In our online feature, Trackside with Erik and Mike, Trains.com staffers Erik Bergstrom and Mike Yuhas go trackside and share their photo results with you. In each installment, we’ll include let our users vote on who got the best shot. Read this week’s installment.
Read this week’s column, then vote and share your comments.
Bergie,
I gotta tell ya, you entered an awesome shot this week. Excellent results with a 120mm lens. Great work! But I would still appreciate it if folks would vote for my picture, as I just did.
Thank you.
Well, From experience I went with the pacing shot. I’ve tried a few of those things, and they almost never come out right for me. So that’s why I went with that one, it seemed to take more skill. In my opinion the other one is just a standard, cloudy shot, something like I my inexperienced self could do.
Noah
I voted for Mike’s photo.I liked the way the train was framed by the signals.
I would have voted for the picture of Pamela Anderson,but that shot was off limits[:(!]!
Told ya, Mike.
Mike wanted me to include Pam’s shot. I told him we would have both lost… miserably!
Erik
Tough, tough, tough…I really liked the mood of Mike’s very dreary, but it seems so appropriate for a coal drag. But Bergie’s came out on top, probably the best pacing shot that I have ever seen, feels like your moving (not just looks like it). Overall, probably one of the best weeks yet (I think Pam helped out a little though [;)]! )
I’d have to say I like the creme/green scheme better
Erik, you are correct, Mike’s shot of Pamula Anderson would be too much of a run away win. While your pacing picture is nice, I found the blurry scenery in the lower foreground to be a distraction. However, I also thought that Mike’s picture of a train hard at work on a nasty day to be a more appealing subject and therefore voted for his shot. It’s funny because I usually favor your submittal - I think this is the first vote I gave to Mike in a long time.
Mike’s has a lot of “power” and also show signals, etc.
Close call, though, a pacing photo is always good, too.
I voted for Mike. I love both, but I liked feel of Mike’s. The gray, the slight slope and of course the train!!!
To take the pacing shot at 1/60th of a sec and have the Loco in focus takes more experience than the head on. Both are great but for expertise I went with Eric today
This week, I like Mike’s photo better. Everything fits there. I don’t know why, I guess, I just like it better.
I like the way Mike used the signals to frame the shot and he’s not afraid to shoot in poor light.
Hey guys! Did anyone find out what hit or was hit by AMTRAK loco 63?
I went with Erik this week, the thrill of the chase!
I voted for Mike’s photo as it showed good detail including the reflection of the lights on the rails at the crossing. It was framed showing good detail of the signal block showing the green on the other track and was well balanced over all.
Gotta go for the sunshine, the desert (I’m from Las Vegas) and the clearer picture, so Erik gets my vote. Mike’s photo, while nice, is foggy, dreary and depressing (not his fault, Mother Natures’ fault). Keep up the good work guys, I really enjoy this feature of the Trains website. LarryS(anta Fe).
Eric’s shot, the impression I took from it was that the BNSF unit was flying across the desert. Just so crisp and devoid of background. Train, sky, track. Period.
My first reaction to this week’s installment was “That’s just like a railfan-take a picture of Pam Anderson from the shoulders up”. Then to see if I could get the brand of the sun glasses, I clicked on the photo. Sorry Mike, please forgive my bad.
My second reaction was “Is that the Chicago Line?” I am taking the Capitol Limited to Washington and 300 mm lens or not, that track looks a little rough.
After all that my vote went to Mike for his train shot.
Jay
I voted for Eric’s this time as it was a great shot, and in Mike’s not enough of the train showed. It was to blurry for my taste
Mike’s original entry and actual one reminded me of May 2002. I was lucky enough to pace a steam loco climbing from Inverness (the Scottish one) towards Slochd summit when on my way to the Cairngorms for a climbing weekend. I took about 10 shots after persuading the driver of our car to slow down to pace the train. After finishing the film, I posted the it off to a b&w processor. Back came 36 prints of a very attractive young lady in various states of undress - there must have been someone that summer who had a lot of explaining to do!