Tag: Fujifilm X-T1

Single frame… Large White butterfly

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Large White butterfly (Pieris brassicae)Large White butterfly (Pieris brassicae)
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 135mm, 1/200s, f8, ISO 200

A much shorter ‘Photography Friday’ today with far fewer pictures taken.

This Large White butterfly (Pieris brassicae) rested briefly on the Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum) growing beside the Chesterfield Canal at Tapton Lock Visitor Centre.

The shot is massively cropped from the original… I was doing my best to not fall in the canal!

Photography Friday… a trip to Wales

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Today’s ‘Photography Friday’ trip took us off to Wales… specifically to the Llangollen Railway and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Llangollen lies on the River Dee in Denbighshire and plays host to the International Musical Eisteddfod, an event that we completely failed to realise was taking place this week and the town was packed with visitors (and performers) from all over the world!

The River Dee at LlangollenThe River Dee at Llangollen
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 18mm, 1/240s, f11, ISO 400

After grabbing a bite to eat we boarded the first train to Corwen and I was surprised to find (given the recent dry weather and potential fire risk posed by a steam engine in such conditions), Great Western Railway (GWR) 5101 class ‘large prairie’ 2-6-2T No.5199 in charge of the five coach train.

Sadly (for some, not me, I like diesel locos too…) the return trip was handled by British Railways (BR) class 26 diesel-electric D5310 and No.5199 was returned to the engine shed.

GWR 'large prairie' 5199 pauses at CarrogGWR ‘large prairie’ 5199 pauses at Carrog Station
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 32mm, 1/80s, f9, ISO 400

Following a delicious pub lunch overlooking the river at The Cornmill we headed off to see the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a stunning structure that carries the Llangollen Canal (originally the Ellesmere Canal) over the River Dee at a height of 126ft!

Pontcysyllte AqueductPontcysyllte Aqueduct
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 26mm, 1/250s, f8, ISO 400

Completed in 1805 at a cost of £47,000 the aqueduct is a Grade I listed building and a World Heritage Site and still carries boats from the village of Froncysyllte to the canal basin at Trevor. The towpath is open to walkers but a head for heights is definitely recommended!

Single frame… North Lane

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North Lane, July 2018North Lane, July 2018
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 59mm, 1/80s, f11, ISO 2500

A view south along North Lane near Belper in Derbyshire, part of an ancient route known as ‘The Portway’ and believed to be of Roman construction… Also a wonderfully cool place to be on a hot summer evening!

Photography Friday… Lumsdale Valley

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Another Photography Friday trip today, this time to the Lumsdale Valley near Matlock in Derbyshire, a scheduled ancient monument and one of the best water-powered industrial archaeological sites in Great Britain.

Lumsdale ValleyLumsdale Valley
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 26mm, 1s, f11, ISO 200

Long exposure was the name of the game in the cool shade under the trees beside Bentley Brook and after a little bit of a wrestling match* Rachel got the hang of setting up a tripod!

I’d not been to the area for many years and was pleasantly surprised to see that little had changed since my last visit, the owners of the valley, The Arkwright Society are doing a fantastic job of preserving the site without spoiling its natural charm.

WaterfallWaterfall
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 116mm, 1/3s, f8, ISO 200

* That is to say, a wrestling match between Rachel and the tripod… I wasn’t involved.

Single frame… White cliffs from Birling Gap, East Sussex

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White cliffs from Birling Gap, East SussexWhite cliffs from Birling Gap, East Sussex
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 25mm, 1/240s, f11, ISO 200

A quick trip to see friends at the weekend gave me the opportunity to spend a little time at one of my favourite places… the coast!

The tiny specks on top of the cliffs are walkers on the South Downs Way and given the rate of erosion on this stretch of coastline they’re a bit too near the edge for my liking!

Single frame… Anderby Creek

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Steps up to the Round and Round House, Anderby CreekSteps up to the Round and Round House, Anderby Creek
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 44mm, 1/80s, f11, ISO 400

An enjoyable trip to the Lincolnshire coast today, starting off at Anderby Creek, north of Chapel St. Leonards. A few hundred metres south of the tiny hamlet is the ‘Round and Round House’ a small building ideal for bird watching and accessible from the beach via a wooden boardwalk and steps… Part of the Structures on the Edge (SOTE) project, the building was designed by Soma Design of Morecambe and is one of a number of architectural installations along the 10 mile stretch of coast between Chapel St. Leonards and Mablethorpe.

Wordless Wednesday… Water Wheels (WWWW)

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Water wheels, Cromford Mill, June 2018Water wheels, Cromford Mill, June 2018
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 18mm, 1/5s, f22, ISO 200

A dull day here in Derbyshire today but madam dragged me out for an ‘airing’ after she finished work and we ended up at Cromford Mill, part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

This pair of waterwheels caught my eye… the one on the left is an ‘breastshot’ type and the other an ‘overshot’ type. For more information on the different types of water wheel, their design and use, check out this Wikipedia page.

Built between 1771 and 1791 Sir Richard Arkwright’s Mills at Cromford were the world’s first successful water powered cotton spinning mills… almost 200 years later I began my working life just down the road at Sir Richard Arkwright Yarns’ Belper West Mill, now disused after Courtaulds UK Ltd closed the site down in 2016, ending an association with Belper dating back more than 200 years.