I took my first long-exposure railroad photos last night...

I was at photography class last night, and as I was leaving, I heard a train on the CSX line to Barbers, MA, where Pan Am takes the train to Ayer, MA. I managed to persuade my dad to take a quick side trip and see if we could beat the train to the New Bond Street Crossing. I had my camera and a tripod already, so I thought I’d try for a night photo.

My dad was doubtful that we’d beat the train there, but then as we drove past the Greendale Mall, I spotted a pair of CSX GEs on the point of a train. We made it to the crossing, and I set up quickly. I had barely finished setting up the tripod and camera when the lights activated. I triggered the shutter, but it was my first night photo, and the first time I’d seen a train at a crossing in over a year, so I triggered it too early. The shutter clicked closed, and the camera started processing the image. The locomotives rolled over the crossing, with the camera still processing… I managed to get one of the rest of the train on the crossing before I had to head home…

It was good experience, and next time I’ll try to get the locomotives… Perhaps sometime I’ll be able to go out to Worcester Union Station (the local hotspot) for more trains to shoot…

Here are the photos I came away with… Shot at 30 seconds on a tripod at F.22 and ISO 100.

Any tips for next time?

The 1st one is actually one of the better photos I’ve seen of gates coming down - shows the symmetry / “reflection” of both sides - don’t think I’ve seen that before. Next time, get closer so you lose the dark foreground.

2nd one - you proabably need a high-power flash to “stop” the train & fill in its image. Otherwise, all you’ve got is some red lights at night.

See also my comments on Steve Carter’s / “Ottercove” 's thread on “Foss River Bridge image” night photos elsewhere on the Forum, at: http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/147782.aspx

  • Paul North.

Thanks for the input! Maybe I will try a flash for the trailing cars next time - not for the engine though, since that would really irritate the train crew… We were actually playing with flash at the photography class last night, so I’ve got a basic grasp on how it works and how to do it, and I’ve got a flash unit myself that I can use.

I have a feeling this is one type of railroad photography that takes a while to get good at - you’ve got only one chance for each shot. That applies to day railroad photography too, (unless it’s a run-by) but you can take several shots at one location… And regular photography skills carry over easily. With night shots (especially with flash units) there really isn’t much else to practice on… I don’t think hitting moving automobiles with flash units is an especially good idea… [:-^]

The first one is totally imaginative! Nicely done!!

Ty; Next time carrying a 2 D cell Maglite with you. After you get set up, adjust the flashlight beam to the widest angle. After tripping the shutter, hit the momentary contact switch a few times as the train passes. R. Staller

If you wouldn’t have told me that this was youre’ first time exposure, I would have thought you were a pro! Awesome pic.!

I really liked that first picture, even if you didn’t get the locos in it. I also recommend dragging out the shutter as long as possible and see if you can get both the locos and gates dropping in the same picture. Also, for the light issue, if your camera has high ISO capabilities, that can help “freeze” the train, though the picture will be grainier. You can also use your car’s headlights (even highbeams after the locos pass) to help illuminate the train. Here’s a topic I have on night photos. You can see differente xamples of me using my car’s lights in different ways. That can help give you some ideas to compensate for that issue. I hope this helps:

http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/92724.aspx

Nice work - especially for a first try. My advice would be to find a stationary RR object (i.e. parked locomotive w/ number boards lit up or station. Bracket several shots (i.e. first one at 5 sec, another at 10 sec, 15 sec, etc. ) Watch to see which is best. Keep some notes. If you can lock the shutter open, walk around the scene and pop a few flashes on the subject in the dark areas to brighten it up. I’ve done 30 sec exposures at night where I’ve added 6 or 7 flashes to various parts of a depot. The cool thing in the pre-digital age was wondering if any would turn out. With digital, you can see the impact of bracketing right away. Nice advantage.

I’d strongly recommend picking up a copy of “The Railroad Night Scene” by Jim Boyd and Preston Cook. Technique has changed with the digital advent, but there are some really inspiring night images in the book. You can find it used, reasonably priced.

Keep up the good work - looks like you might be a natural !!

Thanks for the kind words, all!

R. Staller: Thanks for the tip! I’ll definetely try that next time!

Kolechovski: I’m definetely setting the camera to bulb (click to open, click to close) next time so I can control how long the exposure. And shooting in RAW, I should be able to bring down the exposure in Adobe Lightroom if it’s too bright.

My Canon 30D can shoot up to 1600 ISO, but I don’t like to go above 800, as even at ISO 100, the photos are somewhat grainy. I may try the car headlight trick, although it will depend on the situation.

Doublestack: I will look for that book. Should be a good read and provide some useful tips. I’ll also try lighting a stationary object, although it may be a non-railroad object since I rarely get out to rail lines. This is the first time since June when I’ve had my camera and a tripod in the same place at the same time (other railfanning was done on the go without a tripod or with just the video camera) so I need to make the most of whenever I get to go out.

Thanks for the advice and compliments everyone!

Also, borrow fro a library (or buy - $10 to $25 or so) a copy of The Last Steam Railroad in America - Photographs by O. Winston Link, Text by Thomas H. Carver (2000), or a similar book about Link. Link was the father of great night railroad photos, and although he turned pro, he was first schooled to be an engineer (civil). So, he kept extensive detailed (compulsively so ?) notes about all his photos - the light sources, intensities, distances, angles, etc. to reduce the uncertainties - this was back in the day of flash bulbs, when he only got 1 chance at it. I’m pretty sure this book has a sample from his notebook showing how he did it. And the photos are inspiring, too.

  • Paul North.

I really like your first shot. It looks like a midnight train passing a sleepy town.

I finally dug out one of my Crossing gates shots from last winter. Maybe I will post it later for everyone to see…

Actually O. Winston Link is somewhat of a hero of mine, although I don’t have his book (yet). For my photography class we’re supposed to do a 3 minute presentation on a photographer or two who has inspired us in out particular photography interest (mine is night photography this semester) and O. Winston Link is one of mine. Maybe I can convince my parents to buy the book for reference for my class…[:-,] I’ll definetely look into getting the book.

Miniwyo: Interesting thought. The photo was actually taken in the outer reaches of Worcester, the second-largest city in Massachusetts after Boston…[:-^]

Glad the advice and info is “on-track”.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s I think it was Mel Patrick who did a lot of night photos that eventually found their way into Trains. Recently I saw a book of Richard Steinheimer’s photos - I think this is it (from Wikipedia):

Richard Steinheimer (photographs) and Jeff Brouws (text), A Passion for Trains: The Railroad Photography of Richard Steinheimer, W. W. Norton & Company (2004), ISBN 0393057437, ISBN 978-0393057430.

You might not have heard of him yet, as he’s been retired for a few years now - but he’s another great one - equally at home with day or night photos. Look it & him up.

  • Paul North.

If you’re looking for an eastern vacation spot for this summer, think about visiting the Link museum in Norfolk, VA. Went 2 yrs ago and its very cool to see his prints in a larger format than a book or magazine. Some are blown up wall size. Really helps appreciate the detail.

http://www.linkmuseum.org/

O. Winston Link museum is in Roanoke, VA, not Norfolk. Roanoke is a good-sized town but unfortunately it’s sixty miles west of the nearest Amtrak stop (Lynchburg).

I thought the Roanoak webcam pointed to the Roanoak Amtrak station.

The family wants a beach vacation… I want San Diego, because it has a beach, and it’s not completely devoid of trains… I think trying to get to the O. Winston Link museum wouldn’t work great… “So uh, do you want to go to Virginia instead, hours away from any beach, to go to a train museum?” I think I know the answer already… [xx(]

I’ll keep it in mind though! Maybe in a few years when I can drive…