Steam Traction

Following on from my most recent post I thought I would upload another photo based on railways. I wanted to use a photo of a railway but with a bit of twist. So I thought I would look back through my computer to one of the many holidays that I’ve been to in Wales. On this particular holiday we paid a visit to one of the preserved railways, I wanted to give this photo a bit of a twist by making it look more vintage, a bit like an old style postcard.

The engine is a manor class loco as used by the Great Western Railway (GWR), just in case any wants to know! I used an aperture of F16 to ensure that as much of the photo is in focus, the camera then selected a shutter speed of a/125^th of a second and ISO 100 to complete the exposure. I composed the photo so that the engine was in the right third of the photo with the rest of the train extending through the photo to the left hand third.

To edit the photo I increased both the saturation and the colour temperature, this gives the photo an older appearance and makes it looks like an old fashioned post card. I like this effect; the photo looks exactly as I wanted it to when I came up with the idea. I didn’t change anything else as I was happy with everything else.

I’m very pleased with the effect I created with this photo, I like the character that old photos and old postcards have; and that was what I was trying to replicate with this photo.

Mat

Traveling

I had some spare time to myself today, so I thought I should go out and take some photos. Instead of going to one of my usual photography spots I went somewhere different, I went down to our local railway station. I took a variety of photos, a mixture of different trains and the passengers occupying the station. There was one particular photo that I wanted to get so told myself I wouldn’t leave the station until I had taken that photo.

The photo that I wanted to take was of one of the guards walking down the platform next to the train, but I wanted him to be isolated from the surroundings. To create the effect that I wanted I put the camera in manual mode and selected the widest aperture of F5.6, I then selected a shutter speed of 1/500^th of a second to freeze the action. I used AI Servo focus to track the guard and I left the ISO selection to the camera. As the guard walked nearer to where I wanted; I tracked him with the autofocus until the composition was as I wanted. When I got the right composition I took several photos with the camera in continuous drive mode.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast and lowered the highlights to stop the sky from whitening out. I didn’t crop the photo because I really like how I framed the photo with the other staff members and passengers surrounding the guard. I also like how the photo is framed within the train, platform and the canopy of the station I think this captures the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Hopefully if the weather holds up Bex and I might be able to go out for a photography wander this weekend. It’s been a while and we both have some interesting ideas for our next uploads.

Mat

Distant Travels

I was looking through my computer again for some inspiration when I came across this photo which I had taken a while ago on a trip out. I like it because it’s symmetrical and the rails pass under the bridge and off into the distance.

For this photo I used the camera in aperture priority with the aperture set at F4.2; because the large distance between me and the subject meant the aperture chosen makes little difference to the depth of field. The camera coupled this with a shutter speed of 1/480^th of a second.

I liked the effect I had created with this photo so I decided against editing it. The composition was spot on what I wanted, and the exposure had been calculated perfectly. I thought if I tried changing settings I would spoil it, so I decided to leave it.

I’m planning a wander this weekend, maybe down to the duckpond if I get a chance and if the weather is good. Otherwise maybe I should do another indoor photo shoot.

Mat

A Trip In The Past

Following on from my previous upload, I’ve managed to get away with uploading another photo from the railway trip. Instead of using one of the photos from the railway itself I thought I would upload something different.

While I was there a classic bus with a private tour turned up, they had all got onto the train by this point so only the bus was left. I thought it looked quite solitary and made an interesting composition. To enhance the composition I used an aperture of F16, this gives the maximum depth of field to ensure sharp focus from the front of the frame to the back. Also to make an interesting composition I used the rule of thirds; by placing the bus in the lower right of the frame it makes the composition much more interesting.

When I uploaded the photo onto my computer I cropped the photo down, I did this because I caught the edge of a zebra crossing in the bottom of the photo, by cropping this out it makes the photo look more authentic. Also I converted the photo into black and white; I did this to make the photo look like it came from the same time period as bus.

I won’t be uploading any more photos from my trip to the railway, these two where definitely my favourites. I’m planning on going out for a wander in the next few days so expect some newer photos to be appearing very soon.

Mat

Thistle While You Wait

I took this photo a few weeks ago while doing a bit of train spotting, (one of my many hobbies). A train had just past and I was waiting for the next one, it must have been delayed because it took a very long time. So in between the two trains I took some more photos to fill the time.

I had spotted a group of weeds which looked very interesting, so I thought I should make a photo out of them. I decided that the photo would look best with a shallow depth of field. I thought that the angle I chose gave the best composition, with just the grass in the background. When I took the photo, I boosted the greens in the camera to give more emphasis to the weed. 

When I put the photo I decided that it didn’t require any editing, I was very impressed with how it looked straight from the camera. I was tempted to increase the saturation, but decided against it because I had already boosted the greens and I liked the effect that it gave.

The holiday is rapidly drawing to a close, I have thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for next years. The weather has been amazing, presenting many photographic opportunities; I’ve made the most out of as many as I can and I hope you all have as well.

Mat

Country stop

I went for a trip down to Templecombe a couple of days ago, while I was waiting I noticed the building in the local railway station which I loved! I think the art deco feel of the building is fantastic! Even in today’s glass and concrete world it still looks very classy to me! I didn’t have Bex’ D-SLR this time so I had to use my digital compact (which isn’t the best). Because of this, when I got back I had to use Photoshop to adjust the mid-tones quite a lot; the whole photo was very dull and needed some life put back into it. I enjoy using Photoshop, (even if I’m not any good at using it!) but I do think that this photo came out quite well.

I will always believe that rail is the best way to travel, but what do you think road, rail or another transport system? What’s your pick?

Mat

Making Tracks

As a follow on from yesterday's upload I thought I should upload another railway photo that I managed to locate in the virtual world of my computer! I liked the way the steam hangs in the air as the train moves underneath it; I also like how the tracks in the foreground really emphasis the locomotive in the background. I really enjoy visiting preserved railways, does anybody else have an interest in the railways of yesteryear?

Mat

Heading for the Hills

I’m back! This evening I’ve been looking through some photos on my computer. I found this landscape photo taken out of the back of a railway carriage along a beautiful lake.

The quality wasn't fantastic so I washed it through Photoshop to make the image clearer. I really love landscape photos like this with the rolling hills in the background. I love how the railway tracks are in the foreground so there’s still some detail in the shot. What type of landscape photos do you prefer?

Mat