Under Pelsall Works Bridge

A pre-dawn sky, with gaps in the cloud was enough to take me out for an early walk.  Unfortunately, it didn't result in a colourful sunrise, but it was still great to spend a bit of time out trying to create a pleasing composition.

Not that I didn't have trouble!  I could clearly see 2 large spots on the resultant images I was taking.  I tried the sensor clean function to no avail so was resigned to spot removal when I got home.  Back at base I checked the sensor and couldn't see anything to make me worry,  but despite some very careful cleaning (Nikon give strong warnings about self-cleaning the sensor on their Z series cameras) the spots resolutely remained.

Well, I must own up to this.  I was about to set up a repair with Nikon, when I looked the lens, only to find two small pieces of chaff on the front element!  What a fool!  It never dawned on me that the cause might be on the lens.  A quick flick of a brush and hey presto, normality returned.  

The image is of the Pelsall Works Bridge, actually a 12 shot HDR pano to get the detail in the highlight and shadow areas.  I used Silver Efex Pro to convert to black and white.  The bridge is 195 years old, suggesting that the canal must be coming up to its bicentennial anniversary of construction.  A testament to the prowess of engineers who designed and oversaw its construction.