Last weekend I mentioned in passing that I went down to Ferry Meadows in order to undertake a spot of summer photography and got drenched as the Peterborough monsoon season got underway. Well, it couldn’t happen for a second consecutive weekend at the height of summer, so on Saturday I packed my camera bag and once again headed south down the A1. The primary focus of this trip was to take pictures of Poshboatz luxury pontoon craft in action on the River Nene during a charter in the morning, followed by general lake cruises during the afternoon. Some photos may be destined for publicity purposes, so blue skies; blue water and passengers in T-shirts and shorts were the order of the day to send out the right message.
Well, I’m sure nobody will be surprised to learn that blue was most definitely not the colour of the day. The skies were grey, the water was dark grey and even the trees and grass were dull and lifeless. The perfect scenario for filming the sinking of the Lusitania, but hardly the picture postcard conditions I fondly – and somewhat optimistically – had planned before the shoot.
Still, this is Britain and high summer, so taking boat trips in conditions similar to the North Atlantic convoys during November 1943 isn’t unusual. The guests for the charter turned up with supplies of food and drink, and more importantly, duffle coats and umbrellas. The boat duly departed across the lake whilst I got on a High Speed Pursuit Vehicle (HiSPV in today’s parlance I suppose) to pedal around the lake and take some photos. The bike was essential, as I’d planned the route in conjunction with Captain Bob so that I could be at various prime locations ahead of the boat, get some shots and move on to the next spot. The boat would travel at around 5 mph, so I needed to be getting 10 to 15 mph out of my HiSPV. This sounds easy sitting here at a PC, but the reality is different. I spend far too much time driving a truck and eating Jayne’s full English breakfasts at the NVR café to be concerned about things like exercise. There’ll be plenty of time to worry about that when I drop dead. However, I was pleased to find out that I could maintain the requisite speed for distances of – oh, around 50 yards. Actually, the main problem wasn’t my fitness – or lack of it – the problem was congestion. Cycling around Ferry Meadows entails a lot of stops and starts to avoid dogs, children and people who meander all over the pavements without any purpose other than to get in your way. And when you finally get some speed up, you have to stop to open a gate that stands across the path. How good is that? What Ferry Meadows needs a is dual carriageway…
Nevertheless, I made it to my chosen locations on time at each point, as I’d chosen some of the most photogenic places for the shoot. Bluebell Suspension Bridge and the delightful stone arched Milton Ferry Bridge were the prime locations, with other riverside spots to add some variety. Some of these pictures weren’t too bad, but it was so dull that Captain Bob was using the headlights on the boat to find the way ahead, and probably radar as well. The pictures at Lynch Bridge featured passengers with umbrellas – the ultimate Photoshop challenge!
Once the cruise was over it seemed unlikely that there would be any takers for afternoon boat trips, so while Bob tidied up the boat I decided to head around to nearby Orton Mere for a coffee and chat with Old Arkwright on the NVR station, and get a shot or two of the train. That, of course, was when the sun almost decided to emerge from hibernation. After photographing the train I hot-pedalled it back to Overton Lake to discover that Bob was now busy with boatloads of visitors taking lake cruises. The sun naturally went for some more shut-eye at this point, but for the next hour there was a steady stream of customers for the boat who were anxious to relive the conditions of The Cruel Sea. My intention had been to take some long distance scenic landscapes with the boat, but without infrared or radar this just didn’t work. I also made a mess of some settings when trying to be a bit clever; I have subsequently discovered that in order to be clever you require some intelligence in the first place. Recent removal of some wisdom teeth presumably has a lot to answer for …
Despite the generally poor photos, I did actually enjoy the day. There’s always a buzz when on a shoot, and it was nice to see the boat in action again. I learned quite a bit about the new camera which hopefully I can use to advantage in the future, because I have another shoot booked at Ferry Meadows next Saturday – yes, August Bank Holiday weekend! People of Peterborough, prepare your brollies, galoshes and Pakamacs now – you have been warned…
And upon returning home this happened. The next person who says, "Oh well, good for the garden" will be trying out the efficiency of their local NHS services.
A nice write up, young man, and far too modest on the fitness issue. Personally, I wish I had had a video camera. The speeds I witnessed would have done just justice to the Tour De France Sprint Stages. The riding posture, however, more a propos grandfather's old 'sit up and beg' bike. The two made for a wonderful juxtapostion and with the passing of only a few more summers I forsee a starring role for you in 'The Last of the Summer Wine'
ReplyDeleteI think I know the answer, but Compo, Foggy or Clegg?!
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