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A Priddy Good Trip In To Reservoir Hole For The Captains Number 1 Fan

chunky

Well-known member
As all of us at Dudley know, Keith is 'Captain' Chris Bindings Number 1 fan, so it was hardly surprising that when a chance to visit Reservoir Hole, on a trip led by Mr. Binding, came up Keith was the first to sign up.

We started our day with a Priddy good breakfast at the farm shop. Keith wouldn't sit still throughout breakfast and I just knew that there was a chance that he was going to be a very naughty boy if he didn't learn to contain his excitement, so he was sent to the little boys room whilst I sorted my kit out of the van and in to Brendan's car.

The girls were off to have a play in Balch Cave, so we waved them off with instructions to meet us in the gorge at 4pm with cake ;)

We arrived on time to find Mr Binding already changing...Keith began bouncing on his chair and Brendan had to give him a very stern look before he calmed down enough to let him out of the car.
We swiftly changed and made our way up to the entrance, this is a very unassuming metal plate that gives no inkling of the size of passage that lay below.

We made our way through to moon milk chamber, Topless Aven (Again Keith was restrained from stripping off and shouting 'Chris, Chris......I'm topless too........!!!') and up Golgotha Rift.

Brendan lit the rift from below whilst Keith, Chris and Myself climbed up to the decorated ledge to marvel at the view.
On our way back down Chris explained the safest way down a climb, but Keith shouted 'look at me Chris', and Tarzan swung down, bouncing around at Mr Binding's feet.

On we went crawling down slope to the pitch head where we rigged a couple of ladders and were confronted with the awesome Frozen Deep.
I hadn't realised until we were on our way to the cave, but Brendan had forgone taking his camera on this occasion and loaded his peli-case with flashguns in anticipation of the spectacular chamber.
We took a couple of shots of the rift section before continuing through the lower section of the chamber. Chris was great, not only a font of knowledge throughout the trip, but the way he handled Mr Edwards was nothing short of Saintly.
Again I was allowed on our way out to take a shot or two of the formations before we headed back up the pitch and made our way back to daylight.
Mr Binding made some excuse about having to get off, Brendan and I exchanged a knowing glance as we watched Keith waving his idol off. Just then the girls turned up with cake as promised.

As I got in to the van I could hear Keith in the front of Brendan's car chattering away.......Chris said this, Chris said that, My mate Chris said............Poor Brendan, it must have been a very long journey home for him ;)

Present: Keith, Brendan, Mark & The Great Chris Binding

All Photo's Lit by Flashguns Supplied by Mr Brendan Marris


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cap n chris

Well-known member
Final shot: see the light shining from the rear of Keith? That's me, that is.

PS Lolchops reportage. Blushing.
 

bograt

Active member
Don't care what anyone says about light painting, high power LED's or whatever, flash guns are still the best way to give the dramatic effect, its difficult to believe that first shot is taken under Mendip, it looks as though it should be continental or far East!  (y)
 

Duncan S

New member
Been for a reccie and I've got a Frozen Deep photo trip booked next month.
I reckon these images have set the bar pretty high :)
Very inspiring...
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Excellent photos and for once does a fantastic place justice. Mr Binding is indeed a marvelous and caring trip leader, raconteur and gent about town.
 

blackshiver

Member
Having been taking photographs underground on and off for over four decades I absolutely agree that for artistic merit the use of flash (preferably bulbs) and film (preferably black and white) gives by far the most asthetic final effect. The downside was that I used to aim to get two or three good shots from a roll of 35mm and I was doing the development professionally myself back in the early eighties.

On a recent trip to the the Frozen Deep, I quickly got this shot using light painting and am well chuffed with it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/74732072@N08/17381364342/

OK its a bit flat but that chamber is BIG.

Being a Yorkshireman I must admit that the leader telling me that GG main chamber was "open to the surface" and therefore a "Rock Shelter" did make me smile.....

 

Maj

Active member
blackshiver said:
On a recent trip to the the Frozen Deep, I quickly got this shot using light painting and am well chuffed with it.

Another good photo of TFD. The caver at the far end gives a good idea of scale.
blackshiver said:
Being a Yorkshireman I must admit that the leader telling me that GG main chamber was "open to the surface" and therefore a "Rock Shelter" did make me smile.....
:tease:
I can't recall who first said this, but I too make similar comments.
;)


Maj.
 

Les W

Active member
Maj said:
blackshiver said:
On a recent trip to the the Frozen Deep, I quickly got this shot using light painting and am well chuffed with it.

Another good photo of TFD. The caver at the far end gives a good idea of scale.
blackshiver said:
Being a Yorkshireman I must admit that the leader telling me that GG main chamber was "open to the surface" and therefore a "Rock Shelter" did make me smile.....
:tease:
I can't recall who first said this, but I too make similar comments.
;)


Maj.

It's true...  :tease:
 

menacer

Active member
Brilliant trip report chunky. Ive never laughed so much. Poor Keith hope he took it well.
Seems a thouroughly decent bloke in real life, unlike some of Chris's other fawning disciples...  ;)
 

Caver Keith

Well-known member
Poor Keith hope he took it well.

I'm afraid I didn't and me and Chunky are no longer speaking to one another. I'm not saying that the trip report isn't factual, but how could he tell the whole caving world about my sycophantic toadying up to the Captain. I'll never be able to show my face in the caving community again.

It was me that plucked Chunky from obscurity and it was me that put him on the silver screen. The adulation that he receives from the caving community and his army of admiring fans is entirely down to me too. Everywhere he goes he is greeted with with, "Hi. Are you Mark? I've seen your videos on YouTube," but it seems he has outgrown me. He can go off and smarm up to his new caving chums. See if I care. One day he'll be back with his tail between his legs but by then I will have created another star - bigger (get it) and better than he ever was.
 

chunky

Well-known member
Dear Keith,

oh what a fool I've been. Can you ever forgive me? I now realise that what we had was special, something I could never recreate with another. I was promised I would be taken places I had never been, heights I had never attained and was swayed so easily by the offer of sparkly pretty things. I feel so empty and used and realise I have only myself to blame. If you could find it in your heart to offer me another chance I know we could make it work! ;)
 

glyders

Member
The middle photo is, I think, the most impressive one I've seen from Reservoir Hole - it gives a real idea of the size.
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
Agree, that the middle view is good. I did a light painting panoramic some while back from the same view point and it gives a good sense of scale but the flash gives it more depth and colour. Footleg is still working on one I believe which from the work in progress images will be worth seeing.  For those interested digging work has stopped for the summer but we hope to return to Magic Smoke Dig later in the year working our way down the southern wall in the middle. You won't have seen the digging gear because we hid it out of site for aesthetic reasons!
 

chunky

Well-known member
Thanks for all the kind comments.

These were just a few quick shots taken by spreading a few flash guns around. I'm only in my second year of taking photo's, but Brendan Marris has given me a lot of tips and I'm lucky to get to go underground pretty often so have had a bit of practice and a steep learning curve.

Difficult not to take a half decent shot with in such a great place though.
I guess the models and flash monkeys did ok too  ;)
 
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