The key, with mainline action, stationary
roster shots, shortlines, or steam, is to think how different compositions can be used to cre- ate an eye-catching photo.
Understand Exposure
Pennsylvania: The Eastern Lines
The
Proper exposure is an area where it is espe- cially important to think about what the cam- era is doing, be it an automatic mode or man- ual exposure. In full front lighting on a sunny day, yes, automatic exposure systems work great. But relying on automatic in certain other conditions will yield a less-than-perfect exposure. For example, if you want to photo- graph a train as a dramatic silhouette against a background of a brilliantly colored sunrise or sunset sky, automatic exposure may be overly influenced by the bright sky colors or sun, causing the camera to stop down and result in an image with dark sky color. Or, if the bright sky is a small a part of the com- position, the camera may over-expose for the large dark areas, resulting in a “washed out” looking image with dull color. The key to this type of photo is to think about how the con- trasty lighting is affecting your exposure, and manually set exposure for the richest color in the sky, not the brightest color, by manually spot metering the color you want to reproduce the best. (And never look at the sun through a lens, especially a telephoto, which will dam- age your eyes.) Another situation where you have to think
about proper exposure and not rely on au- tomation is under dark weather or cloudy conditions. While automatic exposure will be setting proper exposure for the dark overall lighting, when the train’s bright headlights enter the composition the exposure can au- tomatically and suddenly stop down, result- ing in a dark photo underexposed by several stops. The fix is to use a manual exposure set before the train arrives, obtained by taking a trial shot of the composition or spot metering on a patch of medium brown dirt or tree bark, or medium gray asphalt, and checking the re- sults on your camera’s screen.
Select the Proper Shutter Speed
As covered in the February 2014 CAMERA BAG, 1
/500
The Pennsylvania: The Eastern Lines is an all-color book on this great railroad, written by Steve Stewart, with color photography by Dave Augsburger. The book is largely a photo book,
covering the area from Long Island through to Harrisburg. The photos show the diesel era on this road, as well as electric operations with a variety of power.
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Thinking about how to capture an interesting shot at the Blue Mountain grade crossing on the UP’s Moffat Line west of Denver, I decided to try to line up the lead power below the mid-train helpers in the background as the loaded coal train descended from Tunnel 1 of the Tunnel District on March 15, 2008. The lead and mid-train power did not line up as hoped for, but with a short wait I cap- tured this similar image showing the rear pushers and the mid-trains.
second is a good basic shutter speed to
use with most broadside or 3 sitions of moving trains. But 1
/4
/1000
-wedge compo- second may
be the better choice for a train moving at a very high speed. Also, be sure you are not set to Program or Aperture Priority mode, either of which might not maintain a fast enough shutter speed in changing light conditions. Alternately, think a bit on how a slower
shutter speed might be better. With a near head-on composition you can safely use 1 or 1
/250 /125 or even slower while letting the cor-
respondingly smaller aperture give you a greater depth of sharpness back through the trailing train. Or you can create drama in a photo by selecting a slow shutter speed to intentionally produce blurring. For example, select a shutter speed of about 1
/30
and as the
locomotives passes your position, smooth- ly swing the camera to keep it in the same spot in your viewfinder while firing off sev- eral shots as they go by. “Panning” with the moving train in this manner should render the locomotive reasonably sharp while the foreground and background will show as a streaked blur, creating a very dramatic photo that says “action.” Or reverse this technique and with the camera stationary on a tripod, use 1
/30 second or slower shutter speed as a
train speeds past to capture a streaked loco- motive against sharp surroundings. In all cases, by thinking ahead of time what
can be achieved, you will have a better chance for a dramatic photo.
High ISO
Although low grain or digital noise is pretty much the standard with any type of photog- raphy, put on your thinking cap again and consider how grain or noise can be used to enhance your photo (as mentioned in the July CAMERA BAG). Any subject that has a gritty or rustic look can benefit from the use of grain or noise. With steam trains grain or noise in a photo can enhance the “old tyme” look. A gritty look might also go well with photos of industrial railroads. Another benefit of a high ISO is you can maintain fast shutter speeds in times of low light. Above all, think about what you are doing trackside. Yes, automation is wonderful, but do not let it think for you!
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