RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted October 15, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted October 15, 2019 Another view of that busy moment. In the next one I tried an angle that had worked well for Andy Y. on the photoshoot earlier in the year. But it does show up some less-than-perfect painting on those devilishly difficult toplight bolections. (They look fine from normal viewing angles and distances - honest guv!) Here again is Andy's pic, which was probably my favourite from the whole shoot. I was pleased with the way the weathering on the siphon came out. But I can see why he didn't use it in the mag. - it shows that I hadn't painted the underneath of the Timber Tracks station building canopy. Didn't think anyone would ever see it! John C. 25 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Bear Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 42 minutes ago, checkrail said: In the next one I tried an angle that had worked well for Andy Y. on the photoshoot earlier in the year. But it does show up some less-than-perfect painting on those devilishly difficult toplight bolections. (They look fine from normal viewing angles and distances - honest guv!) Great photos - again! Don't be hard on yourself, they look almost perfect to me - way better than my efforts - and if you hadn't mentioned it I wouldn't have noticed! As for the canopy, again not sure people would notice. If I recall right the underside of canopies was painted light stone, so the unpainted wood isn't a million miles amiss in tone. 2 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted October 16, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 16, 2019 16 hours ago, The Great Bear said: If I recall right the underside of canopies was painted light stone So out comes the GWR light stone paint, and the dark stone for the supporting beams. That's if the Railmatch paints haven't dried up in the jar again. Guess I shouldn't keep them in the loft. Mind you, I'm not sure yet whether I can actually get my camera under the canopy like Andy did his. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted October 16, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted October 16, 2019 Two more of this week's Star turn. It seems to me that weathering makes Hornby's green shades look a bit more GWR. John C. 23 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted October 16, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted October 16, 2019 Ah, photography - the perfect antidote to modelling. So here, hot from the Affinity focus merge tool, are the last three pics in this Star sequence. (Actually, there's no Star in the last one - just a King coming past it in the down direction.) John C. 26 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 I sometimes find that I can spend more time taking pictures than actually building/operating.... It sort of takes over as you take a picture, edit it, think wish I had done this, that or the other so end up clicking another batch. I assume you using a separate media player to get the individual focus steps before merging? The pictures seem to be dark again or is it because I’m looking at them on my mobile at the moment? 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted October 16, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 16, 2019 6 hours ago, KNP said: I sometimes find that I can spend more time taking pictures than actually building/operating.... It sort of takes over as you take a picture, edit it, think wish I had done this, that or the other so end up clicking another batch. That’s a benefit (I guess!) of taking photos of the model rather than the prototype: time to compose, refine, shoot, review and repeat until happy! 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted October 17, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 17, 2019 18 hours ago, KNP said: The pictures seem to be dark again Yes, you're right Kevin, there seems to have been a sort of 'reversion to the dark side' going on. Not sure why. I'm shooting on aperture priority, ISO 200 and still have exposure control pushed up to +2/3 and use some extra lighting other than the daylight fluorescents above the layout. Must see if I can do something with them on Affinity Photo. The weird thing is that when I review the pics on the camera, after downloading them and just before I delete them from the camera, the colours and lighting look absolutely fine. Must try harder. John. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold A Murphy Posted October 17, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 17, 2019 (edited) The thing is John that life without a visit to Stoke Courtney every now and again is just not as much fun as it it is with them. It's brilliant. I can confirm that those shots look dark on my perfectly normal monitor (Dell Latitude) too and I think the contrast between Andy Y's shot and your's in the post above points up the difference? best wishes and thank you for taking the trouble in the first place, Alastair M Edited October 17, 2019 by A Murphy 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 In Affinity trying using Brightness/Contrast and Shadows/Highlights in the Adjustment tab on the RH side of the screen. On a couple of mine in the recent batch I used them to make the wheels stand out a bit more 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Limpley Stoker Posted October 17, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 17, 2019 I like the variety in exposure- it’s like watching the West Somerset Railway on their webcams- some days are brighter that others! All your efforts are much appreciated! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted October 17, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 17, 2019 On 15/10/2019 at 17:26, Waraqah said: I've just come across this thread, Meant to respond when I read this. Anyway, thanks for looking and good to have you on board. Have seen your posts over the years on ANTB so I know you have an eye for a good GW layout. Cheers, John 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted October 17, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted October 17, 2019 Right - I've been messing with the brightness/contrast and shadows/highlights adjustment options on Affinity Photo. Fairly intuitive really - I think it's a pretty useful and user-friendly piece of software. Here are some 'before & after adjustment' photos. Are they better, or is there something more, or different, I could do? First up is a pic I posted over on ANTB very recently as part of a discussion about the deployment of N30 loco coal wagons. John C. 25 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted October 17, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted October 17, 2019 And here are dual versions of some of the recent 'Star' pics on this thread. John C. 26 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted October 17, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted October 17, 2019 And another. John C. 25 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallpaul69 Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I think the "after" versions are definitely better, but I hate to say this, and I do so with absolutely no knowledge or experience of this software, I think the models are still too dark! The danger of course, in doing more and more fiddling around with the pics is that the law of diminishing returns kicks in with a vengeance! So please don't spend loads of time trying to improve the pics further at my say so. The modelling is far more important, and those models look brilliant in your pics, so maybe time to say three tries and I stop-if the pic still looks dark after three attempts to lighten it, then that's it. So keep up the good work, and enthrall us with more brilliant models rather than perfect pics - please? Cheers to all Paul 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold A Murphy Posted October 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 18, 2019 A veritable firmament of Star(s); wonderful. After definitely looks better to me, but agree with Tallpaul69's comments above. Thanks John, Alastair M PS Wouldn't a Saint make a perfect variation on that train of Toplight's etc.... 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted October 18, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 18, 2019 3 hours ago, A Murphy said: PS Wouldn't a Saint make a perfect variation on that train of Toplight's etc.... It would, but though these long-legged thoroughbreds were still knocking about in the late 30s I can't recall any pics of them west of Taunton (s. Wales is a different matter). Nor do any seem to have been allocated to Devon locations after the mid-20s. Would be happy to hear of evidence to the contrary. And if one were to be released I doubt I'd resist the temptation! John. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted October 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) 1926 John, we had Saint Martin at Laira then according to the allocations. Edited October 18, 2019 by gwrrob info. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted October 18, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 18, 2019 21 minutes ago, gwrrob said: 1926 John, we had Saint Martin at Laira then according to the allocations. Thanks Robin. Yes, I saw this in Beck & Copsley. But by then he'd been converted into the first Hall, so no more high stepping! And 1926 is well before my period. John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted October 18, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 18, 2019 That same book has a photo of 2931 Arlington Court at Exeter St David's in 1947, so that's me sorted then. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach bogie Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 The use of the saints west of Weston Super Mare had been reducing since the 1930's. New Castles and Halls were taking their place. Just before nationalisation the introduction of the Counties, with modified halls and more castles signified the end of the class was nearing. Stars were also a rarity. However in January 1947 there were still 2929, 2931,2939, 2942 and 2950 at Bath Road. Their main duty was on the Shrewsbury and Weymouth runs, but the odd trip West was still happening. There is a published image of 2929 piloting a Hall on a Plymouth -Liverpool/Manchester train in 1947. I would be surprised if this was the only time this happened. As always. Your train set - run what you like. Mike Wiltshire 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfaZagato Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 Have some fun, and let the Saints go marching in. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted October 19, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 19, 2019 16 hours ago, gwrrob said: That same book has a photo of 2931 Arlington Court at Exeter St David's in 1947, so that's me sorted then. Of course it does! Great pic too. So that's that sorted. Just need someone to make one now. Thanks Robin & Mike for info. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted October 22, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 22, 2019 Still experimenting with camera settings and Affinity. (Family guests with babies en masse the past week, so no chance of sloping off to the loft for some proper modelling.) Here's 8709 on the pick up goods. John C. 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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