Musings on the Pass

Many years ago my late wife and I watched a documentary about Honister Pass in the Lake District in England. To be more precise, it was the story of Mark Weir, owner of the Honister Slate Mine and his family's trials trying to create a zip line experience in the Pass. It was met with constant objections and it was interesting to watch how they navigated through to finally getting the zip line established. 

Part of the objections were that it would be unsightly and spoil views, but in the intervening years they’ve built many adventure attractions that only add to the area. The documentary wasn’t about good news and the struggle through adversity though. Mark was killed in a helicopter accident aged 45. Clearly this was devastating to the family, and even those who had been objecting to the plans, such was Mark’s personality. 

I was very much thinking of this documentary when I was in the Lake District a few years after this. 2018 to be precise. As we drove through Honister Pass, I suggested to my travelling mates that we stop off for a look at the mines. They obliged, and we perused the place for a while. I figured that as I’d watched the documentary with Cynthia, I should get her something from the place as a ‘souvenir’. I mean she wasn’t the one visiting, but still. A token. And this was it. A small ammonite, sliced neatly and polished. 

I found it quite by accident one day in the months after she passed. It made me think of how she loved documentaries. Often she watched because it fed her empathy, which fueled her kindness. She had time for everyone, and sometimes that included people that didn’t really deserve it. I miss her.

I do shoot quite a lot of product photos. Often it’s just stuff on white for commercial purposes, but really I love shooting stuff that has texture and form, where you can tell a story. I’m a sucker for buying props so it’s no surprise that I’m placing this in stone, sitting on slate, surrounded by old rope and dead branches. 

For the photographers: Lit with a Godox SL60W continuous LED into a double diffused Neewer 26” Octabox from camera right. Fuji X-T4 with XF60mm Macro. ISO200 @ 1/60sec. Tripod mounted, 2 second timer.