{"id":4142,"date":"2013-10-16T06:10:53","date_gmt":"2013-10-16T10:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/?p=4142"},"modified":"2013-10-15T06:53:26","modified_gmt":"2013-10-15T10:53:26","slug":"bord-na-mona-lanesborough-october-2013-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/briansolomon.com\/trackingthelight\/bord-na-mona-lanesborough-october-2013-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Bord na Mona, Lanesborough, October 2013\u2014Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Busy, Bright and Clear Day Visiting Irish Narrow Gauge.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A laden Bord na Mona approaches Lanesborough in October 2013. Canon EOS 7D with f2.8 200mm lens. Photo unmodified except for scaling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last week, Mark Healy and I made another venture to photograph Bord na Mona\u2019s (Peat Board) three-foot gauge industrial railway. This time we chose the network focused on feeding the Lough Rea Power Station at Lanesborough<\/a> in County Longford<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although we departed Dublin under cloudy skies, by the time we reached the Midlands, the clouds parted and we enjoyed most clear sunny weather for the remainder of the day.<\/p>\n

\"Empty<\/a>
An empty train rocks and rolls as it heads out for reloading against a backdrop of the Lough Rea Power Station at Lanesborough. Canon EOS 7D with f2.8 200mm lens. Photo unmodified except for scaling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From past experience, I\u2019ve found that clear days are by far the best time to photograph Bord na Mona\u2019s trains at work. The heavily harvested moon-like landscape of the peat bogs doesn\u2019t translate as well on dull days. Also, the brown and cream livery on the locomotives and aluminum peat wagons look best with sun on them.<\/p>\n

Finding a clear day in the Irish Midlands isn’t so easy. The weather is famously dull and changeable. On more than one occasion I’ve found that a forecast for fine weather proved overly optimistic.<\/p>\n

\"Bord<\/a>
Backlit view of a laden Bord na Mona train as it approaches the highway bridge at Derraghan Cross in October 2013. Canon EOS 7D with f2.8 200mm lens. Photo unmodified except for scaling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For this excursion, I brought four cameras. Yes, four. In addition to the two digital cameras (Lumix LX3 and Canon EOS 7D), I had my Canon EOS-3 and a Rollei<\/a> Model T 120-size camera both loaded with Fujichrome Provia 100F.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s certain types of images that I still like to put on film. Also, while I expose a lot of digital images (and make multiple back-ups of each and every file) I\u2019m very reluctant to trust digital imaging for long term applications.<\/p>\n

So, in the event of a digital apocalypse, I\u2019d like to have a few Bord na Mona photos on color transparency film for posterity.<\/p>\n

My film has yet to be processed, so here are a few of my recent digital results.<\/p>\n

\"Bord<\/a>
An empty scuttles below the road at Derraghan Cross. Lumix LX3 photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A pair of laden trains amble toward Mountdillon on their way to Lanesborough. Canon EOS 7D with f2.8 200mm lens. Photo unmodified except for scaling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A bit of foliage at Mountdillon. Canon EOS 7D with f2.0 100mm lens. Photo unmodified except for scaling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A lone locomotive with a per-way vehicle rests quietly on the bog. The turf has been exposed for harvesting and blackened by recent rains. This can make for some very tricky exposures. I used my handheld Minolta Mark IV light meter to help gauge the settings. Also, I made several test photos to keep the tones within an acceptable range. Simply using the camera meter resulted in a very washed out locomotive and a lightly colored bog.\u00a0
Lumix LX3 Photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tune in tomorrow for more highlights from this most recent Bord na Mona adventure!<\/p>\n

Also see previous Tracking the Light posts on Bord na Mona, including:\u00a0More Adventures with Ireland\u2019s Bord na Mona\u2014September 2013<\/a>,\u00a0Bord na Mona, Lanesborough, August 10, 2013<\/a>,\u00a0Irish Bog Railways\u2014Part 5, August, 2013<\/a>, and\u00a0Irish Bog Railways\u2014Part 3, March 2, 2013<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tracking the Light<\/a>\u00a0posts new material daily.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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