Author: Geoff Oliver

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Journal Uncategorized

Flickr, my new home for photo sharing/hosting

It has been a while since I gave up on my Zenfolio hosted website, quite a few years in fact, how time flies!

Recently though, I’ve felt the urge to find a new home where I can share my photos taken at various events since 2007, and of course I’ll also be adding new photos as the opportunities arise.

A period of ill-health last year, and subsequent but necessary periods of shielding, have given me the spare time and the motivation to make a start on rebuilding my online portfolio.

A recent offer of 30% off 2 years “Pro” with unlimited storage and other benefits proved too tempting for me, so I now have 2 years to see how things go before deciding whether to continue with a paid membership, or revert back to a free account. This is very much a “work in progress” but at least I’ve made a start, and the fruits of my labour to date can be seen here on my Flickr Page. If you are also a Flickr user, please consider following me there, many thanks.

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Places Video

Autumn Colour at Barnwell Country Park with the X-H1

Colourful Autumn Leaves
Barnwell Country Park

Please find below a video that I made recently of a day out at Barnwell Country Park near Oundle in Northamptonshire.

The aim was to capture some Autumn Colour in some nice bright Autumn sunshine but the sunshine part didn’t work out for the most part.

All footage was recorded at 120 frames per second handheld using a Fujifilm X-H1 Camera and XF56mm F/1.2 R lens.

 

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Re-enactments

Great Central Railway 1940s Event 2018

Great Central Railway 1940s 2018

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Re-enactments Video

Anchor Forge Steam Hammer

Please find below a video that I made of the Anchor Forge Steam-Powered Hammer in action, recorded at the Red By Night event, at the Black Country Living Museum in May.

Thanks to all the staff and volunteers at the museum for making it such a great event.

All footage was recorded in 4K using a Fujifilm X-H1 Camera and XF16-55mm F/2.8 Lens.

Categories
Re-enactments

Red By Night at The Black Country Living Museum

Please find below selection of sights and characters from a Saturday evening special event at the Black Country Museum in Dudley titled “Red By Night”.  All photos were taken with my Fujifilm X-H1 with 16-55mm F/2.8 (mostly) and 16mm F/1.4 lenses.

GOXH7342

It was a perfect late spring evening for the event as you can see from the photo above.  Barely a breath of wind to disturb the reflections at the Castle Fields Boat Dock.  The title of the event comes from the well known local expression “Black by Day, Red by Night” referring to the heavy industry that was a feature of the Black Country, and which is celebrated at the Museum.

GOXH7825

One of the great highlights of the evening was to see the newly restored Steam-Powered Hammer in action.  This has recently been brought back into full service following a £100,000 restoration.  It was a wonderful experience to see the steam hammer in action.  Here you can see a glowing lump of steel taken straight from the furnace being carefully put into place ready for the hammer.

Continue reading “Red By Night at The Black Country Living Museum”
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Places Video

Foxton Locks with the X-Pro 2

Here’s a video using clips taken with my Fujifilm X-Pro 2 on a quick visit to Foxton Locks near Market Harborough. It wasn’t the best day weather wise, in fact I had to stop filming when it started raining, but still an enjoyable if short visit.  All the footage was filmed in 4K and converted to 1080p before uploading to YouTube.

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Events Motor Sport

Snetterton Rally Stages, February 2018

John Stone / Tom Woodburn, Ford Fiesta
Stephen Beck / Paul Brown, Ford Escort Mk2

Considering all the poor weather we have had so far this year, it seemed very fortunate to have such a fine sunny day in late February for the Snetterton Rally Stages event.  This was also my very first visit to Snetterton, which is somewhat surprising, considering that it was not much more than two hours away by car.

Ian Rix / Matthew Smalley, Ford Escort Mk1

This was also my first Rally Stages event so I was a little uncertain what to expect prior to the event, although as it happens, it turned out to be exactly what I thought it would be.  The event consisted of 8 timed stages both on and around the circuit including some in the reverse direction to normal racing.

Continue reading “Snetterton Rally Stages, February 2018”
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Events Journal Re-enactments

Return to the Crich Tramway Museum 1940s Event, August 2017

It’s hard to believe that it was August 2011 when I last visited the National Tramway Museum at Crich in Derbyshire.  I was genuinely surprised to discover that I had not been to this event for six years but that is how long it has been.  So much has changed for me personally during that time, so it is reassuring to discover that the event itself has changed very little, with many familiar faces to be seen, and the familiar surroundings which provide an excellent supporting role for these 1940s events.

Last time I visited this event, I was still shooting with my trusty Canon 5D, now lovingly refered to on some internet forums as the “5D Classic”.  The 5D was my first full-frame camera and it was remarkable in that it always outperformed what the specification sheet would suggest it could achieve.  With “only” 12 megapixels and “only” 9 focusing points (and only 1 that could be relied on), the spec would appear quite basic compared to today’s cameras but somehow it always seemed to deliver, a testament to the quality of the sensor.

Continue reading “Return to the Crich Tramway Museum 1940s Event, August 2017”
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Events Journal Motor Sport

VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone, April 2015

Here’s a small selection of photos taken at the VSCC “Spring Start” event at Silverstone on 18th April 2015.  This was the first event I had photographed since I contracted pneumonia last August and it was a real treat to be out with my camera once again after a long lay-off.

Geoff

Categories
Events Exhibitions Journal

Happy New Year 2015!

Just a quick line to wish all my followers a happy and healthy new year.

Sorry that I have not been posting lately but 2014 turned into a nightmare year for me. My Dad died in March and that took the wind from my sails and then in July I contracted bacterial pneumonia which led to me spending 5 nights in hospital and 6 weeks off work. They also discovered blood clots in my legs and in my lungs so I am currently taking Warfarin for that and I will have to wear compression stockings daily for the next 2 years.

The remainder of the year has been all about trying to find the energy to get back to work full-time.  Sadly, I missed most of the events I was looking forward to including the Silverstone Classic and the Cadwell Park 80th Birthday, not to forget all the re-enactment events that I love. I haven’t been out with my camera since July, but I’m hoping to venture out as soon as the weather gets warmer, just as long as I can get my legs going!

Here’s hoping that 2015 will be a better year for me, and hopefully for you too.

Best Wishes, and Happy New Year!

Geoff

p.s. Here’s a reminder of one of my better days from last year, back in May at the Leicester and Leicestershire Exhibition, standing alongside my print “Trust Me I’m A Spiv” which was “Highly Commended”

Geoff Oliver
“Trust Me I’m A Spiv”