A return to the mean streets of Sunny Hunny

It’s been almost 1 whole year to the day since I last wrote this blog.

A lot changes in a year.

The past 12 months have been crazy busy for me.

Busy’s good. Busy means money, busy means mortgage payments. Adult, grown up stuff, tick. ✔️

Photography for fun?

Photography for the love of the hobby?

That’s a fail. ✖️

No street photography, no urbex.

But all that changed a couple of weeks ago when I had a free Friday. Laura and Charlie were on a play date at Farmer Freds in Heacham. So I had a walk round Sunny Hunny on the hunt for some street photography action.

Recently at the Photography Show, I purchased the Sigma 35mm Art lens. A buy I’ve been considering for a while now, so the credit card took a beating.

Sigma lenses come with that nagging feeling of slightly off focus. So I wanted to get some real world usage in before I make any adjustments.

So far I think it’s spot on, though perhaps infinity could do with a little fine tuning, I need to get in the habit of photographing far away things but where’s the fun in that?

It’s all about getting in close for that killer shot.

Being very rusty at the art of street photography and carrying around a big full frame DSLR with abig lens on the front of it, instead of a smaller Fujifilm model that’s just not so in your face, it was was quite the exercise getting close.

People were definitely aware of the big camera.

That’s not a bad thing, I really focused on capturing that moment when they spotted me.

I sat perched on a step for at least a minute with the camera glued to my face just waiting for him to look at me but alas he didn’t. 

Maybe I need a bigger camera so I’m even more obvious!?

If there’s ever the possibility of getting a bin shot then I’m always game.

Now I waited for ages for him to look my way but it never happened, I’m sure he clocked me in the corner of his eye and just plain refused to have a look.

Walking along the promenade with the mind to wrap up and go home, someone shouted to me “you can take a picture of me if you like”.

Frank, I’m sure it was Frank, forgive me Frank if it isn’t Frank, loves taking photos himself and loves to watch the world go by.

This couple of hours spent just walking around and enjoying my favourite hobby was fantastic.

I really need to do it again.

I just don’t know when.

And here’s a photo of Laura to finish with.

I don’t think she wanted to drive!

I was Bourne to find places like this......see what i did there?

I can spell, honest.

My brother in law, Spen, told me a about an old railway tunnel in Bourne, Lincolnshire.

It is called Borne Park Tunnel.

There was no way that I could be told about something and not go looking for it.

It didn't take long to find and it wasn't disappointing, lots of cool images to take.

From what I read the tunnel was constructed and completed around 1887-1888 due to a local land owner not wanting a train line ruining the view from his mansion. The tunnel was closed in 1947. 

During World War 2 the line was closed to passengers in 1940 and was taken over by the military. It was home to a huge Railway gun called the Boche Buster which could fire shells of 1.4 tons over a range of 12 miles.

The good ol' internet supplied all of the above, personally I found the news of the big gun a cool surprise.

The lens of choice for this day was my Sigma 70-200 F2.8, im still loving it.

I wanted to capture different details of the site and the lens helped to pick out small details and patterns from the surroundings.

Awesome diffused light shining through the trees onto these steep steps carved into the bank

This lone tree caught my eye as I was leaving the site, I framed the tree and the field through branches of the shrubbery I was standing behind.

Thanks for looking.

Ben