Stills gallery - Caton Moor Wind Farm
"Go and meet this guy, take his shot with a long lens from the floor as he stands on the top of a wind turbine 100 metres high" was my brief. Never satisfied to take the easy option I began enquiring about the possibility of me accompanying him to the top, and shooting him from the roof. Eventually, following my badgering, the company said "Ok go on then". I thought it would take me an hour at the most. Up a ladder take the shots, down the ladder and away. How wrong can a photographer be!
First of all I had to get kitted up. Belts, buckles, braces, ropes, chains, hard hat, the works. How the hard hat would help if I fell off I've not yet discovered! The climb was unlike anything I've done before. The ladder is vertical, metal and goes through three hatches before reaching the room which holds the gearbox and controls of the turbine. A quarter of the way up and my muscles began to burn, a little further and cramp set into my fingers turning my hands into claws. At the half way point I seriously considered throwing in the towel and shooting from the ground with my big telephoto, but madness and a quest for new experiences drove me on through the pain barrier. It was a real experience and I hope there's going to be a next time too!