I just posted the latest installment of Trackside with Erik and Mike in our new section within the Railroad Reference area of TrainsMag.com.
Read Trackside with Erik and Mike Volume 70
Voting for Trackside with Erik and Mike now occures at the top of the Trackside with Erik and Mike section. Click here to vote.
Please add your comments regarding this week’s photos here.
Thanks, Erik
I voted for Erik’s sunset picture. It’s a great sunset and nicely positioned over the train. I like Mike’s picture with the rainbow on the left balancing the train on the right, but for me the gray sky is just not as pretty as the sunset.
Enjoy
Paul
Darn, I wasn’t the first to post on this thread. Both photos are great, but I liked Mike’s better because of rainbow in the distance.
After much angst, I went with Eric’s as well. Extremely tough choice- both are outstanding.
As far as the contest rules go, Eric, I certainly won’t disagree with you- it sounds like good common sense given the personal time investment you guys have to put into this. My CRS disease is kicking in here- are either of you married?
Ill wade into the ocean of subjectivity…I chose Mike’s due to an incorporation of a strong sense of place, as with Erik’s…it may be my failing eyesight or the size of the image but it appeared to be overly underexposed in appearance without much definition of contrast, which could be helped with processing…although I dont find it objectionable…it isn’t as defined as graphically as Mikes.
Wow, what a tough choice this week. Especially since I am prejudiced towards any train shot that also includes a weather factor.
Mike will soon be discovering that there are times to use an ultra-wide angle, and there are times to NOT use it. When using a super-wide it is so very important WHERE your subject is in the frame.
Without the ultra-wide distortion, I might have gone with Mike’s shot.
Erik’s shot had an ethereal quality to it, as well as nicely conveying the immensity of the landscape in to which the train seems to be heading. It almost looks like a well-drawn water-color painting.
Erik gets the nod this week.
p.s. As someone who shares the frustration of Mike and Erik in trying to get a nice image this time of year in Wisconsin, I fully support the idea of using any image that you have available and are willing to share. My only qualifier to the previous statement would be that perhaps Erik and Mike agree, in the interest of fairness, to show somewhat vaguely similar photos each time (i.e. night shots, or yard shots, wedgie shots, etc).
Like others have said, for me it was a tough choice. I liked both pictures. Here’s why:
The rain/UP shot was neat to catch the color of the rainbow against the bleak sky and the color of the locos/train against the bleak ground. The drops distract from the initial appearance at first, but after reflecting they actually help to tell the story of working day in/day out despite mother nature. I guess they balanced each other to me.
The sun/valley shot did convey a sense of serenity and yet expansiveness. The fact that this shot doesn’t have visible paint schemes thus making it ‘fair’ in the asthetic sense of a train in its environs. The train seems like it just belongs there. Almost as if to look to the horizon (future) and pause, then continue on its journey. Not quite a Zen moment but it’s neat.
So where does my vote lie? I haven’t made up my mind yet.
I do like the concept of quality vs. timeliness as far as the contest goes. Personally I’ll look at this thread regardless of when whatever was taken. Thanks for the good work guys!
Another toughie this week.
But Mike wins for me. I really like the almost cold quality of the whole picture. Rain is usually warm, but not in this picture.
Eric’s was a little bright for my eyes. But since it was something I am used to seeing a lot, that made it a comfortable picture!
Mook
Stop making this so hard! How am I supposed to decide between two photos like that. I guess the only solution is to vote for both. [:-,] (Oh wait I don’t think I’m allowed to do that).
Good job both of you.[bow]
…Must go with Mikes bad threatening weather shot…Don’t like scenes such as this but we’re trying to evaluate a photograph against another. This scene shows drama…bad weather…rainbow…impressive UP train approaching almost like it’s trying to outrun the weather system…
I appreciate the effort for Erick’s shot but believe I must vote as I did over the two available photos.
Hmmm… I like Mike’s rainbow shot over the sunset pic. It’s ahead as I write this, but as the voter that [X-)] is the jinx ( sorry-?-Mike) it is probably just as well no $$ is on the line.[}:)]
Once again, another immensely difficult choice for me this week; what can be more stunning than pictures like these!
With the weight equal, Mike’s UP rainbow rainscape picture tips the scales just a tiny bit more in his direction just because more detail of the train’s paint scheme is visible (whereas the BNSF train in Erik’s photo is in deep shadow). There is also something about thunderstorm clouds against the light of the sun that has always intrigued me. The raindrops on the lens are a bit of a distraction, I feel, but this is a minor thing.
I especially like how Erik’s photo gives the impression of BNSF “riding off into the sunset.” The BN SD70MAC in the “Executive” paint scheme (third engine in the consist) is a nice little rare detail, also (I’ve only see those once in my region, when an empty DP unit coal passed through on its way eastbound through Glorieta around March of 2005; two of the lead engines were former “Executives”). Those were also a part of Mike’s Powder River photo from Vol. 69, but they were in the distance and difficult to see in detail.
With regards to Erik’s policy, I like it. I agree that the photos should be based on quality, no matter how old they are. Finding the time to get out regularly to railfan and get can be difficult, and we should be considerate that Erik and Mike take their own time to do as much as possible when they can for the column. I know that I’m not able to get out as much as I’d like, and my pictures don’t even come out half as good as Mike and Erik’s!
As others have said, definately a tough choice this week! Both photos are very good, and it’s not easy to decide. In the end I went with Mike’s rainbow shot though, mainly because I see a lot of sunset shots but not very many rainbow shots!
Again, nice job to both of you,
Noah
Interesting that both shots are dark and gray.
Erik, you have my empathy, but not the vote. To me that’s just a beautiful scene darkly lit, with a dark train in the foreground. Had I been there for a couple of hours, and seen this as the conclusion of a great day of train-watching, I might have felt more compelled to vote for it.
But since this is a photo contest, I have this strange belief that the subject should be able to be seen. So Mike gets the vote this time.
Thankful that we didn’t see any rainbows or many storm clouds on our trip out west,
Wow,
Serious coin toss here…
Wait a second, let me get the kids to look at them and see which one they thinks says “train” better.
Well,
They both say Mike gets their vote…
And both for the same reason.
Erik’s photo is to “artsy” for them…they both though it was a painting or something from a calendar…go figure…
I just had to go with Mike’s UP rainbow shot! the low angle… the cloudy backround, even the drops on the lens all added up to shouting out trains in all conditions. Eric, although I liked 2/3rds of your shot, sadly the 1/3rd I didnt care for was the lower portion because you could barely make out the units heading away from you. Liked the clouds, the sunset, the treeline… just not the shadowy train. Great work you guys!! btw Mike, your UP shot almost looks like it was computer generated and not an actual photo. giving it a sureal look.
A couple very interesting shots this week, gentleman. It was a tough choice.
Mike, I struggled with your shot for a long time. I had a terrible time resolving the raindrops on the lens. On the one hand, it’s sort of artsy and blends into the shot. On the other hand, it’s raindrops on a lens. In the end, I decided that I like the effect, but I also don’t think it added enough to overcome Erik’s shot.
Erik, your shot has a lot going for it. For starters, it’s just a nice “glint” shot that works well. Beyond that though, it’s a technically sound photo. You didn’t center the horizon, which I think is on of the biggest mistakes in a shot like this. You exposed just enough to catch a tiny bit of detail in the locos. The sun is going a little wild (probably partially because of sensor bloom), but it’s tamed by the intriguing clouds, and the silhouetted trees. The tracks curving out of the frame lead the viewer through the frame. Taking the image as a whole, I think you’ve done a marvelous job of blending the train into it’s environment. It’s what the late Gray Benson would’ve called a “Trainscape.”
Personally, I think this is one of your best ever in this competition. I think you should talk to Jim Wrinn and get this one published in the Trackside Photographs section of the magazine. Absolutely stunning!
Maybe it is just my computer screen but Erik’s picture came across so dark that the details of the train and the trees were not viewable. The sunset was nicely presented but the main subject, the train was not. Mike’s shot showed off the UP train very well and the rainbow was a nice touch. The rain drops on the lens seemed to make the sky appear dimpled. I haven’t figured out if I like that look or not. Mike got my vote this week primarily because I found Erik’s submittal way too dark for my tastes.
wow! Really hard to chose this week! Both great, original photos. In the end I chose Mike’s photo because I thought it was a little more original… a shot you don’t see everyday. And the rainbow was cool.