It’s late July, so that must mean it’s time for my post of pictures of the Cheyenne Frontier Days train! I tried a couple of new locations this year in an effort to change up my pictures. They were OK, but I don’t think I’ll repeat these. Also, last year’s chase scared me enough that I didn’t want to chase too hard this year (I still think there’s going to be a 20 car pile up on US 85 one of these years and I’d rather not be in it). So I’ve only got a few images to share with you all:
First, here’s an early morning shot of the 844 steaming contentedly in Denver with a couple of diesels next to her:
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Next up is a pair of shots from a curve just north of Platteville, CO – one telephoto and one wide angle:
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Here’s a view of the train passing the grain elevator at Pierce, CO:
Flickr Link
And now for something completely different…
Some of you may know that I’ve been doing a “366” project – taking a self portrait every day for a (leap) year. 844 was headed back to Cheyenne on Sunday, but didn’t depart Denver until 1:00 PM. Shooting a northbound train under high sun conditions didn’t really call to me, so I resolved to just watch t
Hmm, it’s late July - must be about time for Chris’ annual photos of the UP’s Frontier Days train . . .
1st one: I like the juxtaposition of ‘old’ steam locomotive vs. new or modern double-stack containers, diesels, and towers in the background, vs. the even older hills and mountains further back. I’d prefer a little more light on the lower part of the 844, but you may not have had much choice in that.
I thought I’d like the 2nd telephoto better than the 3rd wide-angle, but not so. The 2nd brings the train closer, but the 3rd emphasizes the 844’s length, and also stretches out the train behind it so you realize how long it is. Going back to the 2nd one, the 844 looks ridiculously squished in length.
4th one has a nice bright light contrast/ backdrop for the dark 844, but the elevators dwarf her in comparison, and the ‘going-away’ angle doesn’t help. Maybe closer in so that the 844 is most of the vertical aspect of the image, and let the elevators ‘bleed’ off the top edge - who care how tall they really are, no need to show that.
Good call on the video instead ! Lots of action + audio >> yet one more frozen still photo of the very essence of ‘in motion’, the 844 at speed. Your K-5 did a great job (I liked that credit line !), except for that railfan in the foreground [:-,] , and the audio was good enough, too !
Thanks for sharing, Chris !
Thanks for the thoughts, Paul. I’m with you about the tele/wide angle thing. Usually I’m a big fan of the isolation from a scene that telephotos afford, but this shot definitely works better with the wide angle for all of the reasons you mentioned.
And yeah…that darned railfan sure messed up an otherwise good video! [(-D]
I dunno, I thought it was a great video, railfan/actor included. Much better than mine of the NRHS excursion a month ago using my Canon T2i.
Stills are spectacular as usual.
Chris:
I noted my thoughts on Flickr. I agree with what both Brian , and Paul North said. Your contributions are always a pleasure to view. Particularly, those of us who are challenged by the advanced technology of one of those ‘disposable cameras’ fum Wal*Mart!
My pick is the wide angle shot…the distracting foreground and background clutter, the mile marker and the power transmission tower and line are gone and the lack of compression makes the train look sleeker, longer and faster.
The lead shot at the station really shows off how big the 844 is, note it is as tall as and more massive than the SD 70M beside it.
Still waiting![8-|]
…Enjoyed that video Chris. I was surprised how many U P passenger cars were on that train…and the number of domes. Would not have guessed there was that many in existence…Looked like it was moving right along too.
Of course, your photos are always great to see.