On Commission | Mining - 07|06|12

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Extraction

I'm incredibly lucky that my work often allows me to visit interesting places which I wouldn't otherwise get to experience. Shooting portraits one mile underground in the South Crofty Tungsten mine in Cornwall was certainly one of those experiences. Once I'd overcome the initial panic of being in a small tunnel with thousands of tons of earth above me I did actually enjoy myself.

Conditions as you might imagine weren't the easiest. It's pitch black, cramped and feels as if it's raining with all the water seeping through the rocks. I felt as if I was in an alien environment, as in literally felt that I has stumbled into a Ridley Scott blockbuster.

 The men who work in this particular mine do 12 hour shifts underground, They are also, I was told, not very good at remembering to take their vitamin pills to combat the effects of zero sunlight on their bodies. This is Adrian Tremayne. Adrian came within 3 inches of running over one of my very expensive flashes in his digger, in fairness I had left it on the floor in a very dark tunnel. More images after the jump.