I am in a quandary, yesterday we were still at the National Ploughing Championships and I decided to get out as the sun rose. I have so many pictures and I don’t know where to start…………at the beginning is the answer.
A misty murky dawn but the sun is there……makes a change.
Massed tractors at dawn. All waiting for battle to commence……….or ploughing to start.
There is some serious tramping to be done to get round this venue. These two panoramas were stitched in my new toy…………….Elements 9. This stitching software is superb. The second image was really pushing things, shot with a polarizing filter the first image on the left was almost into the sun. Okay it hasn’t done a perfect job but I was not expecting any job at all so it’s pretty impressive.
The threshing machine is a bit distorted but again I was not expecting a result. I could have straightened it a bit with the transform tool. The panoramas are all composed of three separate images.
A baby caterpillar off for a days work.
A very smart Fordson the equipment hanging between the wheels are the knifes and smoothers used for broken furrow ploughing, they are dragged behind the plough and leave the land ready for sowing.
Back to the heavy horses again.
If I had to pick then watching these was the highlight of the weekend. It was a close run thing though……
Hero and Heroine a pair of Fowler ploughing engines, this is the first time they have worked together for fifty years. The system is that you have an engine at each end of the field and the plough is pulled across first by one and then back by the other.
This is the plough……………………………
…….and this the winch drum with it’s wire rope.
There were two pairs working this weekend.
Finally we have this Showmans Locomotive.
Yesterday the weather was glorious and so was the weekend. Many thanks to The Society of Ploughmen for all their hard work and organisation, it really was appreciated.
This is something I know absolutely nought about, but I enjoyed the pictures (had a look at the previous post too). It also strikes me looking at the steam engines/locomotives that I've never had any idea what those originally were used for.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen anything as unusual as this before. If there's trophies involved.... looks like the horses don't stand a chance against the hardware... anyway, you've dismissed the memories in my head that the county is more than sausages and Christmas markets !!
ReplyDeleteIf you're having problems with the panoramas then you should definitely try out Microsoft's free ICE tool. It's not always perfect but it is so simple to use and could certainly correct some of the bowing in the thresher image (choose rotating and then click the adjust button on the toolbar).
ReplyDeleteIf you need full control then PTAssembler is the best tool I've come across but that isn't free (currently $45) and certainly isn't as easy to get to grips with as ICE.
Dawntreader, the showmans locomotive was used by fairground operators. It hauled their rides and the living van and generated electricity. The ploughing engines were used in pairs for ploughing. Single ones were used for clearing trees. There are many others which just powered machinery.
ReplyDeleteJ-on-tour, There are trophies, it's taken very seriously. There are dozens of different classes and at this level very little to separate the competitors. The top few from this event can compete at European and World level so it is an expensive business.
Mark, thanks for this, I am not really having problems just pushing Photoshops latest. When I first started, only a few years ago, I was using a tripod and considering a panoramic tripod head. These are shot handheld and with a silly filter on. Were I thinking of printing then I would work differently. I will certainly look at ICE. I used to use PTAssembler it was great in that it had anchor points. Will have another look. These weren't even cropped but auto filled Where 4GB+ of RAM comes in handy.
I like the early morning shots but I love the horses,they are magnificent.The tractors would not be my cup of tea,but they are very colourful.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you enjoyed the ploughing event.
Interesting place!
ReplyDeleteIs really like in a movie...Thanks, ADRIAN!
What about Elements 9? Or Ice tool...?
I will check...on Mr. Google!
Please have a great week, all of you!
Regards
wind
These are all great, Adrian! You've captured great colours, the light is really cool. That mist up at the top of the post really adds a certain something - really nice! :o)
ReplyDeleteLove that second shot of the tractors lined up for battle.
ReplyDeleteHero and Heroine; a couple of meaty looking engines. Excellent.
I've had this comments box open for hours. It's been one of those evenings. A brilliantly happy one born out of a previous day of really shitty news. However what happened when I read and enjoyed the post was that I closed it and went away still thinking about it and in particular about, well, actually, about most of it. And I simply forgot to comment. It was only when I was pondering the method of Hero and Heroine that I realised I'd not commented.
ReplyDeleteYour two ploughing posts have been right up there in my favourites league.
Matron I think the horses stole it, time moves on and walking ten miles behind a horse or two to plough an acre can't have been fun. These are cosseted beasts and it was fantastic to see them.
ReplyDeleteWind thanks.
Krista, Ta, I do my bestest, not good enough to do this justice but I will keep trying.
Keith that is kind but I am number one muppet a four stop grad filter would have made the shot.Possibly kept me in diesel.
Too much to see and too little brain. Sad thing is one can never go back. Was a damned good weekend though.
GB, glad you enjoyed them I did. It gets to a stage where one needs a thinker. Golfers have caddies so snappers should have an assistant. 'What is I doing boss lugging all this trash if you Isn't using it.' Sorry Sir pass me a two grad. Away I'd be then. Oh! and some nubile kennel maid to control the dogs....dream on!
ReplyDeleteThey give me any old engines and I will say they are BEAUTIFUL.
ReplyDeleteThose massed tractors at dawn must have been quite a sight! The horses have it for me although I like the threshing machine which brings back another childhood memory. Oh, the noise and the dust they created. And all the men rushing around shouting above the noise!
ReplyDeleteBob, aren't they the business. Better than a Ferrari and they can be exploited legally.
ReplyDeletePauline, The horses are grand but it's the way they put their ears back to listen. They never ever do anything till told twice, brilliant they are considering how daft they are.
Superb images Adrian. Looked like a grand day out to me.
ReplyDeleteTrevor, a grand two days out. So much to see and do.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously had a grand weekend there Adrian. It is great to see the old traction engines doing the job they were built for. Makes a change from the usual steam rallies.
ReplyDelete