Railfan Technology > Photography help in Birmingham, or really most anywhere around US

Just taking a shot in the dark here. I'm by no means, a traditional "railfan". In a manner, I work with railroads. I like trains. I take passenger trains when it makes sense. But when off the clock, and not traveling, I rarely step within a mile of a train track. However, I AM getting an interest in photography. I've taken a few classes, and will continue to, but would like more "field" assistance. Mostly on the artistic side of things. Lighting. Composition. "feel". "look". etc. I am finally starting to get my ISO figured out from my F-Stop, and my shutter speed a bit, but I'm more of a technical person, and do better hands on with someone to demonstrate, than taking a class, and shooting away in between, then getting critiqued later.

That said, I'm new to the Birmingham AL area (actually live about 50 Miles NE, in Blount County). And it occurred to me, there quite possibly could be some avid and capable photographers in the area. Anyone interested in helping a new photographer out? My real photo interest lies in motorcycle rallies/rides, horse activities the wife and son do, and aviation, especially glider flying. But as the principles are the same, I'm more than willing to go shoot a few trains to gain some experience. Anyone interested in giving it a try, I'm good for lunch, and possibly some other RR experience type activities I don't want to get into on here, but you might find it interesting. Hit me up, I could use the help.

I shoot with a Nikon D-7000, with the standard kit lens, though I also have a Nikon 50MM lens to play with too. In addition, I have a Yuneek Q-500 drone, I haven't even flown yet..... I get excited about hobbies, buy stuff, then take forever to actually LEARN to use it......Thanks!


And, really doesn't have to be Birmingham area actually, I travel for work extensively, and often spend time all over Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio, SE Kansas, Kansas City area, Wisconsin, Michigan, all over Texas, Idaho, North Carolina, West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, N Florida, New York, Philadelphia,. Pittsburgh, Nebraska, North Dakota, and a few other places. Anyone really, almost anywhere, that would like to help out, hit me up, might be able to learn a lot all over, throughout the year!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/17 13:12 by Shortline.

Basic attention to lighting is one of the first steps. Find some place that interests you (trains or no trains) and keep going back at different times of day, different times of year, leaves vs no leaves, snow vs no snow (probably can't do that last one in Birmingham.

The idea is to see how the same physical location can be a radically different scene at different times. Low sun makes a huge difference. Now, with digital ISO speeds up in the multi-thousands, you may not need any sun at all if there's artificial street lighting around, or if the moon's bright that night.

Shoot a whole bunch of this. Electrons are really really cheap, so digital is your friend.

As for composition, I'd recommend looking through some books by the noted masters of the craft. Virtually anything that Dick Steinheimer, Jim Shaughnessy, or J Parker Lamb ever published is worth examining closely for compositional tips. David Plowden is a personal favorite of mine, since he shot a lot of the textured, grubby surroundings that many "trains, trains, trains" photographers overlooked.

If you're still uneasy about correct exposure, two things to think about: 1) with digital, minor errors in exposure are pretty easy to fix, and; 2) Most DSLRs have a bracketing mode where every time you hit the shutter button, the camera takes 3 photos with slightly different settings.

Beyond that, Jim Boyd's old line about "1/500 of a second and be there" is worthwhile advice. Nobody ever learned photography by reading about it.

Enjoy the learning curve.

Photography is far more than clicking the shutter. The biggest hurdle is mastering the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, ISO speed). Until one learns the trade-offs and compromises necessary based on light, subject motion, lens capabilities and even camera capabilities and limitations, 'getting it right' most of the time will remain elusive. Then comes post processing. There's a number of free programs on the web such as GIMP and paid (or leased!) programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Mastering those is a major task in itself.

Perhaps the best place to start learning photography is understanding exposure, lighting, etc. Here's a great site: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/ They cover the bulk of what needs to be learned. There's also a wealth of information at web sites dedicated to photography, mostly hobbiests. My favorites are http://www.thephotoforum.com/ and http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ They're both free to join, participate, and ask questions. There's no such thing as dumb questions. What may seem insurmountable to some is old hat to others and they're willing to share what they've learned.

One of my 'rules' for rail photography is don't do what everyone else does. Find what works for you both behind the camera and later enjoyment of the photos you took.

As mentioned above, learning exposure is a big part of taking any kind of picture. Gettin ideas from others is also helpful. Don't try to copy everything that someone else does just to duplicate their work but occasional try to reproduce it as a learning experience. Then compare what you have with the one someone else shot and think about what you could have done better. Use those skills at other locations and times.

There are some decent page on Facebook if you use that. "Railroad Color Photography" or "Railroads in Black and White" (there are at least 3 groups with this name) are some places to look. There are some great photos and some not to great. You may find that some of the photographers have their own website with more photos. One in my area is Jim Pearson (http://www.jimpearsonphotography.com/) He was a photographer in the Air Force for 25 years and then a news photographer for his local newspaper. If you go to his websight, about half of the pictures are of trains. Some shot with a Nikon, others with an I-phone. (It's not the camera that makes the picture, it's the person behind it.) One thing to consider when looking at only one person's work is that their terrain may be quite different from yours. West of the Mississippi it's easy to find wide open spaces where you might be able to see an entire 9000 foot train. East of the Misissippi you're more likely to have trees or terrain that would prevent that and you have to shoot nearly straight on at the train. Jim shoots mostly Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Don't be a copycat, just learn some of the technique that others use and then create you own unique masterpiece.

If you're in the Louisville, Ky area, drop me a line and maybe we can get together.

John

Agree with the ideas of having a good handle on photography, but a major element to rail photography is being able to simply find a train to take a photo of. There is a part of the hobby where simple roster photos of railroad equipment is very comparable to portrait photography. The 'action' side of rail photography has similarities to Landscape photography. Once again the trick is find a train, which we often allude to on TO.

There are a few favorite phrases about photography, the best for rail photography is attributed to Richard Steinhammer, find a pretty picture and fill it with a train. Best for Landscapes but also for those portraits.

Let us know how it works out.

I recommend that you start by setting an ISO that will fit your needs. Aperture and shutter speed are both derived from the ISO you have set and the amount of light available when you are shooting. Generally speaking low ISOs (100 to 400 approximately) work best when there's a lot of light, like on a sunny day. High ISOs usually are necessary when there's not much light, when you are shooting the proverbial black cat in the coal bin at midnight.

After you have selected an appropriate ISO, you can think about what to select next. If you are shooting trains in motion, the shutter speed should be the next consideration. Assuming you want to "freeze" the train's movement, select a shutter speed of at least 1/125th a second. Faster shutter speeds may be appropriate.

If having a really "deep" focus is what is most important to you, select an aperture of ƒ8 or higher. Understanding the concepts of depth of field, hyperlocal distance and zone focusing will allow you to select what parts of your photo are in sharp focus and what parts are intentionally blurred, depending on how close or how far they are from your lens.

With practice, these settings become easy to understand. As others have suggested, take as many pictures as you can, as often as you can. Old timers like myself were limited by the number of shots we could fit onto one roll of film, typically 12 to 36 images which then had to be developed and (usually) printed on paper.

Additionally there are dozens of tutorials available on Youtube.

Good luck and most importantly, try to have fun, even when you're frustrated.

Go to Google Images and search on Dick Steinheimer, Jim Shaughnessy, or J Parker Lamb.

Bob Wilcox
Charlottesville, VA
My Flickr Shots

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._Winston_Link

http://roanokehistory.org/?page_id=907

Yep, ISO 400, f8, on a sunny day, shutter speed will take care of itself. But if you prefer, ISO 400, shutter 1/1000, and the aperture will be ok on a sunny day.

The higher the shutter speed, within reason, the better. Due to the way the sensor 'reads' you will find that speeds below 1/1000 will yield fewer keepers. And above f11 or so, defraction will erode sharpness. How much depends on the lens and lens design.

You prolly want to go to the library and get a couple tomes on digital photography, especially paying attention to the exposure triangle and the rule of thirds. Learn to use the histogram. It is your friend. You won't get all that in a day or a week, but you will 'get it'.

And look at pix on TO. Notice that some aren't sharp, in focus or exhibit camera or subject movement. Take care NOT to repeat those errors.

Having a good command of the basics will enhance your enjoyment of the hobbies of both trains and photography.

Marc Levoy lectures on Photography are good read

https://sites.google.com/site/marclevoylectures/home

Bill

I carry a copy of this with me all the time to reference. Hope you find it informational

http://Blog.traingeek.ca/2014/10/recommended-camera-settings-for-railfans.html


Dave
Mount Joy, PA

If you ever get the chance to come to Lost Wages, I'm into Trains, Planes and general scenic/landscape photography. I'm also retired so The only restriction on my photography time is a Wife!!

Old Bob out in Lost Wages
<chuchubob@cox.net>

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You can apply many of these techniques with motorcycle racing, as well. Depth of field, shutter speed, use of a tripod, telephoto, manual focus examples are constantly in front of you.

Shoot, and compare. Repeat constantly.

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