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Ratcliffe Power Station - JPEG Image 1933x1382 pixels 290.2 KB - 29/1/2006
Ratcliffe-on-Soar is one of the most
efficient coal fired power stations in the UK. With a total generation
capacity of 2,000MW from four 500MW units it produces enough electricity
to meet the needs of approximately 2 million people. That is more than
twice the population of Nottinghamshire. The installation also
embodies a de-sulphurising plant to remove around 92% sulphur
dioxide from it's exhaust emissions and the site is still home to
the bullfinch, linnet and song thrush. Badgers, foxes, stoats,
weasels and the brown hare (a priority species) all inhabit the site,
as well as a rich variety of insects including brown hawker, emperor
and black tailed skimmer dragonflies. The operator promotes
this wild habitat and as an example of modern engineering it is photogenic
from every angle!
This shot was taken from the south side of the estuary on a clear sunny day in March. It really doesn't have much to recommend it and to most people it's just another shot of the bridge. However it remains a record of that monument to modern engineering and like many mundane photographs it might one day be a historical record worthy of the name. In the meanwhile my purpose in taking the shot was to change it and practice some artistic licence as you will see.
This shot was created very simply by using the 'clone' brush feature and fine camel hair brush tool set to Hardness=100, Step=5, Density 40%, Opacity 40%. It was then just a matter of carefully cloning the sky just above the horizon and evenly layering so as to emulate early morning mist hanging over the estuary. The effect is interesting to say the least and demonstrates what can be done with digital images.
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