Puffing Billy!

[waspo]

Hi all,
Nothing special here, but I took a trip into the Dandenong Ranges and thought I'd try and get a shot of PB.
It was bitterely cold, windy and overcast, but had fun setting it up.
Had to use the tripod and remote shutter.
Anyway, just thought it might give you a smile.
Anyone else got some PB pic's they want to share?
Cheers, Jase.

[big pix]

.......nice pix......but is someone trying to get off the train from the second carrage........not a good spot to jump off a moving train.......

[Aussie Dave]

very nice shot Jase. I was wondering if you'd post shots from your "drive in the hills".

It could perhaps be exposed/brightened a little more, but I like the crop !

Sometimes even a crap Melbourne day can give you a chance at a fine shot.

What was the EXIF info on this one ??? Tripod & remote....must have been some low light levels happening ???

Got anymore pics ??

[waspo]

Dave, the light level was unbelievably low! I started at ISO200, f/11, 1/15, but soon realized that the trains movement would blur. So ended up at ISO640, f/4.5, 1/100( still a bit blurred) multi metered. I did a quick test shot and the exposure was perfect, but as you can see that damn steam blew out highlights, causing some clipping.
It was a tough shot for me.

[Aussie Dave]

It was a tough shot for me.

But a great learning curve. The more we get out there and battle against the odds, the better we'll be when it matters most !

For me, the trick to photography is not knowing what to do, it's remembering exactly what to do "in the moment". When that happens, some great photos are sure to be the result.....

Keep up the great work

[kipper]

Waspo, I need to get upto the hills at times to do some shots as I think there are some marvellous places to get shots of this train.

The bridge is a great spot but I reckon a front on view as it comes around the curved bridge would be a better vantage point. With the right focal length you could have the train coming head on on the right hand side of the shot and the carriages curving around to the left of the frame.

There is another place aswell but you'd have to be out in the fields somewhere or if there is a road. It's between Emerald and Cockatoo I think and it has a lot of rolling hills and the track going along the top of them in open fields. Would look quite nice I reckon given the right lighting.

The latter would probably quire a bit of a recky to work out what time of day the lighting would look best, both on the train and in the sky (for colors).

[waspo]

Hey, thats exactly how I feel and approach it!
Well put Dave.

[embi]

Geez after all that talk of trips to the hills this morning I wish I had gone out.

I like this one lots of green. Maybe a bit more sharpening?

[moggy]

Nice photo, Jase, being a bit of a railway nut I really appreciate shots like this!
Bob.

[Alex]

Great photo, Jase. Nice colours and composition.

Alex

[waspo]

Waspo, I need to get upto the hills at times to do some shots as I think there are some marvellous places to get shots of this train.

The bridge is a great spot but I reckon a front on view as it comes around the curved bridge would be a better vantage point. With the right focal length you could have the train coming head on on the right hand side of the shot and the carriages curving around to the left of the frame.

There is another place aswell but you'd have to be out in the fields somewhere or if there is a road. It's between Emerald and Cockatoo I think and it has a lot of rolling hills and the track going along the top of them in open fields. Would look quite nice I reckon given the right lighting.

The latter would probably quire a bit of a recky to work out what time of day the lighting would look best, both on the train and in the sky (for colors).

Darryl, you are spot on!
I had two choices and because it was so cold and the train only comes past that frontal direction, I think 3 times I opted to play it safe and just go for the classic shot.
After that, I scurreed down the hill to the warmth of the car.

I know exactly what you mean about the curve of the track etc. This would make for a great shot! Will shoot from that vantage point next time for sure.

[waspo]

Geez after all that talk of trips to the hills this morning I wish I had gone out.

I like this one lots of green. Maybe a bit more sharpening?

Actually Mark, the orginal isn't too bad. For some reason the 'save for web' feature softened it abit.
He, he It really wasn't that great up there. Too damn cold and windy.
I rushed home to the warmth of my bed for bit of a kip!

[embi]

I wondered after posting if it was the evil "save for web".

[mudder]

Nice shot Jase! Admire the effort you put in and experimentation for the setting and environment... Nice angle for the train, really like the smoke billowing off the frame and nice framing of the bridge and ferns underneath, very nicely done

Re: blown highlights in the steam, if you wanted to, you could try having a lower exposed copy of the same image underneath this one in another layer, then just carefully and softly erasing the burnt highlights and the lower exposed ones below will gently show through where you erase the top layer... Might help save one if you needed...

[waspo]

Thanks for the comments guys!
Andy, thanks for the exposure advice. Will definitely keep this in mind for future attempts.
Do any of you guys convert your images to suit the web?
I'm shooting in aRGB and that's what this image is. The converted image sRGB tends to oversaturate when posted. This is quite odd. I never got this problem before and the PB image looks just like the aRGB in PS where it used to wash out when posted on the web.
Did you get all that?
Any clues? or should I not worry about converting anymore?

[waspo]

I wondered after posting if it was the evil "save for web".

He, he. I tell you, I've never had to use 'save for web' before, but I just couldn't get the image to post this big saving it normally.

[BBJ]

Hey Jase, mate this is a nice shot not that i have ever seen it in real life but yeh the greenery sets it off nice,well done.I like it.
Cheers
John

[PiroStitch]

Waspo, great photo You stood up to the challenge of poor light and came up with a great capture. + You're a big wimp It wasn't that cold...try going down to the beach today during sunset

[waspo]

You're a big wimp It wasn't that cold...try going down to the beach today during sunset

I can't argue with that!

[meicw]

Nice shot, jase. You have captured the spirit of the train very well.

Regards
meicw

[waspo]

Cheers Meicw! I also noticed a Kooka in tree near the carpark. He looked as if he was doing a curcuit; flying from one tree to the next, then returning to the same spot.
After shooting the train, I switched to the Sigma and grabbed a few shots before he flew off.
I tried using the Monopod, but because of the angle, it was really awkward to use.
Anyway, it was nice to get a pic of it.

[embi]

Looks like it was blowing a gale behind him

[waspo]

Sure was Mark! Makes for an interesting background though.