As of this past week, Edgelands has moved up a gear. Various impediments to progressing the extended shoot have now been overcome and a weather window has permitted  a second visit to a new location identified last November.

The forecast for this morning was spot on or indeed in reality better than  spot on. I had been checking on pressure charts for days. Mrs O does not get my pre0ccupation with isobars, anti-cyclones and cyclones but it harks back to my days at sea when the shipping forecast was a ritual never to be missed. The combination of wind and tide made a huge difference to our safe passage and the same goes for much of my photography.

So no lie -in to 0600 which is our want on a Sunday morning. The alarm was off at 0530  as I wanted to be in place at least 45 minutes before sunrise and after a tawdry few weeks where sunrise has lagged behind the ever lengthening days one has to get out a bit sharper. The joys of December and early January are the gloriously short days that allow optimum golden hour photography . I rarely do this in the summer as one might as well not go to bed.

Reconnaissance is vital for shooting work in a series like Edgelands. My studies of this site narrowed down my shooting times to a half hour before and after sunrise. All other times are not possible as I would be shooting straight into the sun, which I like at times but would only be possible at this site on a day with total cloud cover. Access is also difficult so Sunday was identified as the only day of the week to make images here. I cannot park on the clearway so it was up on the grass verge where obvious signs of HGV use indicated that on weekdays this space would not be possible either.

Compared to recent days it  was positively balmy as I took the slow road West from Ipswich. I was glad to see more cloud cover than forecast as dawn rapidly lightened. That would extend my shooting time. Setting up a large format camera so close to where joggers and dog walkers pass by always attracts rather too much attention but I managed to get 3 5×4 Portra 160 negatives exposed on the Toyo 45C and a roll of Portra 400 on the Zenza Bronica before anyone jogged or walked by. Now comes the wait for C41 processing.

Once the large format negatives were in the can I decided to try ND graduated filters on the D810. I still have much to learn about using this camera for its intended Landscape use.

This is same image cropped differently in post processing taken from the same position and height as the large format negatives and with a 5×4 crop in camera. I do not expect the film to be razor sharp as these images are. That is the beauty of film in my view . I am very impressed though with the foreground detail and the middle-ground detail. I could not want for more. Yes, I have dodged and burned just as no doubt I shall with the Portra when I get it back.

The magnet for me at this site is the manner in which this Edgeland vegetation has used the reclaimed scrap as a climbing support. All manner of small birds were active whilst I was shooting and there is no doubt of the habitat that has been created along the edge of this metallic graveyard. My first images here were made in November whilst there was still some leaf cover. The starkness of the trees compliment the bareness of the metal but already, there was evidence of buds swelling. I will have to work fast now to avoid the over-greenness of spring.

I have another couple of sites identified. I just need to figure out how I get access. Edgelands is definitely on a roll.

I’ll post more information as to why I am moving much quicker on this project now in a few weeks. Making work is the most important pressure at the moment and the week ahead does not offer much opportunity for that.