Renewables
On an offshore wind farm substation, the real story is the people who keep the asset running. This set focuses on routine tasks, safe systems of work, and the teamwork that holds everything together. The aim is simple: clear, direct portraits of workers on the job—no fuss, just the work and the environment.
Part of my ongoing industrial and renewables series. For more, see the renewables and industrial sections of my portfolio.
This offshore substation isn’t just infrastructure — it’s a hub of scale, engineering, and the environment. These images show parts of its structure, deck, and setting offshore, captured during site conditions that mix light, metal, and sea.
Today I’m sharing a collection of images from that substation. The steel beams, walkways, cable trays, and platforms are framed against open sky and occasionally shifting light. There’s contrast in the work-worn surfaces, in the reflections, in the human scale where people or fittings show just how large these structures are.
This shoot adds to my ongoing series on offshore industrial installations. If you’re interested in renewables, structural photography, or commissioning work in wind infrastructure, check the wind industry section of my portfolio.
Great Orton Wind Farm, in Wigton near Carlisle, shows the power of clean energy set against the rural English landscape. These six turbines stand tall at 45 m to the hub (68.5 m to blade tip), and today’s drone shots aim to show not just their scale, but how they sit in place relative to the field, sky, and horizon.
Flying above, I captured compositions where turbine towers puncture the skyline, blades silent but implied in motion. The open land around means little to interfere — just farm tracks, walls, and the occasional tree. Light at this time of day softens the metal surfaces, casts long shadows, and gives contrast between turbine steel and landscape texture.
My ongoing renewables and industrial photography seeks moments where engineering and environment combine. For more drone work in landscapes like this, check out my Drone and Wind Industry galleries.
Refreshing your corporate image can go beyond a plain headshot. With these portrait shots, I chose a location setting to give energy, depth, and context to the professional look — the kind that helps profiles, business cards, and LinkedIn stand out.
Instead of studio lighting or a blank wall, I used natural surroundings that complement without distracting — lines, textures, and background architecture balancing out the frame. The focus is on posture, expression, attire, and how light falls. A location shot conveys more: connection to place, personality, and professionalism. If you’re considering an updated corporate image, thinking about environment and lighting makes a difference.
Elevate your professional image with portraiture that says more than just your face. For more work in this area, explore my People and Portraiture galleries, or get in touch to arrange your own session.
First light offshore brings its own atmosphere. The silhouettes of turbines against the horizon stand clear and sharp, with the sky shifting colour as the sun breaks.
These images were taken on an early morning offshore, using my iPhone to capture the changing light. Even without specialist equipment, the results show scale and mood: turbines rising out of calm water, sky gradients shifting from deep tones to gold, and blades catching the first light of the day. The strength of these photographs is in their immediacy — a record of the moment as it happened.
Sometimes the best photographs come from being present, not over-equipped. For more of my work documenting offshore environments and renewables, see my Wind Industry and Places galleries.
Side view of the JB-115 jack-up barge with legs deployed, showing the height and structure above water.
JB-115 is more than just an accommodation jack-up barge; it’s a functional part of offshore life. On boarding, its size, structure, and role become clear — housing, workspaces, crane capacity, and leg height all matter when you’re working miles from land.
The JB-115, owned by JUB, is an MSC SEA-2000 self-elevating unit built in 2009. It houses 64 people with the capacity to increase to 120. Its legs stand 80 meters tall; with a maximum payload of 1,250 tonnes and a 300-ton crane, it handles more than just housing. I captured shots of deck structure, machinery, the legs reaching upward, and the scale of its operations. Whether close-up of welds or distant views of tower and platform, there’s something in the lines, metal, and industrial detail working together.
Platforms like this are where engineering, endurance, and offshore conditions intersect. For more industrial and renewables work, see my Wind Industry and Industrial galleries.
UK offshore wind turbine up close; tower height, blade rotation, scale against sea.
Offshore wind turbines are massive — but how massive? On UK wind farms, turbines can reach up to 204 m to the blade tip, with blade diameters around 164 m. These numbers aren’t just statistics — they shape visual scale, installation requirements, and how turbines integrate into sea and sky.
The turbine in the video above comes from a UK offshore wind farm. At full height of 204 m, the blade tip sweeps an arc almost twice that of many older onshore turbines. For comparison, many onshore turbines are 80-120 m in tip height. That scale affects logistics — transport, foundation design, sea access — and affects what the turbine looks like from shore or sea.
Seeing one in place, through video, gives a real impression of height and movement. The blade diameter of 164 m means each blade is longer than many football fields are wide, and the swept area covers hectares. Height also changes how shadows, wind, and light interact with the structure — tall towers catch more wind, reflect more sky, and tower over waves.
Technical specs like this help understanding what wind turbines are and what they do. For more photographs of UK wind farms, structure and scale, see my Wind Industry and Places galleries.
Good Morning,
Today I’d like to share some images of a substation that I have recently visited.
This is located in the Netherlands side of the North Sea.
I hope that you enjoyed this post,
Have a good week.
Thanks,
Lee
Good morning, I have recently been playing with a 360 camera, here are a couple of stills that i liked from a recent trip offshore.
What do you think about renewable energy?
Share your thoughts in the comments on my instagram @lee_ramsden and explore more of my images to experience the full beauty of offshore wind farms.
Thanks
Lee
Good morning, today id like to share some images of recent courses attended.
Those who work in the renewables industry will feel my pain for attending the GWO renewal courses….again
The courses consist of -
Sea Survival
First Aid
Working at height
Manual handling
Fire fighting
These certificates are only valid for 2 years and have to be kept up to date whilst working offshore in the renewables industry.
Good morning,
Today id like to share a short video of how we access an offshore substation on a windfarm.
After a 1.5hrs CTV (crew transfer vessel) ride, it is a large ladder climb on to the platform.
Where as this may not be for everyone, I will take this, over being stuck in traffic on the M25 every single time!
Good morning, Id like to share some black and white images.
Black and white (monochrome) is a genre that i rarely shoot, but have been really enjoying it recently.
I hope that you like the following.
Good morning, here are some images taken whilst sailing through a Scottish windfarm.
Good morning, here are some images of turbines on a north sea windfarm in low light.
Morning,
Here are some images taken on my phone, capturing the transit of personnel from a jack up platform. We were flying in and out of Den Helder in the north of the Netherlands.
Good morning,
Today I wanted to share a couple of images from where I was working at height on a telecoms tower. I liked the shadows created of a couple of scaffolders walking by, unaware.
Hello, here are some images of the fog slowly creeping in, over the windfarm.
The fog approaches like a soft whisper, gradually swallowing the horizon. The wind turbines, once clear and imposing, begin to fade into the mist, their outlines becoming ghostly silhouettes
The Edda Brint, SOV (service operations vessel) adjacent to our substation.
Housing 60 persons, the 60 PAX will be made up with the ships crew and technicians who are servicing the turbines.
The Wind Cat CTV (crew transfer vessel) This vessel is our daily transport to and from shore.
As the fog thickens, the turbines seem to float in mid-air, their blades slicing through the mist with a gentle, rhythmic motion. This ethereal scene creates a stark contrast between the solid structures and the ephemeral fog.
Have you captured the beauty of fog in your photography? Share your images and comments over on Instagram @lee_ramsden
Thanks
Lee
Hello,
Today I’d like to share a couple of images of an OSP (offshore substation platform)
I always enjoy, how I can take many photos of the same subject, and with the differing skies and ever-changing weather can change the image.
Good morning,
Here are some images of guy conducting specialist rope access, to inspect and repair the coating to an offshore sub station in the North Sea.
Would you enjoy this type of work? Love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram @lee_ramsden
Thanks,
Lee
Good morning.
Images of the Wind Orca with a walk to work bridge.
The Wind Orca vessel provides a safe, efficient, and reliable solution for the installation, maintenance, and decommissioning of wind farm projects. Their advanced specifications set the industry benchmark for vessel transit speed, lifting capability, DP station keeping and jacking speed, offering a significantly improved operating weather window. They are fitted with high-quality equipment, supported by advanced preventative maintenance systems, and incorporate a significant level of operating redundancy. Safety is enhanced through a 6-leg design that allows them to operate even on sites with the most challenging seabed conditions.
Let me know what you think of these recent posts I love to hear from you on Instagram @lee_ramsden
Thanks
Lee