bluebottle Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Off-topic as regards subject matter, I'll attach this snap of a couple of club-mates taken during a training session. This was thirty-odd years ago, but the only time I've actually tried a pan-blurring technique; I never got round to trying it on races (my achilles tendon got better and I was more interested in running than watching others). I do remember a few impressive magazine blur shots, but those were regarded as slightly gimmicky rather than a regular feature. Similarly, I thought that conventional photographs of steam locomotives were satisfying enough – in any case, by the time I could afford an enlarger and a decent camera, diesels had taken over and I just wasn't interested. Just to show willing, next time I go up to the KWVR, I'll try some blur shots. Andy (A-S) points out that the slow speeds on preserved lines mean using slow shutter speeds to enhance the blur, but a bit of practice and a bit of luck might give an acceptable result. Plus, of course, the better definition at high ISOs and the anti-shake on modern DSLRs. The image quality in my picture of Pete and Rod, acceptable for track and field publications back then, wouldn't pass muster nowadays ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froxfield2012 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 I think the creative vision was always there but the technology of the time was 'too difficult' for most people. Lack of inhibition enabled the very young Jacques Henri Lartigue to achieve remarkable effects at the very beginning of the 20th century - see,for example, http://www.local-life.com/krakow/articles/jacques-henri-lartigue Nowadays, with technologies such as autofocus and digital photography, which enable us to experiment at no cost and very little effort, plus the possibilities offered by digital image processing, it is much easier to experiment. Thus, it is now possible for many more people to fulfil their creative ambitions. Whilst creative vision was certainly there, I don't think it extended to any desire (limited by technical equipment or not) to produce the fuzzy or soft focused. Creativity was about the play of light and shade on the more complex shapes of steam locomotives, the use of light (contra jour for example), rendering of sky and exhaust etc. As I type this, I am looking at an original Earley print which hangs above the computer desk of Daniel Gooch (the Castle Class locomotive!) at speed on Goring troughs. Late evening so the light is from behind the up train. The smokebox front is more or less just a silhouette. The sky is a glowering black (no doubt enhanced by a yellow filter) and there is almost perfect counterpoise of spray from the water troughs and the locomotive exhaust. It captures speed and power in black and white for me better than anything I have seen recently. It is reproduced on the back cover of Colin Garrett's tribute to M W Earley in the Great Railway Photographers series. Would it infringe copyright if I tried to take a digital image and post it here? I don't know. Having said all that, I suspect that some of the shots here of details like cabs (eg Glorious NSE's very sharp shots of the fronts of Voyagers) would pass muster as part of a portfolio even back then! And I echo the comments about practice now being a "free good" with digital. I have taken to digital SLR myself and I think the results are better than anything I achieved with 35mm and I really appreciate the ability to review instantly: having said that if the express train has passed by, it has still long gone by the time one can look at the picture! The image below is nearly "at speed". I realise it isn't "creative" but it is going backwards! Richard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froxfield2012 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 On second thoughts, I don't suppose anyone would mind given the quality of the image that follows. Although I will apologise to the ghost of MWE for the quality of the image! This copy hardly does it justice. Richard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebottle Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 ... an original Earley print which hangs above the computer desk of Daniel Gooch (the Castle Class locomotive!) ... Richard I'm glad you qualified that - I was just thinking: "My goodness, the man really was ahead of his time, wasn't he!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froxfield2012 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 I'm glad you qualified that - I was just thinking: "My goodness, the man really was ahead of his time, wasn't he!" Indeed! I only noticed the issue after I first posted, hence the edit. I had visions of the man running down the track, rather than seated at a computer. Richard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dudley Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Here's one with other panned shots on the same website See > http://dudleysphotos.zenfolio.com/p469745693/h5903d182#h5903d182 Regards, D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dudley Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I've tried it myself, but as I don't use a DSLR the timing is very much guesswork. I do like them when they come out though, gives a remarkable sense of speed. Panning as a technique works on any camera. This one > http://dudleysphotos.zenfolio.com/p469745693/h7cc91498#h7cc91498 was shot on a Panasonic LX3 compact. Regards, D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waverley West Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I've taken quite a few panned shots on my layout, but I've never really got round to trying it on the real thing, partly because I think you need a good vantage point from the right angle and to be in the right place at the right time. I'd like to give it a go if I get the chance though. Here are some panned shots from my layout... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Panning as a technique works on any camera. This one > http://dudleysphotos.zenfolio.com/p469745693/h7cc91498#h7cc91498 was shot on a Panasonic LX3 compact. Regards, D Yeah I've got it to work a couple of times, with a digital though you don't get that instant feedback on panned shots, Though I have managed some great moving shots on video. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Taylor Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Pull and pan using a 24-70mm L-series. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_S Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 I think that one of Sir Nigel looks great. By pull i presume you mean the zooming out during exposure technique? Focus and pan clearly on the number/nameplate and that accentuates the picture, the loco really jumps out at you, especially with the movement in the trees to the left. Would be interested to see the exif on that one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Taylor Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 Would be interested to see the exif on that one. To hear is to obey.... Thank you for the kind words. The shot is ok, but is more an example of how much can be retrieved and how much is there to be teased out of the modern digital negative when time is taken over preparing the raw conversion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_S Posted October 6, 2013 Author Share Posted October 6, 2013 Ok not locos but I thought some might like to see these 2 that I shot today. Replace the car with A steam loco at full chat in a similar image and it really would be a fantastic effect - When I see "stopped" 3/4 locos traveling at speed (you can see from the smoke direction/angle) it just doesn't sit right with my eye. If something is traveling at speed the photo should show it (but as I have said and as has been discussed it probably is easier said than done!) IMG_9468 as Smart Object-1 by Andrew_S84, on Flickr IMG_9457 as Smart Object-1 by Andrew_S84, on Flickr Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Taylor Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 nice work btw. Perhaps part of the reason why this sort of shot does not appear from the railway scene may lie with the size of the subject and the surroundings? How many places can you get a clear side view for the required distance of even a 70' light engine never mind a unit or full 9 car HST. And if you could get a clear view, what would the composition be like? A small long thin strip in a sea of blur? The eye needs something to latch onto to hold the image together. I'm not saying it can't be done or shouldn't be done but I would find it a very hard shot to execute satisfactorily with the level of impact of a compact subject such as a car. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebottle Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Good effort by Glenng in the "Locomotive Portraits" topic: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/73847-locomotive-portraits/page-15 (Post 367). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Taylor Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Having said all that earlier, I did find this Not perfect by any means but heading in the right direction. The background could drop out more to give a greater impression of speed but that was where I was in 2008. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_S Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 2 good atempts there. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with the standard type portrait - I'd love to see more panning shots with movement I'll have to do some research on mainline locations where I can get a good vantage to capture a steam loco or even dare i say it a modern multiple unit or frieght train Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Taylor Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Getting there? Got to resist the urge to pull and keep it to just pan and let the autofocus do the work. Using the pull introduces blur where i don't want it, but I still need to lower the shutter speed. Still for the first time I've shot a train in three years and the first time I've picked up a camera for about four months, I don't find it unpleasant on the eye. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Another way to show speed/movement is a more "head on" shot where one can see the exhaust from the loco/units to indicate that they are working hard. This shot doesn't quite work due to: i) the train is going away so the rear lights showing red give the impression of "stop" rather than "go" ii) likewise the red aspect on the signal - green would've been preferable Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_S Posted November 25, 2013 Author Share Posted November 25, 2013 Getting there? Got to resist the urge to pull and keep it to just pan and let the autofocus do the work. Using the pull introduces blur where i don't want it, but I still need to lower the shutter speed. Still for the first time I've shot a train in three years and the first time I've picked up a camera for about four months, I don't find it unpleasant on the eye. I really like that one - it doesnt look like it is speeding through the countryside, no, but you have captured the movement well, and the wheels aren't static. Also the lighting is just right did you lift the shadows. I know some people are not a fan of this (they think it makes a photo look flat) but I quite like it and the detail it reveals. I like it very much! Where was it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Taylor Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Hmmm, looking back it appears to be about -1/3 at exposure then lifted +1/3 with a shadow lift and highlight compression in Lightroom. I suspect I probably recompressed part of the shadows to look more realistic again using the curves as well. I agree a lot of people are miss-applying a lot of the controls and creating overly artificial images. Sometimes just because its in the "neg" doesn't mean you should bring it out. A digital capture holds way more info than film ever did and sometimes more than the eye is aware of in real time. Having worked in wet process dark rooms I would hope that I can judge how much to bring out and when to draw the line at tooooooo far. Location : Burbage Common, Hinckley, Leicestersire (between Nuneaton and Leicester) Oh and for what it was worth this was declined by a moderator of a certain online based publication (after 127 views) for failing to show the complete train! Glad you like it. The next experiment is to spend an hour or so creeping the shutter speed down in 1/3stop increments to increase hte b/g blur. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_S Posted November 27, 2013 Author Share Posted November 27, 2013 That can't be too far from me then (In sutton coldfield). It might be worth heading out towards Leicestershire to try some myself? I can't beleive that was declined, as to me the exposure is terrific, smoke perfect, light perfect, crisp and sharp yet with some movement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jawfin Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 My humble (read: awful) offerings: Using my phone. I try to avoid missing the chance of taking a picture of something vaguely interesting at speed (I don't see that often!) so I usually just take a video (I prefer them to stills) then a screenshot, hence the bad quality. I'm too afraid of messing a regular still up... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jivebunny Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Some lovely shots here, of trains and of other things (Waverley West I thought yours were life-size until I read the description...) Thought I'd try to prompt a flurry of new photos with one of my own which I took a few years ago now, of a TGV-A blasting along at full line speed. Took me a few attempts to get a shot I was happy with, I can tell you that! And yes, it has buffers on the back end and can move on its own, so as far as I'm concerned it's technically a loco JB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveyH Posted February 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 16, 2014 For fun, original taken on Maristow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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