Yesterday I photographed some of the wind turbines in North Devon. I have been meaning to capture them for a while to add to my stock photo library. I like this composition and envisaged it in black and white; it matches the mood of the scene, combined with the autumnal wet weather we are having at the moment. I like the way that the blades are almost spinning in unison at the time of capture.
Environmentally friendly today, but tomorrow…
I have always been fascinated with electricity in some way. Hearing a buzzing in the air above you when standing under pylons is quite something. Standing below these giant turbines, the sound is quite eerie especially as the wind gains strength. It dawned on me that those hills will rarely know the sound of natural silence again, other than on the stillest of days. I remember photographing some years ago in strong wind when the end of the blades rotated out to slow down the rotation speed. It was quite clever but also noisy.
I can’t help but wonder whether in 50 years or so when the next energy solution emerges, will people be campaigning to get rid of wind turbines because of the noise pollution? It makes you think how fleeting life is, and how fast the world is changing. My children find it hard to believe that I grew up with no internet, and my grandparents grew up with no television. Just a few generations before that saw the dawn of the motorcar. As photography and video becomes more prolific it will certainly be even more of a window into the past for future generations.
