This is Cottam coal fired power station in Nottinghamshire on a cold day with huge clouds of water vapour being emitted from the concrete cooling towers.
It's an archive photo from 2008 that I've reprocessed from scratch because I wasn't happy with the original version. I feel strongly that photography should represent not just what you saw but also what you felt yet it's so difficult to give you my impression of what it is like to stand in front of one of these awe inspiring places and I'm still not sure about this particular photo so this version might simply be 'work in progress' for now.
These huge power stations dominate the landscape in this part of NE England. They were built there because that is where the coal is to be found deep underground in the mines - the tall plumes of cloud that pour out of the towers stand like white pillars reaching upward into the sky.....monuments to a dying way of life?
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An Open Invitation:
On Tuesday 12 October I'll be giving a talk to North Cheshire Photographic Society about my photos: NCPS Syllabus
For the first hour I'll be showing lots of my own photos using a digital projector and discussing the work of photographers like our own Hugo Poon, and John Leech who first showed me that photography could be an art form, as well as the work of iconic photographers like Michael Kenna
In the final 30 minutes of the talk I'm going to be discussing basic tips on photographic composition.
I realise that most of you live a long way away but anyone who would like to come will be made very welcome!
Like what you see here and are interested in photographic composition?.....the blog section of my website now has a complete set of 5 articles covering my personal approach to the subject: Ian Bramham Photography - Blog
For purchasing high quality archival prints of any of these photos you can send me an email by clicking here or by going to my website Ian Bramham - Fine Art Photography where prices are listed in the gallery sections under each individual photo.
@Valérie Simonnet: Thanks Valérie!
@Marie LC: Hi Marie. I thought you may be interested in these photos by the famous English landscape photographer Michael Kenna: http://www.michaelkenna.net/gallery.php?id=7
@Mike: Have you photographed Ratcliffe yet Mike - that's not too far from you is it?
@Claus Petersen: Thanks Claus!
@digitalCG: Cottam is right next to Gainsborough - only just south of a line drawn between Sheffield and Grimsby.....not exactly the Midlands is it :-)
The cloud plumes from Cottam and West Burton power stations are visiible from those of Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge - a dramatic sight and for me they seem to enclose their own area of the country regardless of county boundaries.
NIKON D40
1/400 second
F/11.0
ISO 200
105 mm (35mm equiv.)