Only have a couple minutes, so i’ll just ask about the pone of CSX in Crawfordsville, IN - “Splitting the Blades”: It looks like there might be another semphore on the left side - if so, how come it isn’t in the frame, too ?
Yes there is another semaphore to the left of the frame. I didn’t crop the photo, but this picture was much more clear than the shots with both included. (I tend to get “Train Fever” while shooting an impending train and tend to shake a lot.)
You’re attacks of"Train Fever’ will get better with time and practice. Your ability to judge what went wrong with a particular shot will allow you to correct and make the next one better. Critiques from other posters here is a valuable tool for that practice. You don’t go to the rifle range and fire off one magazine and be an expert shot…Lots of practice makes perfect![^o)]
Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing it here.
I like the first and the last of the bunch the best. They are nicely framed and exposed.
The first would have been a bit better if you’d have let the train travel another 30 feet or so before taking the picture. Easily said. Not so easily done! Taking pictures of moving trains is really hard. There are no “do overs.”
The second: I’m not sure if I like the pile of tie plates and ties in the picture or not. They are “railroady” but distracting, perhaps. It’s really nicely framed, otherwise. I like the highway on the left and farm buildings on the right, so you really can’t crop out the RR debris. The solution would have been to walk forward a bit and take the picture a bit sooner.
You obviously have been trying to take in the good advise you have been getting from folks here! Keep it up! And, thanks for sharing with us.
Hey, nice job, Justin, as I said on the photo site! Do you know, or does anyone, is that second loco’s paint scheme just old/unused or was it something special or…? I’ve never, ever seen that before. Then again, I don’t live in their territory, so…Thanks.
Train fever? Try a tripod or a monopod. It will cure your jitters for sure, and it will also encourage you to preplan the shot. Another option is a stabilized lens if your camera can take one.
Re: the pictures, the NS shots could use some brightening and I would crop the debris from the bottom of the last shot. Best shot is CSX at the semaphores - sharp, excellent exposure and (agreeing here with Paul) only a moment premature. You are lucky to have those semaphores nearby. Take a boatload of pictures, because before long they will be gone forever!