THESE great images were taken at a celebration of all things Steampunk.

Whitby photographer Paul Armstrong went along to the town’s Steampunk Festival at the weekend (February 12 and 13).

He said: “Whitby's various weekend events provide a rich source of subjects for photographers and the Whitby Steampunk Weekend is no exception. As a Whitby photographer, I am often around town shooting street scenes and portraits, and was highly impressed by the lavish and creative costumes on display this weekend.

“I took my first photographs on Friday, but it was Saturday when most of the steampunks could be seen. Hundreds of people, of all ages, could be seen around town in their Victoriana-inspired sci-fi finery. Everyone I asked was more than happy to pose and it was nice to have time to chat about how they had made or sourced their amazing costumes, adorned with gears, goggles and glorious wide-brimmed headgear.

“The old east side of town provided many great backdrops and relocating to near the Spa Pavilion, where most of the steampunk events were concentrated, allowed me to use the sea views to frame the pictures.”

The weekend had many different activities that people could get involved in including presentations, demonstrations and a Steampunk Retail Emporium.

Paul said visitors were not put off by the bad weather either.

He said: “Although very breezy on Saturday, the worst of the forecast held off. However, on Sunday, it appeared with a vengeance and this photographer stayed at home to process the previous day's images.”

The Steampunk Weekend has become a recent tradition in Whitby and is held twice a year.

It draws inspiration from genres of fiction such as science fiction and fantasy as well as Victorian Britain.