Trackside with Erik and Mike, Vol. 52: June 5, 2006

[espeefoamer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jroebuck

Voted for Mike - like short line railroading, and that night shot made the difference. Am I the only person who thinks the new BNSF is bad? Bland? Un-photogenic?

Yes![;)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bush9245

Mike by a long shot for mine. Nothing wrong with Erik's, .

At this stage I am in the minority, but don't worry Mike if the crowd do not recognise genius. After all it is Bergie's forum so they want to please him. Think of it that way.

I guess it must be politically correct to favor the webmaster

[emmar]

The album idea adds a new twist.
I think both of then were very good, but I voted for Mike. I like the clarity of Eriks shots and that the first three used shadows to make very clean photos. I like the idea of the fourth shot showing the other side of the curve, but the train is in the wrong part of the picture. The orange of the locos attacts your eye to the bottem and out of the picture and the track on the far hill is too hard to see. Also in my opinion the photos were not as creative as Mikes. I went with Mike's pictures because the night shot was great. The combination of the lighting fading away on the second loco and the color of the night sky. I think that it is one of the best shots I have seen out of all the photos ever presented on trackside. I also like the uniqueness of Mikes other shots. The yard shot is great because it gives a real sense of the inticasy of the railyard even though it is not a huge yard. The other two shots are also great but the first two shots of this album beat Eriks entire album.

Good job both of you.
emmar

[Anonymous]

I like Mike's. Both were good however.


Looks as if Erik will take home the trophy.

Matt

[Anonymous]

Loved both albomes but i had to give my vote to Mike. I just want to Thank both of you for all these awsome photos. Thank you. The albums were both asome in there own way.

UNION PACIFIC is what its all about.

[Anonymous]

I like Erik's better because of the good pictures of the locomotives with BNSF's newest paint scheme. The EMD units like the one Erik's photo seem to be popping up everywhere. There one with the WP piant scheme on it.

[senshi]

Gotta go with Erik. Just something about the vastness caught in many of the shots. But very close, both albums are very good.

[jjlamkin]

Sorry Mike, I had to vote for Erik's this week. The contrast and the rolling hills just get your attention with Erik's photos, although Mike's night shot is GREAT!
Onto railroads and interviews..... I got an invite to a UP hiring session after waiting since January! We were given some paperwork describing the job and about the "no smoking" policy of the railroad. There is even a "no smoking" policy for UP off site meetings. Then we were given the "scary speech" and then were allowed to ask questions. After a short break, we waited while the "testing equipment" was brought in. For the first "test" we had to sit on the floor and put our feet on a "box" against the wall and stretch our arms as far as we could (basically it is touching your toes while sitting), a small slide had to be pushed with our fingertips until you could bend forward as far as you could go without bending your knees and the tester holds them down! (of course with my old sore back, I did not pass this one). The next "test", you must pull a handle on a chain attached to a platform and an electronic meter measures your strength. The last "test" is a stationary bike. You have to pedal as fast as you can for 1 minute, WOW this really gets your heart going, because the bike gets harder to pedal as time goes on.
Although I did not get to the interview stage, the testing really shows what shape you are in. The test person tells you which area you are weak in, so if you want to reapply in 6 months for that job, you can work on it.
Well it was an experience I will NOT forget! Hey I also had another wish come true, I finally got a cab ride on an old SP SD7 at the Illinois Railway Museum last week!
Stay Safe Everyone, Jim

[Bergie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by boshar1

QUOTE: Originally posted by dalemuir

Erik's photos tell a story. Mike's do not.

I must be dense. a college degree and 56 years of photographic experience and I don't see any specific story in erik's pictures. In rail fan photography, THE TRAIN is the story.

the ancient chinese philosopher Kung-Fu-Tze (a/k/a Confucious) allegedly said "a picture is worth a thousand words". Erik's pictures don't appear any more verbose than Mike's. In fact, Erik's pictures are becoming predictable. If you see a head-on shot of a locomotive with a lack of depth of fteld (attributable to a long focal length lens) chances are 99 out of 100 its Erik's.

Are you serious? 99 out of 100?

Look at the photos from this week again: http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/006/707qadxc.asp

Two of Mike's photos are shot at 300mm, and two of mine are (actually, one of the two is 280mm, but I'll give it to you). The timing of your comment doesn't support your theory.

Erik

[Anonymous]

That night shot looks sweet!! I love doing night/low-light photography!!

[colbalt]

both photographers are excellent and professional....Both are winners....The two of you have a unique competition.....I'd have to say 50-50 split you both win

[theoldhobo]

Any photo of WC power has to be a winner. Many an evening I sit at Haley Tower in Terre Haute IN to watch the CSX parades ( Chicago-Evansville, Indianapolis-St.Louis,nee Conrail ) and lo and behold, WC runthrough power and occasional patched WC rolling stock. Whoever helps keep the WC alive in photos gets my vote!