In ruins: a photo series at Mtunzini railway station
I have recently moved to the town of Mtunzini. It’s a small coastal town along the north coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The town is well known for the Umlalazi Nature Reserve (part of KZN Wildlife) with lots of coastal forest, mangrove swamps and the Umlalazi River. The birding in the area is prolific with unique species such as the Palm Nut Vulture.
But before I could start capturing these beautiful places, I discovered this dilapidated railway station. The broken up building and train grabbed my attention so I took the time to walk around.
I wanted to capture the essence of the place and so decided to focus on black & white images. The cloudy, overcast conditions also helped create the mood. I used my Canon 7D with EF-S 17-85 Lens. I kept the ISO on 320 for most of the images and then messed around with depth of field to create different effects. I also tried to capture the place from different angles, often lying on the ground close to the railway lines.
Moving to a new town means discovering everything for the first time and seeing it through fresh ideas. I am looking forward to discovering the essence of Mtunzini as a town and its surrounding areas.
Hope you will enjoy the collection.
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8 Responses to “In ruins: a photo series at Mtunzini railway station”
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August 16, 2012 at 9:20 am
Classic pics in Black’n white! Pity this is so derelict and not put to better use.
August 28, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Glad you enjoyed the photos P-J.
August 27, 2012 at 2:57 pm
I am a Resident of Mtunzini who enjoyed the services of the busy Railways Station….bringing in parcels, etc. The Sugar farmers would have their interesting stories to tell. Our Primary School children were there to cheer farewell to the last Steam train leaving the Station in the 70′s, The Station Master was a very proud man because he regularly received credits for one of the best maintained stations. Very sad to note the total state of disrepair of a once bustling place.
August 28, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Thanks for your comment Sandi, I would love to have seen the train station in those days. I can only image the scene of all the farmers loading and off loading goods from the trains. Mtunzini is a beautiful town with its own charm which I look forward to capturing.
November 2, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Lovely photography!
November 2, 2012 at 4:38 pm
Lovely photography. A pity you could not capture the old wood-andiron railway station on photo – it burnt down in about 1990
November 8, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Hi Albert, thanks for your comments. If you know of any other interesting places near Mtunzini worth photographing let me know. I am new here and looking forward to exploring the area. Cheers, Stuart
November 27, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Die fotografie is puik. ‘n Mens kry so ‘n hartseer gevoel as jy daarna kyk! Die swart- en wit fotografie voltooi die storie!