Join us as we recreate rural scenes of a bygone era of agricultural steam at Fengate Farm, Weeting

It is getting harder and harder to re-create the historical scenes of a world gone by. Very few genuine opportunities survive, and of those that do, time is stealthily but rapidly stealing towards them, making most of these events genuinely time-limited and fleeting. 

Such is the case with our wonderful days at Weeting on the Norfolk-Suffolk border. There is a fine array of vintage steam engines based on site, with an authentic backdrop of farm buildings and agricultural land. 

We fully appreciate that these events essentially appeal to two different groups of photographers. The foundation of these events is and always has been the vintage machinery which has been used to work the land for over 150 years. This includes the agricultural steam engines themselves and the associated farm machinery which is operated by or in conjunction with those engines. 

As we know that, authentically, the engines would seldom have been seen without crews and farm labourers or managers in attendance, we try as much as we can to include authentically dressed personnel mirroring the tasks that would have been performed throughout the length and breadth of the United Kingdom in decades gone by. This is another of the great attractions of these events, and we know some participants come specifically for these scenes. 

There will always be a healthy degree of overlap  between these two genres of photography. However, we also recognise that not everybody wants scenes predominantly with re-enactors so, with this in mind, we intend at most times to be setting up scenes using one or two engines and their crews in separate cameo scenes to those featuring predominantly re-enactors. In this way, we hope to continually keep the photography moving and to ensure both groups of photographers have access to cameos which optimise their principle area of interest. 

We should have many traditional scenes set up during the course of the day, including ploughing, featuring the last pair of Fowler ploughing engines built, dating from 1926. For decades, these and similar machines stood at each end of a field with the plough being worked between them, gradually working their way field by field, preparing the ground for next season's crops. We will also be harnessing engines for thrashing during the day, another classic reminder of a century of farming practice which is rapidly becoming a rare, but still fascinating spectacle. Other engines will be in action around the farm with living vans and hopefully other vintage equipment in tow. 

What makes these opportunities so rare is the background against which they take place. Amazing as public steam rallies are, it is hard to keep out the background of parked cars and caravans, orange safety fencing, and many other features of modern life. At Weeting, we have no such restrictions, and we work as a group to ensure scenes are filled with authentically-attired crews and farmhands rather than other photographers in modern dress. In addition to obtaining great images, there is also the chance to see and learn about how our land was farmed for over a century. 

We plan to start at 10.00 and continue photography until around 17.00 with a break for lunch. We usually have catering on site and full details of this will be provided nearer the time. 

This is an opportunity for a strictly limited number of participants so as to ensure comfortable conditions for photography. We hope you will want to join us for what is one of our favourite and most enjoyable events.