Steam & Excursion > Lesser of two 844 evils?

Now that the ‘16 Santa Fe convention has recently passed into history I’m able to sit back and take a couple of breaths! I’m also able to attend to a myriad of nagging housekeeping jobs within my somewhat organized filing system. This morning my reluctant attention focused on a file with a lot of cobwebs on it titled: “later-kinda-sorta-maybe”. This is where I toss images that have a bit of visual impact, but didn’t really get proper attention right away.

But here’s an image of UP’s embattled 844 that now seems to be clamoring for some attention. When I first posted this image back in March of 2012 ( here’s a link: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,2723746,2723746#msg-2723746 ) I didn’t want to put a whole lot of focus on the unfortunate daisy-picker who walked right out in front of about a dozen of us photographers. Last time I poked some fun at a daisy-picker the soapboxes came FLYING out and a couple of no-names spouted off at me, while conveniently hiding behind their screens names. So I tossed the image into the “maybe” file and haven’t looked at it for a couple of years…

Things have changed. Considering 2½ buzzing years of less-than-favorable news reeking outward from Cheyenne I guess the focal point of this image has altered a bit. The unknowing daisy-picker is NOT the center of railfan attention. I suspect the main focal point is now appropriately in the bulls-eye, dead center of my image. Which begs the question: “Which is the lessor of 2 evils? The daisy-picker, or the Jupiter-size ego hanging out of the cab window”...

1. UP 844 rolls south through Leavenworth, KS on March 25, 2012.

Thanks for playing apples to oranges…
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/16 17:11 by santafe199.

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Id say the engineer is the lesser of 2 evils. As for the daisy picker, thats why we have photoshop. :)

Yep. Thats why I take a tripod photo before the train arrives so you have a photo to grab a piece of picture from to cover up the Dumba....daisy picker...

Hmmmm... daisy pickers.  I thought that was why God created ballast!  ;-)

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

The distracting building and the mundane siding can easily, and conventionally cropped --- which could result in a better pic..
However the picture composition is in the "ho-hum" category, nothing spectacular, or remarkable in the pic.
IMHO...

​W.

wcamp1472 Wrote: > ... the picture composition is in the "ho-hum" category...
Go back and read. That was NOT the question...

Lance/199

Actually, the way the photo is composed makes it a scene illustrating how a hot steam locomotive brings people to trackside, rather than just another front heavy wedge shot.  The photographer, the siding, the crossing gates, and the locomotive are well balanced making for a better shot than most railfans will give it credit for.  Just a thought.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/16 17:38 by MaryMcPherson.

That's a good tip!
TomG Wrote:
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> Yep. Thats why I take a tripod photo before the
> train arrives so you have a photo to grab a piece
> of picture from to cover up the Dumba....daisy
> picker...

Ryan Wilkerson
Fair Oaks, CA

If Narcissus and Machiavelli could have had kids..................................................

Realist Wrote: > ... Narcissus and Machiavelli..............................................
Now THAT is funny...

:^)

If anything ruins the photo, it's that damn pie plate on the smoke box door.

I agree with Mary.  It's a very nicely composed photo of the 844 at a certain time and place.

MaryMcPherson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Actually, the way the photo is composed makes it a
> scene illustrating how a hot steam locomotive
> brings people to trackside, rather than just
> another front heavy wedge shot.  The
> photographer, the siding, the crossing gates, and
> the locomotive are well balanced making for a
> better shot than most railfans will give it credit
> for.  Just a thought.

I was nervous for a second...it looked like that was a runaway train!  But, then I calmed down when I seen the brave Engineer controlling his might steed!

I remember being at the depot crossing on my motorcycle, when you jumped out of your car and started shooting!

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ddg Wrote: > ...I remember ... you jumped out of your car and started shooting...
You have to be thinking of another location. Or another chase. Bob & Lucas & I were set up here enough ahead of time to fish around for our shooting spots. And that old dude just walked out in front of God & Everybody right as the train approached...

:^/

I removed one of the 2 evils... I am not proficient enough with Photoshop to get rid of the Remaining Evil (and I am not talking about the pie plate on the smokebox face) ... LOL

Don
Honolulu



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/16 00:37 by 2472Don.

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Realist Wrote:
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> If Narcissus and Machiavelli could have had
> kids..............................................
> ....

I have the image of that progeny in my head now LOL

Don
Honolulu

Been there before.    Usually a group of us would ask the person, if there is time, to join all of us at the photoline instead of being everyone's picture.   Sometimes it works, sometimes not.   

You know there have been times that I had people in the photo who asked if they should move and I asked them to stay. I got some great photos of familes watchiubng the train go by. Kind of like the illustration I seem to remember in the back of my addled mind of a Grandfather and his grandson watching a steam loco and train go by, waving at the engnineer. Reminds me of my youth.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

1. The pie plate looks stupid. Period. Why was it there?
2. Captain Dickweed looks stupid. Period. Why was he there? Oh yeah, he is the ONLY qualified steam engineer in the whole UP...
3. I agree with Mary, ballast would have solved the daisy picker problem.

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