Trackside with Trains.com Vol. 192 - Trains in Motion - is now live to view and vote

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Trackside with Trains.com Vol. 192 - “Trains in Motion” - is now live to view and vote

The latest round of our biweekly photo competition is now live. Seven photographers submitted images for the theme “Trains in Motion.”

This round’s reader submission comes from Christopher May.

View the selections and vote for your favorite, then return here to discuss Vol. 190!

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Matt,

Got my vote cause technically hard plus I prefer pans to blurs. Generally I guess the thought is not to

blur objects in the foreground but the truck here really makes it.

Bob

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Hey, folks! Our own Chris May (“CopCarSS”) is a guest photographer in this one!

However…

As good as Chris’ photo is, my personal preference is for solid trains, blurring the scenery…a pan shot. So Matt wins for me this time.

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Dangerous catagory…trying to depict motion in a still photo…So we got …nothing really dynamic from any of them. I looked them all over. I looked them all over again. And again…and would give Matt the nod by a hair, then, maybe, Alex because snow bolowning up always shows speed; and so Tom’s steam trail indicated the train was moving…but still none of them were dynamic where, maybe huge plums of steam enveloped the sky, or snow flew from under the pilot just missing the engineer’s view, or a huge panorama blurred by as a giant locomotive and train stood motionless. The others have all been seen many, many times before. So, yeah, Matt’s was the best effort.

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I voted for Tom Nanos (and not just because I’m a sucker for steam.) The engine really stood out, and even the passenger cars faded into the raindrops.

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It was a difficult choice between Alex Mayes and Tom Nanos…but in the end, the Amtrak shot by Alex got my vote.

I look at MOTION shots in three categories…blur, sense of motion, and suspended motion. There were entries that fit into each of those categories, and since I don’t care for blur shots, opted for the sense of motion Amtrak…choosing it over the steam shot (which was nice) only because I liked the composition better.

Tom in Nashville

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Thanks to the Trains.com staff for picking my shot this week.

Also, is there anything in particular about my shot that everyone doesn’t like? Just a little curious because it seems like I’ll be winning last place by a landslide this week and I’m still trying to improve my shots.

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Hey Chris…

Not a thing against your shot…in fact I thought is was quite striking for that type of exposure. But as explained previously, I’m not much of a “blur” fan and it wouldn’t have made any difference WHO had taken the picture. Had the category been “BLUR” of “STREAK”, I’d probably have voted for yours because it’s has an otherside clean, sharp look.

Tom in Nashville

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I ended up voting for Matt’s photo…I have tried and tried to get a shot like that, so I appreciate how crisp and clear the train is in this particular photo.

Chris, I like the effect you had in your photo. It looked good, but kinda like Tom said, it’s more of a ‘blur’ shot. It makes great wallpaper for an iPhone though! [swg]

Acela

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Thanks for your thoughts, Tom and Acela!

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Yeah, it was kinda boring, although I did like the effect of the locomotive number boards’ numbers just hanging in midair with the streaks leading away. Otherwise, there was a lack of detail.

I’d like to see the image in it’s original color.

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CopCarSS and all. Today’s camera’s are so good that it is easier to get pictures than ever before. Still, professionals usually stand out and hobbyists often get great even award winning shots, and the casual snapper can have an occasional prize. What does happen often in hobby shots is that the same picture is taken over and over again…maybe a different locomotive, maybe a different location, but still the same shot. Thus it becomes increasingly more difficult to be different, come up with something totally unique. And with the likes of Trains and other magazines which have given us top notch photography for years, some of us become a bit jaded in choosing, maybe too choosey when critiquing, since we are so used to the best of the best. That being said, don’t stop taking pictures, don’t stop trying; look for the different but practice with the tried and true. Don’t be dismayed if it isn’t good or not judeged the best: it could be the competition was better or you just haven’t nailed it…yet. Perhaps, there should be bi weekly contests with one week the pro’s (yeah, sure, define that for me) and the next week the reader’s works. Just don’t be dismayed, keep clicking. Remember every picture you take is one that no one else took. You know what you want to accomplish with your photography, so work toward it, learning with every exposure, growing and adjusting as you go…the more you do it the luckier you get along with getting closer to your goal. And we know here, the readers’s contributions are not prejudged per se so it may indeed be unfair to be placed in a competition against guys who normally or often get paid for their efforts.

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Just wanted to give a thank you to everyone who voted in this week’s contest. I appreciate the comments about my pan shot, and I enjoyed seeing the other entries, too.

Our readers and contributors have a lot of talent, and I’m always amazed at what they send in.

Thanks again, and have a great weekend!

–Matt

Matt Van Hattem

Senior Editor

Trains

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I think if Matt’s shot was a SD40-2 instead of a widebody GE, it would have taken 1st place.

I think many people just vote for the photo they like better based on subject matter - not on theme.