June 12, 2018 – Day 225 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Wolfie – Damion works at getting “Wolfie” settled into his high chair today at lunch with fellow members of the West Kentucky Photography Club.
June 9, 2018 Norfolk Southern Heritage Unit 8099, “Southern” passes the signal at milepost 209.8, at Jefferson Township, Indiana, as it makes its way west on the NS Southern-East District.
This scheme is from the Southern Railway (GE) which originated as the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company in 1827. On Christmas Day, 1830, it put into service the nation’s first regularly scheduled steam passenger train, “The Best Friend of Charleston.” Southern was incorporated in 1894 from the reorganization and consolidation of numerous predecessors, and absorbed another 68 railroad companies over the next six years. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #norfolksouthern #nsheritageunit
June 11, 2018 – Day 224 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – My Seat – Usually when I get up from my home office chair (two more in the room by the way) my niece Elaina makes a bee-line to it while I’m gone. It’s developed into a nice moment where she loves for me to complain and whine about how shes stole my chair again! That and a little bit of tickling after awhile will get her out of it! Photograph those special moments between you and the young ones in your life, we all have them!
June 9, 2018 – Here we find a crew getting NS Heritage 8099, Southern Unit, ready for pickup by an, Duke Energy coal train, at the NS Yard Office in Princeton, Indiana, after storms passed through the area.
Today I’m going to break down the technical information on how I shot this photo of Norfolk Southern’s 8099 Southern Heritage Unit at Princeton, Indiana.
Here’s the technical info on the picture: Nikon 800, full frame camera with a Nikon 18mm f/2.8 lens. Exposure was ISO 200, f/2.8 at 6 seconds as a RAW file with Auto White balance and by default I underexpose my photos by a -.7 exposure. I find this helps me recover the highlights in the picture.
Now, my thoughts… Of course, the photo was shot on a tripod, thanks to Ryan Scott as I forgot to put mine back into my new RAV 4 before the trip. If you’re out shooting after dark, you really need to use a tripod for best results. You can brace your camera on a wall, or something stationary and get acceptable results, but for the best results, use a tripod.
When shooting at night I always set the mirror to lock-up before shooting the photo to help cut down with camera shake and set the self-timer to 3 seconds, so my hands are off the camera when the exposure is made. You can use a remote type device as well, but I find the self-timer works well for me.
Next, take your camera off Auto ISO! If you’re working on a tripod at night, you don’t need the high ISO and by setting it to manual, say around 200-400 ISO you’ll get a lot less noise (grain) in your photograph.
Exposure: I usually set my f/stop to the widest opening, ie: f/2.8 in this photo. If you’re planning on stopping down, I’d keep it at about f/5.6-8. That’s my preference anyway. Shutter speed is always going to depend on the light, but I’d start out at about 10 seconds, shoot a shot and then check your preview. If your photo is too dark, increase your exposure, not your ISO, unless you absolutely have to. If it’s too light and washed out, then shorten your exposure.
White Balance… I shoot everything with auto white balance turned on. This helps me in the RAW plugin to correct the off-color lighting of the yard lights, street lights, etc. best. At least it does for me. The lights to the left of this photo put out a bright orange light, so much so that I find it unsuitable for my taste.
We all have our own idea of how we want our final photograph to look and I’m no exception. I’m to the point these days that when I’m shooting a picture, day or night, I have a preconceived idea of how I want the final picture to look when I’m done processing.
Finding standing water to reflect your subject in will always add impact to your image, but sometimes that’s not an option, so look for other things that can help add impact. However, as an early mentor in my life told me about things in your photo, if it doesn’t contribute to what you want your picture to say, then eliminate it by changing your focal length or camera position. Try your best to shoot the photo in the camera the way you want your final image to look so you don’t have to do any cropping.
Any other questions just post them in the comments!
June 10, 2018 – Day 223 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Birdhouse Library – I’m so glad that all our kids enjoy books! Today after church we stopped by the church’s Birdhouse Library, where grandma Jeanne explained to the five of them how it works, before they each picked a book to take home!
June 9, 2018 – Day 222 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Sunset Rails – I’ve passed this spot for several years just of Indiana 64 and never realized it was there till a friend posted a train picture from here. This was yesterday during a railfan trip and even though I didn’t catch a train while we were here this trip, it’s only a matter of time! Besides, who says you always need a train??
June 8, 2018 – Day 221 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Our Elaina – My niece Elaina decided to try out my yard work protective glasses this afternoon and of course I decided to try out my camera on the iPhone!! Such a card!!
June 7, 2018 – Day 220 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Our Artist – My niece Elaina concentrates as she works on a drawing with her new stuffed toy she’s named “Softie!” Be sure to capture the young ones in your family doing the things that they love!
June 9, 2018 – There’s just something about the lure of street running trains and when you throw in a BNSF War Bonnet, well, it makes it even better. Here we have a southbound CSX Q231-08 as begins to make it’s way through downtown La Grange toward Louisville, Ky. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #bnsfrailway #bnsfwarbonnet
June 9, 2018 – I spent the day railfanning with good friend Ryan Scott between Princeton, Indiana and La Grange, Ky and this is perhaps my favorite shot from the trip, which was one of the last shots of the day!
Here we find a crew getting NS Heritage 8099, Southern Unit, ready for pickup by an, Duke Energy coal train, at the NS Yard Office in Princeton, Indiana, after storms passed through the area.
We got lots of great photographs, which you’ll see over the days to come and also met-up with several fellow railfans in person that we’ve been friends with on Facebook for sometime! A big shout out to Javid Beykzadeh for helping with our journey around Louisville and La Grange and other fellow railfans Adam Hill, Erik Landrum, Josh Kellerman that were at La Grange, Ky when we all caught the CSX Q231-08 with BNSF 791 Warbonnet street running through there. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #nsrailway #norfolksouthern #nsheritageunit
June 6, 2018 – CSX P902-05 passes through Nortonville, Ky as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision with CSXT 9999, 9992, Kentucky Car, Indiana Car, Baltimore Car and New York Car as it’s train. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #passengertrain #businesstrain #csxbusinesstrain
June 6, 2018 – Getting back into my newspaper days I caught CSX Q029-06 that was delayed at Crofton, Ky, on the Henderson Subdivision, as police removed 4 trespassers and two dogs from the train. Reports are that they boarded the train as it was stopped at Romney, Ky and someone reported it to CSX which stopped the train at Crofton where the conductor met a Christian County Sheriff and 8-9 other law enforcement, for a slow roll-by till they found them.
The “Hobos” were pretty surprised to see all the police presence, but a group of about 8-10 county and Hopkinsville City police were having lunch at the Crofton Diner next to the track when the call came over the radio and responded in force! They were removed from the train and sent on their way with a warning. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
I’m honored to find out that my photo of Chicago’s Tower 18 Interlocking has been has been selected as the First Place Winner in the 2017-2018 National Railroad Hall of Fame Photography Contest! If you make it to Galesburg Illinois for the Railroad Days Festival (June 23-24) stop by the public exhibition drop by and check out all the photographs in the exhibit!
March 23, 2018 – Three “L” Rapid transit trains pass through tower 18 junction, just down from the Chicago Transit Authority’s Clark/Lake Street Station, during the evening rush hour in Chicago, Illinois. For decades, the Tower 18 junction at Lake & Wells was billed as the busiest railroad junction in the world. – #jimstrainphotos #illinoisrailroads #trains#nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways#railway #cta #commutertrains.
June 6, 2018 – The warm light of the setting sun illuminates the scene, at the eastern end of the yard at Huntingburg, Indiana, as westbound Autorack NS 276 passes Norfolk Southern Railway’s Geometry Train platform #38, commonly known as “The Brick” as it tests the siding.
Light from the bottom of the cars on the geometry train take a digital profile of the track which is used for maintenance and upgrades.
The NS Research platform 38 “The Brick” was rebuilt using the frame and trucks of former NS/NW EMD SD40 1620. It contains sensing and measuring equipment to record track geometry and rail profile (rail wear), as well as the power supply for itself and NS Research car. The Research 36 car contains the recording and processing equipment for the data supplied by NS 38. Here it’s being pulled by NS 9272 as it does its testing on the NS Southern-East District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #norfolksouthernrailway
May 17, 2018 – Amtrak’s 391 Saluki stops short of the diamond at Effingham, Illinois as it drops off a couple of passengers before continuing its trip south to Carbondale, Illinois. – #jimstrainphotos #illinoisrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #amtrak #passengertrains
June 6, 2018 – Day 219 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – City Hall – While out railfanning today and grabbed this shot of the Indiana Southern Railroad and Norfolk Southern Diamond at Oakland City, Indiana.
June 5, 2018 – Day 218 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Water Fountain Art – Went to see the new Star Wars movie today and afterwards I found this image of the water fountain in the hallway as I was waiting on my sister. I’ve passed it countless times, but today I looked at it as a square photo and black and white! I think it works very well!
June 4, 2018 – Day 217 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Bikes – I stopped to photograph this bike in downtown Madisonville, Ky when this rider pulls up and occupied the scene as well. I think it was a nice surprise, especially as he’s looking at the subject of my picture!
June 3, 2018 – Day 216 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Lucky Shot – Don’t ask my how I got this shot as I dont think I could reproduce it if I wanted to. I was photographing my niece Jeanne and her granddaughter Journey looking at pictures on her phone and this is the first shot I took. The others came out tack sharp, but I like the soft look of this photo the best! Im very pleased with how it turned out. Remember, sometimes, you just have to be lucky! No special effects were applied to the picture.
May 31, 2018 – CSX Local J724-31 meets CSX W865-30 at the south end of Slaughters siding during a heavy rain, with BNSF 6162 leading a military train, as the both make their way along CSX’s Henderson Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #bnsf #bnsfrailway #militarytrain
June 2, 2018 – Day 215 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Tabatha – Today’s photograph is of my cat Tabatha, taken using the portrait mode on the iPhone. When photographing the loved ones in your life, don’t forget to include your pets! They can make for great photos as well!
May 28, 2018 – Norfolk Southern Railway Conrail Heritage Unit 8098 passes over the NS/Indiana Southern Diamond at Oakland City, Indiana as it heads east on the NS Southern-East District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #nsheritageunits
June 1, 2018 – Ft. Campbell Railroad GenSets USAX 6519 and 6520 pull southbound with a loaded military freight through a tunnel of trees, approaching the “Tiny Town” grade crossing, as it heads back to the post.
Both Locomotives are N-ViroMotive model 3GS-21B, manufactured by the National Railway Equipment Company, headquartered in Mount Vernon, Ill. Fort Campbell has about 40 miles of Army railroad tracks located both on post and leading to Hopkinsville where it interchanges with CSX on the Henderson Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #militaryrailroad #ftcampbellrail #usarail
June 1, 2018 – Day 214 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Back Road Barns – I love traveling the back roads of Kentucky, or any state actually! Getting off the interstate system will take you though interesting places and towns that are treasure troves of pictures just waiting to be captured! Today I was making my way from Guthrie, Ky to Trenton, Ky, trying to get to a spot before a train, when I passed this scene on a road I’d not been along before. Well, needless to say, I missed the train picture!! I have an easy goal these days and thats to travel at least one new road a month. Its been going great and I always find a picture when I do it! Travel the roads less traveled… you won’t regret it!