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November 2009 Photographers Resource - Monthly Edition 71

Industrial Heritage

Coalport China Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire

Image taken with Nikon D300, with 18-200mm lens @ 18mm, ISO 320, 1/500th, F11, EV -0.7

In This Issue:

Editorial
Feature - Industrial Heritage
Video on DSLR's
Photographers Diary

This month we take a look at Industrial Heritage.

Industrial Heritage is perhaps considered by some to be the less interesting parts of our heritage and there are a lot of old industrial works being allowed to fall down or being swept away. However there are also a lot of topics such as windmills, watermills, canals and historic ports that are a part of industrial heritage but perhaps viewed more favourably.

Feature

Industrial Heritage

Industrial heritage is in many ways an artificial classification, it includes a wide array of heritage subjects, many of which we have already started to cover and many more that we have in varying states of development and will come out in the months ahead. Some parts of our industrial heritage is picturesque, for example many windmills, canal scenes, and heritage ports, but some is less so, like old mine workings, industrial plants, converted mills, and derelict areas. A lot of these areas don't have the same public appeal so while you would rarely see a castle swept away, many industrial sites will be. Where buildings are listed it is usually only the fabric of the building that is covered not anything remaining inside, so a large old mill may be protected, but its internal workings can be removed as its converted into another apartment block. There is always a valid debate about how much we want to preserve, we can't and would not want to preserve every building, old factory and derelict site, and making a selection of a small number that is in some way representative or major features makes sense.

An attempt has been made to highlight those items that are most historically or technically relevant, these form the European Route of Industrial Heritage, and we take a look at this and some of the sites featured. We also take a look at the industrial revolutions.

Broseley Pipeworks

Articles added on this topic this month include:-

Ellis Windmill, Lincoln, Lincs

Listing are:-

Location Guides added:-

Bedlam Furnaces, Ironbridge, Shropshire
Broseley Pipeworks Shropshire
Coalport China Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire
Darby Houses, Ironbridge, Shropshire
Enginuity, Ironbridge, Shropshire
Iron Bridge and Toll House Ironbridge, Shropshire
Jackfield Tile Museum, Ironbridge, Shropshire
Museum of Iron, Ironbridge, Shropshire
Museum of the Gorge Ironbridge, Shropshire
Tar Tunnel, Ironbridge, Shropshire

Other areas already covered in sections include: Windmills Railways and Canals but some areas will also have been covered in many other sections from ancient, through castles and abbeys, plus many of the Living History museums cover some areas of industrial heritage.

Over the next 6 months or so we will be looking at trams, bridges, marine and coastal, mining, model villages, caves, as well as spa towns, and taking a further look at Roman sites and frontiers, English castles through the ages and a variety of other topics that all contain some aspects of industrial heritage.

Video on DSLR's

A number of Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras have followed phones and point and shoot cameras to include an ability to take a form of video. This could be useful for capturing short pieces of video for websites, of for other occasional use. How much use photographers will make of it is questionable. It does not compare with what you can produce with a video camera, in the same way as a phone camera cannot compare with a DSLR. Nikon now have several cameras that have the ability to take videos and we have looked at the controls of this, and how on the camera you control the video features, this is in Nikon Movies on a DSLR - effects of settings chosen.

The Photographers Diary

Love it or hate it, Christmas is approaching, and many normal parts of life will be disrupted. However this also brings about some events that may be of interest to you to photograph, or events that only come about at this time of year and our December photographers diary is now available listing some of these.

A few people have asked why we don't keep the old photographers diaries on line after the end of the month, like we do all other articles, there is a simple answer to this, in that we have links to sites giving further details and many of these stop working just after or soon after the event has taken place, and maintaining these links is an impossible task. We don't loose the information, some of it with future dates gets added to the year ahead featured list, while all the others go into our database that we use as a starting point 9 months later to start to build the new months calendar, before searching many other sources for new events.

Highlights for this month include:-
Bonfire Night and Fireworks. It's that time of year when the skies light up all over the UK as we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night on November the 5th. As the 5th is a week day events will be running right through to the weekend. If you are having your own bonfire, don't forget to check that there are no hedgehogs hiding in it before you strike a match, hedgehogs this time of year are starting their hibernation and a bonfire is a favourite hiding place of theirs. However if you want some spectacular firework photos then try to get along to one of the many public events that are on around the country, our diary pages list a few of the larger ones, but a look in your local paper may find the ones closest to you. We have some helpful tips on how to go about photographing fireworks.

Firework Events

Illuminated Carnivals. Those folk in Somerset have spent all year putting together their floats ready for this year's county illuminated carnivals that they can take part in. Not all floats take part in all events, as some of the larger ones cannot navigate the smaller streets in some of the towns. However the largest and by far the most popular from a spectators viewpoint in Bridgewater, all the floats, baring any faults, take part in this one, with over 100 taking part most years. I have been a number of times and it is magical. The floats and costumes are impressive and if you are in the right location, preferably at the front of the crowd you will capture some super images.

Other carnivals include the Lord Mayors Show in London on the 14th which starts with an RAF flaypast over the Guildhall at 11am. Followed by the process which travels past St Paul's Cathedral and ends the the Royal Courts of Justice in Aldwych.

Still on the Fire theme it is now the start of the fire festival season which goes right through to February next year. The most well known of these are those that take place in Scotland during January, but for England it is Ottery St Mary in Devon who kick off the season with the Tar Barrel Rolling through the town. The Barrels are soaked with tar and lit and carried on peoples back through the streets. Rolling starts at 4.30pm with junior barrels, the size of the adult barrels grow until the final enormous one is carried as Midnight calls, a gigantic 30ft bonfire and fairground also included.

Leaving Prescott, Glos

For those of you into cars you have the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on the Sunday, the Endurance rallying in South Wales on the 12th, the Rally of Scotland from Scone Palace in Scotland on the 19th, and the Art Car Parade this year in Edinburgh is a colour event.
Going to the beach is probably not something we think of doing this time of year, but on Brean Sands in Somerset on the 28th is a Sand Yacht Regatta, where land yachts race across the long sandy beaches.
Check out the diary page, all these are listed and more.....