Aberystwyth – Light Priority

I’m travelling back to Aberystwyth for a reunion with some of my old university mates at the end of the week so it seemed fitting to dig out a shot from the town to share here. If you’ve not heard of Aber, it’s a wonderful little seaside university town, roughly in the middle of the Cambrian coast in Wales.

In other news I’ve decided to part with my little X100T now Fuji has launched the 23mm f2. I couldn’t really justify having both the X-Pro 2 and X100T as the overall shooting experience is so similar. I fully expect the new Fuji lens to run rings around the quirky optic in the X100 too. I now pretty much have my dream prime setup – 14, 23, 35, 60 and 90. I’ll be curious to see whether the 50mm f2 they launch next year might be able to replace the 60mm, although it has big shoes to fill. It’s too bad it’s not a 56mm f2 as 50 feels a little short to me.

Sunset over the Irish sea from Aberystwyth [exif id=”1368″]

I’ve not managed to come up with a particular theme for this post so instead I’ve put together a selection of of images I’ve taken from mid-August through September. Hopefully it still proves interesting! The image above shows Midgley Moor in Calderdale, West Yorks with the heather blossoms at their peak. Quite a magical sight, especially around sunset.

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Sunlight through stained glass always looks beautiful, I like the symmetry of the little windows here.

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A lovely saddle tank engine pulling out of Bolton Abbey station.

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Another shot from Bolton Abbey station, this time of the slightly grungy side of an old diesel, proudly showing its old British Rail logo.

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This was a lucky shot. I’d just sat down to have a cup of tea and scone with a friend, when this little visitor settled on the wall beside our table. Luckily I had the camera out on the table with the 60mm attached and was able to snap a few shots including this one before the robin flew away.

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2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the 1st World War. A local commemoration was this sand statue at the Hebden Bridge town hall titled “Grief is Eternal”. Showing a weeping widow who has received the news of the loss of her husband in the war.

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A line of old grouse shooting boxes up on the moor with a sea of heather behind.

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A cairn (stone pile) overlooking the valley from the edge of Midgley Moor.

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One more shot from Midgley, this one showing a curious tiny little reservoir at the far side.

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September saw a weekend getaway to my old hometown of Aberystwyth in mid Wales. This shot was taken wandering around the marina, an area I’ve always found fascinating.

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A lovely little narrow gauge heritage railway runs the hills from Aberystwyth through to Devil’s Bridge. This is a detail of the bumper at the front of the engine.

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