The smallest detail in a photo can dramatically change any photograph. Without the sun, this shot would be just a typical back lit shot with the only interest being the sense of motion caused by pacing the train with a slower shutter speed. That little orb of light dramatically changes this photo and adds a lot of interest. The sun adds a nice splash of orange color to an otherwise unsaturated photo. That small splash of color adds a pop and greatly increases the interest in the photo. The star burst affect of the sun makes it even more interesting then just an orange ball of light. Not only is the color and start burst effect a big factor to the image but the placement plays a big part. The timing of the shot placed the sun right at the top of the rails and directly at the forward most part of the lead locomotive. With the sun in this location, your eye is drawn right to it and the main subject of the shot. From there your eye is drawn to the right with it's orange laser beam of light under the locomotives. That light under the train also emphasis' the detail of the the spinning wheels. All of this light and color is contained in the photo by the textured clouds and the track and earth. In the end, that small detail really isn't a small detail. The sun makes this shot what it is one of the most important details of the shot. Sometimes the smallest details end up being the biggest players in a photograph.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Laser Sun Burst
The smallest detail in a photo can dramatically change any photograph. Without the sun, this shot would be just a typical back lit shot with the only interest being the sense of motion caused by pacing the train with a slower shutter speed. That little orb of light dramatically changes this photo and adds a lot of interest. The sun adds a nice splash of orange color to an otherwise unsaturated photo. That small splash of color adds a pop and greatly increases the interest in the photo. The star burst affect of the sun makes it even more interesting then just an orange ball of light. Not only is the color and start burst effect a big factor to the image but the placement plays a big part. The timing of the shot placed the sun right at the top of the rails and directly at the forward most part of the lead locomotive. With the sun in this location, your eye is drawn right to it and the main subject of the shot. From there your eye is drawn to the right with it's orange laser beam of light under the locomotives. That light under the train also emphasis' the detail of the the spinning wheels. All of this light and color is contained in the photo by the textured clouds and the track and earth. In the end, that small detail really isn't a small detail. The sun makes this shot what it is one of the most important details of the shot. Sometimes the smallest details end up being the biggest players in a photograph.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Night Fuel Fill
This photo in second place on my favorite photo list behind my Emerging From the Fog shot. I love the mood of this shot. It has a lonely dark mood to it. It also shows another side to railroading. The locomotives and fuel truck draw your eyes to the fuel truck driver to the third of the photo. The night sky has some the interest of the telegraph poles and wires along with the moon since otherwise it would have been pretty bare. Going black and white really stengthened the mood also. The way the light is reflecting off the side of the locomotives adds a nice shine and reflection in the fuel tank. The light also brings out the detail in the locomotives trucks. The detail in the photo is incredible for being taken at night. You can see into the locomotive cab and see the cab detail and locomotive number. You an also look into the back of the fuel truck and see the pumps, plumbing, and gauges. I also like how the hose has a shine and also the way you can follow it around and upto the fuel tank where you can also see the reflection of it. The motion of the truck driver as he stands in the cold waiting for the tank to become full. The only part of the photo that could be better in my eyes would be having a better subject on the right lower side. This train was heading East from St. Paul, MN towards Chicago when they noticed the locomotive was low on fuel. They then had to make an unscheduled fuel fill in Altoona, WI. Since Altoona has no fuel on site anymore, so they had to call in there source that they use for the yard locomotives.Hidden Image
Here is a photo that was taken out in Iowa. This photo doesn't have the eye catching qualities as some of my other photos. This photo does have the "Where's Waldo" affect. I am sure you have seen the art where there are hidden objects or subjects in the art itself. This photo isn't as interesting as those artworks but it does make you have to look closer. When I first see this photo, all I see is a white box. Then you look closer you can see the locomotive lights and then the rest of the train. When enlarged you can also search through the man made fog and see the plant that is making the fog. There is a lot of detail in the background that can be seen if the time is taken to look. This photo falls under unique 
to me. There is no real emotion felt or great picture qualities. It is just unique in what it is taken of and the detail that is visable if you take the time to look for it.
to me. There is no real emotion felt or great picture qualities. It is just unique in what it is taken of and the detail that is visable if you take the time to look for it.Speed
This pacing shot was done by using some advice from http://railpixcritic.blogspot.com/ "What Pans Out" May 2008 post. He made a very valid point about how diesel locomotive pacing shots are much less interesting then a steam locomotive pacing shot. I am not a big fan of steam locomotives but they will always look much more majestic in a pacing shot then diesel. I decided to try and make a diesel locomotive pacing shot as interesting as I could. My plan was to pace the train in a spot along the highway where the track grade went above the road. The spot I found for this shot was just North of Lake City, MN. This angle provided much more interest then a side on shot. What make this photo stand out was my luck of having this red truck pass me fast enough to be blurred also. This truck ended up breaking up the all green hillside. I was actually going 50 -55 mph when I was passed so I was surprised to be passed. The blurred background and foreground add a sense of some real speed. The truck also adds speed and motion along with some interest to the photo. The train coming out from behind the tree also adds the sense of it flying down the tracks. The only thing that could have made this photo better would have been white snow instead of the green hillside or maybe a different colored truck. I just love the feel of speed that this photo has.
Downpour
One of nature's elements that I have been trying capture on film, is rain. Rain is hard to capture in a 
photo. If it is raining lightly, it just doen't show up. If it is a big downpour, you definitely can see the rain but the rest of the picture will look washed out and will have loss of detail. One way I have learned to capture rain better is to show that it is raining other ways. One way is to make sure that you try to capture a wet look. I did that with this photo by having good color saturation. Colors are more saturated looking when wet. I also included the road surface which has pooling water and a sheen that shows that it is wet. The headlamps of the train reflecting off the road also gives the feel of how wet it is out. I also used a slow shutter speed for this shot which helps make the rain drops in the air more visable. The slower shutter speed also added a lot of interest to the photo by showing the motion of the Jeep. I also included the Jeep for some added color but most importantly to catch the feeling of a rain storm and wet roads by capturing the water that it is kicking up. I like photographing railroads in the rain because it shows the other side of the business that you do not see in photographs as often.
photo. If it is raining lightly, it just doen't show up. If it is a big downpour, you definitely can see the rain but the rest of the picture will look washed out and will have loss of detail. One way I have learned to capture rain better is to show that it is raining other ways. One way is to make sure that you try to capture a wet look. I did that with this photo by having good color saturation. Colors are more saturated looking when wet. I also included the road surface which has pooling water and a sheen that shows that it is wet. The headlamps of the train reflecting off the road also gives the feel of how wet it is out. I also used a slow shutter speed for this shot which helps make the rain drops in the air more visable. The slower shutter speed also added a lot of interest to the photo by showing the motion of the Jeep. I also included the Jeep for some added color but most importantly to catch the feeling of a rain storm and wet roads by capturing the water that it is kicking up. I like photographing railroads in the rain because it shows the other side of the business that you do not see in photographs as often.Emerging From the Fog
Well, this is the start of my first blog. I am very interested in photography and especially railroad photography. This blog will be related just to railroad photography.
I enjoy many styles of railroad photography but my favorite photos usually convey a mood or feeling. One way that I feel works well to add mood and feeling is with the use of adverse weather. We all get that feeling when there is a thunderstorm or a dense heavy fog and if composed well the same feeling can come from a photo as well. This is what I like to try and shoot. Photography has a life long learning curve so I am still learning a lot and trying a lot of new things. I really haven't decided what I am going to write about each photograph or subject yet, so I am sure the blog will be changing from post to post. I am going to start with my own photos and get some type of structure going before I use other photographer's photographs (with permission).
Now to get to the picture. This is one of my favorite shots that I have taken. This photo was taken at the West end of the Union Pacific's Chippewa River Bridge in Eau Claire, WI. I choose to go black and white to enhance the mood of the dense fog. I love how the train comes out of the thick fog and how the bridge disappears into it. Also the detail of the old steel bridge adds to the mood of this photo. With the foreground being much clearer, you are able to see the drops of water clinging onto the old wire supports. One improvement would be to have more detail around the headlamps and ditch lights. Overall this photo has a cold, wet, and gloomy feel to it.
I enjoy many styles of railroad photography but my favorite photos usually convey a mood or feeling. One way that I feel works well to add mood and feeling is with the use of adverse weather. We all get that feeling when there is a thunderstorm or a dense heavy fog and if composed well the same feeling can come from a photo as well. This is what I like to try and shoot. Photography has a life long learning curve so I am still learning a lot and trying a lot of new things. I really haven't decided what I am going to write about each photograph or subject yet, so I am sure the blog will be changing from post to post. I am going to start with my own photos and get some type of structure going before I use other photographer's photographs (with permission).Now to get to the picture. This is one of my favorite shots that I have taken. This photo was taken at the West end of the Union Pacific's Chippewa River Bridge in Eau Claire, WI. I choose to go black and white to enhance the mood of the dense fog. I love how the train comes out of the thick fog and how the bridge disappears into it. Also the detail of the old steel bridge adds to the mood of this photo. With the foreground being much clearer, you are able to see the drops of water clinging onto the old wire supports. One improvement would be to have more detail around the headlamps and ditch lights. Overall this photo has a cold, wet, and gloomy feel to it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)