Nostalgia & History > Painful learning curve

I don’t know if others find their first efforts at train photography painful to look at; mine are excruciating. So many missed opportunities while the technical became unconscious habit. One of my most insufferable examples is this debacle taken at Pine Lodge of an eastbound LA-North Platt.

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I think that is a pretty nice shot...

whats wrong with that shot?

Look fine to this B/W photographer

HB90MACH Wrote:
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> whats wrong with that shot?

You mean other than the framing, focus, and exposure? I pushed a bad location with the wrong lens in lousy light and then squeezed the shutter too early, just like a rookie.

I suppose it depends on what you want from a picture. Since I'm too cheap to spring for the $$, I can't blow it up and comment on the focus, but the composition, exposure and lighting seem to tell a story. This is a loco that is WORKING for a living, not posing for a wedgie. The line of poles gives extra sweep and emphasis to the curve and the "lousy" light adds a flare of drama. either you're fishing for compliments or have a whole different idea of what a good photo is.

Have to agree with Stivmac. I can't blow it up either, but the composition looks fine to me.

Catching the locos off center give weight to the other elements. The line of poles and the mountains are giving it a strong sense of place and scale.

The lighting seems dramatic, a nice bonus of B/W. I'm had color shots that looked AWFUL until I had them printed in B/W, then they sparkle.

MacBeau Wrote:
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> HB90MACH Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > whats wrong with that shot?
>
> You mean other than the framing, focus, and
> exposure? I pushed a bad location with the wrong
> lens in lousy light and then squeezed the shutter
> too early, just like a rookie.

If you'd waited, the locos would have blocked the mountains in the distance, which I think add to the shot.

I think it's a great shot! Gives me a sense of life, energy and mood.

stivmac Wrote:
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> either you're fishing for compliments or have a whole
> different idea of what a good photo is.

Example number 1:
The going shot away has a much better feel to me in terms of exposure, focus, and framing. This not a really good one either, but better than the first. Let me do a little fishing and I'll see if I can find an example of what I consider a top-notch b&w photo. (Actually, my Sierra RR photo,
http://www.trainorders.com/images2/view.php?17704

and the S6 at LA
http://www.trainorders.com/images2/view.php?13503
are both examples of what I consider a good b&w.)

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> stivmac Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> > a whole
> > different idea of what a good photo is.
>

I think stivmac broke the code. Do you have any more of your early failures?

Doug Wrote:
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> Do you have any more of your early failures?

Too many to count, and they're depressing to look at so don’t ask to see any more. I have more fun with the ones that worked.

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With the locomotive off-center the conbination of it, the rails and the telegraph poles draws the viewer's eyes along the line of the entire train as opposed to focusing solely on the lead engine. Also gives a great sense of depth to the photo!

Aside from the relative indistinctiveness of the number boards showing that the photo is slightly out of focus(although you can still read them) I'd give it an 8 out of 10 (recalling the trainorders.com judging system from last year...).

"Debacle" is when you shoot a whole roll of once-in-a-lifetime train photos on the same frame because you didn't notice your film wasn't advancing- TWICE! These pics aint bad atall, though my eye does want to square up #6906 with the sides of the photo. I tend to pay more attention to creative framing/composition than the typical 3/4 wedge or roster shot.

Aside from being out of focus, I really like the composition.
Tom Helliwell

Bring them on! Just saw the two Centennials at Portola, great to see your shots of the beasts in their element.

Ted in Davis

Please post any more "debacles" that you have!!!!

Beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder. If you are holding the hive, you get to call the shots.

Indeed there is more to rail photography than wedgie roster shots. Have a look at some of Stien's stuff - motion blurs, no shadow detail, enough to make Ansel Adams roll over in his grave. But it has a sense of POWER that no wedgie roster shot can ever provide.
Same thing for some of the photos in Lowell Amarine's "Six-Axle Quartet", though even more so (heavy graphic emphasis).

Your photo, while soft focus, harsh constrast, big headlight blob, under the shadow of its own smoke, is not a good wedgie roster shot. But it does give a sense of power, a hard working engine slogging through pine lodge on a hot summer day with a heavy freight. In fact, I would even go so far as to call it dramatic.

Keep that in mind next time you drag your camera trackside. Look for those odd lighting opertunities that help give your subject a kick toward mass and power. If you master that, you will never be sorry you did.

- Kit