It was my very own fault. I dwell on a canal boat and had walked up the mooring pontoon very first thing to drop my bag of garbage within the bin. Regardless of wintry circumstances in latest days, it felt decidedly hotter – supreme for a swap from jeans to shorts for at present’s shoot in Loughborough.



Arriving at my vacation spot (the Nice Central Railway – a preservation web site) a few hours later, the folly of my determination shortly grew to become apparent. The thermometer within the automobile mentioned 9C, however a chilly northerly wind took not less than 5 levels off that – and there was I in shorts.
Assembly, greeting and chattering took one of the best a part of an hour, after which I used to be critically chilly. A stroll across the yard warmed issues up a bit, but it surely wasn’t till I hauled out my trusty Fuji X-H1, 18-55 zoom and a flash gun that I lastly managed to get some feeling again in my limbs.





The preservation group I volunteer with is within the course of of shopping for a semi-derelict steam loco to get better as many parts as doable, particularly it’s remarkably nicely preserved boiler. After greater than 60 years standing within the open that is no small miracle and can save our challenge a powerful sum and several other years work.
Right this moment’s shoot is an effort to audit the numerous different re-usable parts – the boiler is saved elsewhere.
That work finished, and a group of virtually 60 black and white JPGs – all for document retaining solely – the varied different attendees returned to their places of work, leaving me a short while to play.



The Hasselblad X2D has already change into a set a part of my each day photographic package and I used to be eager to get some extra apply in.
I shot with one lens – the 45mm f4, both broad open, or stopped down to only f5.6, hammered off sixty frames, mentioned my farewells and headed for the automobile, the heater and residential.


I categorise these photographs as Industrial Archaeology. I’m nonetheless studying concerning the X2D and lots of of those images should not fairly as pin sharp as I would love, as my method with the Fuji(s) doesn’t work fairly so nicely right here. Clearly, extra apply is required.
My because of the engineering staff on the Nice Central Railway (https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/) for his or her time and permissions.






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