IMHO, these all were taken in particularly harsh light. Sometimes you just have take whan mother nature gives you, but where possible try to catch the lighted side of the trains and try to avoid downsun. For particulars:
NS 9097 - bad sun angle. At that time of day I would shoot trains moving in the opposite direction only. Also the utility box on the pole is distracting. You should have positioned yourself just to the side of the pole so it wasn’t in the picture.
AMTK 145 - Nice shot even though the sun isn’t ideal. I suggest next time you turn a little more to the left to include more train or the natural boundary of the scene.
BNSF 5038 - Quite dark, it looks like your camera metered on the headlight. If you have a meter mode selection, try using more metering points. Otherwise try to avoid aiming directly at the headlight so your meter will see the darker area.
BNSF 4847 - Also dark but interesting rays from the ditch lights. It’s good that you caught the whole train.
Photoshop could lighten the shadows and improve most of these shots.
Overall a pretty good effort. In the future try to select photo spots with better sun. Keep it to your back if possible. Take care to avoid distracting objects and look for scenic details that give your shot some context and provide a point of interest that complements the train. PM me if you want to talk about it more.
This comment is directed at the entire board…not Justin…
Some people have a ‘artistic eye’ and can compose striking photos without even giving a second thought about all the ‘artistic decisions’ they made in capturing the image they did.
Some of us don’t have that eye. I know for a fact there isn’t a single ‘artistic’ cell in my body and any images I capture prove that fact time after time after time.
Amtk 145 - Would like to see more of train. Could you have moved to your right and rotated your view to the left?
BNSF 4847 - Nice wedge. To make it a great wedge, let the train wander another 50 ft or so into the shot and tilt you camera up a hair so the front of the locomotive obeys the “rule of 1/3rds”. That is the front of the locomotive will be 1/3 from the left hand edge and 1/3 from the bottom of the frame. The rear end of the train should be 1/3 from the LH edge of the frame to keep the shot balance. Something like this: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=26730
Part of the trick is composing the shot without the train in it. Hold the camera up and frame the scene in the view finder, looking around top to bottom and side to side to get it looking good. Then imagine the train in the scene and decide exactly where the front of the locomotive should be when you snap the shutter. (If you have an autofocus camera, make sure you do the press the shutter 1/2 way thing as the train approaches. That way, you can catch the train at exactly the right point in the scene once you push the shutter the rest of the way.)
Keep shooting! Looks like you are having fun trying to get good shots and the only one you have to please is YOU!
I have to agree and add that in my case I appreciate the art of others, I have neither the eye, or steady hand for photography…BUT I do Know what I Like, when I see it! [:-^]
I do kind of have to cite with pat on the first one about the sun angle, I always had one rule when it came to taking photos in the day light, “if your shadow is in front of you, do not worry”, now you will get different quality a different angles, plus I make a point to have my shadow in the photo.[(-D] but I still find it an interesting shot. Every so often I try to capture a photo with the camera directed towards the sun, but it is hard to get them to turn out right.
the other three I also find very much interesting, and enjoy. I mean sure you will find crisper photos, I am not sure what kind of camera you use, but you may be able to adjust exposure settings and shutter speeds?
Sure, I know there are better times when we could all take some photographs, but the object being photographed, isn’t always available at that better time…but I enjoy seeing your photos Jusin.
Thanks for the tips all and getting back with me. Now for some of my shooting information.
First: I’m really kind of new to all of this. So bear with me if I confuse some of the terms.
Second: I was VERY lucky this past Christmas to receive a Canon EOS Rebel XS with a 18-55mm Wide angle lens. I also have a EF75-300mm which does not have IS, so I don’t use it. I recently purchased a EFS 55-250mm lens which I absolutely LOVE! I shoot with it and all photos that you have viewed were shot with it.
Metering: I’ve been looking at my XS and it has 3 metering settings 1.) Evaluative metering, 2.) Partial metering 3.) Center-Weighted average. I’m really not sure what all that means and the manual doesn’t really tell me that much either… When should I use these different metering modes?
Third: I get confused on what time of day to shoot. I thought the light was supposed to be hitting the side of the locomotives like in the first photo….
Fourth: I live near Lafayette IN. and sometimes it’s hard to think of good places to shoot…
I enjoyed your sunset shot of the signals, very well done.
Some tips: Adjust lighting with both shutter speed, and aperture settings. A faster shutter allows less light through the lens, as does a smaller aperture, an aperture of f8 is smaller than f4.5 as the aperture number increases, the apeture gets smaller. . Since you are shooting digital, experiment with different settings before a train comes through. I always fire off a few shots to adjust my camera for the lighting, I note the settings from the best of the group, and go with that. Shoot faster shutter speed in bright light, and slower in lower light, such as sunset or sunrise. Also, when the sun is high in the sky during the middle of the day, the light tends to be harsher, and harder to work with. You are better off shooting in the later afternoon and early evening and early morning to late morning. Overcast skies tend to be “hot” or “blown out” that is where adjusting the aperture is going to help. Sometimes, though, you wind up with a blown out sky, and your subject in darkened shadow regardless of how hard you try… also, a sky full of puffy white clouds can be just as bad, as it can throw off the autofocus (or, at least it does on my camera)
Always keep the sun at your back, and on your subject. Shoot from the bright side, and not the dark side of the subject. I have been shooting train photos since 1993, so, if you want some pointers feel free to PM me. Keep trying, you have the right idea, now all you have to do is keep practicing, read some tips, and look at other photos from other photographers, and get some ideas on composition, lighting, and developing that “eye” … It’s all about composition, I try to capture trains “in their element” as it were. When I arrive at one of my spots, I look around for good angles. I check the angles out through the viewfinder to get an idea of how it might look when when I snap the photo. I encourage y
I enjoyed your sunset shot of the signals, very well done.
Some tips: Adjust lighting with both shutter speed, and aperture settings. A faster shutter allows less light through the lens, as does a smaller aperture, an aperture of f8 is smaller than f4.5 as the aperture number increases, the apeture gets smaller. . Since you are shooting digital, experiment with different settings before a train comes through. I always fire off a few shots to adjust my camera for the lighting, I note the settings from the best of the group, and go with that. Shoot faster shutter speed in bright light, and slower in lower light, such as sunset or sunrise. Also, when the sun is high in the sky during the middle of the day, the light tends to be harsher, and harder to work with. You are better off shooting in the later afternoon and early evening and early morning to late morning. Overcast skies tend to be “hot” or “blown out” that is where adjusting the aperture is going to help. Sometimes, though, you wind up with a blown out sky, and your subject in darkened shadow regardless of how hard you try… also, a sky full of puffy white clouds can be just as bad, as it can throw off the autofocus (or, at least it does on my camera)
Always keep the sun at your back, and on your subject. Shoot from the bright side, and not the dark side of the subject. I have been shooting train photos since 1993, so, if you want some pointers feel free to PM me. Keep trying, you have the right idea, now all you have to do is keep practicing, read some tips, and look at other photos from other photographers, and get some ideas on composition, lighting, and developing that “eye” … It’s all about composition, I try to capture trains “in their element” as it were. When I arrive at one of my spots, I look around for good angles. I check the angles out through the viewfinder to get an idea of how it might loo
Some tips: Adjust lighting with both shutter speed, and aperture settings. A faster shutter allows less light through the lens, as does a smaller aperture, an aperture of f8 is smaller than f4.5 as the aperture number increases, the apeture gets smaller. . Since you are shooting digital, experiment with different settings before a train comes through. I always fire off a few shots to adjust my camera for the lighting, I note the settings from the best of the group, and go with that. Shoot faster shutter speed in bright light, and slower in lower light, such as sunset or sunrise. Also, when the sun is high in the sky during the middle of the day, the light tends to be harsher, and harder to work with. You are better off shooting in the later afternoon and early evening and early morning to late morning. Overcast skies tend to be “hot” or “blown out” that is where adjusting the aperture is going to help. Sometimes, though, you wind up with a blown out sky, and your subject in darkened shadow regardless of how hard you try… also, a sky full of puffy white clouds can be just as bad, as it can throw off the autofocus (or, at least it does on my camera)
Always keep the sun at your back, and on your subject. Shoot from the bright side, and not the dark side of the subject. I have been shooting train photos since 1993, so, if you want some pointers feel free to PM me. Keep trying, you have the right idea, now all you have to do is keep practicing, read some tips, and look at other photos from other photographers, and get some ideas on composition, lighting, and developing that “eye” … It’s all about composition, I try to capture trains “in their element” as it were. When I arrive at one of my spots, I look around for good angles. I check the angles out through the viewfinder to get an idea of how it might look when when I snap the photo. I encourage you to develop your talent…like I said, y