands the cement works. This used to be owned by Blue Circle Cement when I was younger, but the plant has been in the hands of multiple businesses since it was first built in 1929. The current owner is Breedon.
Despite the structure being quite a contrast from the otherwise scenic agricultural surroundings, it provides quite a striking focal point and the sight of the building and chimney features frequently in landscape photographs of the area.
I have a memory from a long ago school trip to the area where someone mentioned that it was an eyesore and spoiled the scenery, whereupon the teacher explained that, while that might be the case, the operation also provides a large number of jobs for the people who live in the area.
Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
My recent day trip to Castleton was shared with a group of online friends who I know from a photography forum. I’ve been on similar outings in the past, but this was the first one since the covid pandemic.
I’m normally a lone-wolf when it comes to photography. I can immerse myself in what I’m doing without distraction, and I find I rarely make my best pictures if I’m with company. However sometimes it’s nice for photography to be a shared experience, especially when your companions share the passion and (sometimes) the disappointments. Even more so when they are fellow film shooters.
It was a good day and I hope to repeat it before too long.
Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Another shot made with my 28-300mm zoom lens that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve before. Actually, that’s probably not strictly accurate – my Zuiko 75-150mm might have done a decent job had I been shooting with one of my Olympus SLR’s. Still, I wouldn’t have been able to make this shot previously with my other Nikon gear, the longest lens I have for that format being a 105mm macro lens.
The conditions could have been better for this picture. Although it was still quite early in the day (before 9am) the sun was already beating down and there was a lot of haze and otherwise clear blue skies.
I like how Peveril Castle is perched up on the hillside in the background though.
Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Mam Tor is a large hill that sits at the top of the Hope Valley above Castleton. It translates as “Mother Hill”, and is so named because frequent landslips have resulted in a series of smaller hills on its slopes. Another name for the hill is “The Shivering Mountain”, which I like because it sounds like some place in Middle Earth. Mam Tor is 1,692 feet tall and forms part of a line of hills known as the Great Ridge which separate the Hope Valley from Edale.
I took this photo on my recently acquired Tamron 28-300mm superzoom, which I bought as a useful all-round lens for hikes in the countryside. I’ve found that compact cameras, while being convenient to carry, tend to limit my ability to photograph more distant subjects. This outing to Castleton was a bit of a test outing for the lens, and I’m happy with the results, especially the vibration reduction which works perfectly with my Nikon F80. Any zoom lens with a focal length range as large as this will have some shortcomings, but they’re not too noticeable on 35mm film.
For some reason, this particular shot of Mam Tor has ended up very grainy – much more so than the other frames from the same roll.
Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Looking on Google Maps, there doesn’t appear to be a name for this street in Castleton. It branches off another road named Goosehill and heads down to Peakshole Water and the footpath to Peak Cavern.
Whatever its name (and I’m sure it must have one), it was a scenic spot for a picture.
Yashica Mat 124G & Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Yashica Mat 124G & Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Peakshole Water is named after Peak Cavern, which is its source (although other nearby emergence’s of underground streams also contribute greatly to the flow). It flows through Castleton, and then down to Hope where it becomes a tributary of the River Noe flowing from Edale.
Peakshole Water has only one named tributary, the impressively titled Odin Stitch – a stream that emerges from Odin Mine at Mam Tor.
The pictures below show Peakshole Water not far from its source.
Yashica Mat 124G & Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Two photographs of Peveril Castle which sits above the village of Castleton. Or, to be more specific, the remains of the keep at Peveril Castle. The first was shot within the castle grounds, the second taken looking up at the same location from Cave Dale.
Yashica Mat 124G & Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Steel City Snapper photography 