I have never been keen on high tension power lines draping over built up areas and there has been quite a number of reports over the years regarding the affect they have on the poor souls domiciled beneath them. Well, today I got a taster of what it is like. After 22 days of fruitless shooting weather I ventured forth  this afternoon to rattle off at least some 120. Everywhere I trundled, the wind was up and the edgy edge-lands stuff just was not right until I happened upon the old A45 exit out of Ipswich that runs to Claydon. Having got to the point of buses and cycles only I did a U turn  and parked up as it happens underneath high tension power lines.

The foreground was apt and the light was fading as was the wind. Imagine my surprise when setting up the tripod. It was buzzing in my hands, literally as if a charge was going through it. As I  moved either side of the festooned cables the vibrations reduced a little. I did fire off two rolls of 120 and then rattled off 4 5×4’s in the Toyo 45A field camera.

Despite this being a public road and the fact that I was photographing a verge , hedge and field with power towers it did not stop some local in a half cab stopping and blocking my dying light demanding to know what I was photographing as he owned the land. I have only ever had the police stop me in the past so this was a first in more ways than one with it being the first shoot of the month and the first time experiencing the effects of the radiated power from the overhead lines. I’ll be expecting the challenge next time as there are a few other interesting vantage points to take advantage of.

What effect on the film I wonder?