yes, that's the 3042 i was talking about. it has a big ugly UP shield on the nose. the CNWs had a very unique look to them from the front. a look forever ruined by that shield. 2990 never got a shield and 3028's was torn off. not 3042. though i hate all the patches. aside from the crash 9s and the AC44s (heck i can think of 2 crash 9s that i would thrill to see wearing patches). but sadly. all the patches i ever get are the SD40-2s. it's one of the hardest things i've ever had to look at.
what i dont understand is why UP takes forever to repaint these units. the 3 SD40-2s have been running around in patches for years. it's great that 2960, 3043, and 3036 got painted last year (especially 3036. zito yellow with a shield on the nose? that should be illegal!), but these 3 still havent. 3042 needs it the most
Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.
Whew, Brent! I never said anything about expecting something of mass quality from you. But, you submitted to Railpics, and complained about it. If you say you havent been taking pictures long enough, ok, but to then turn around and get pissed off because you think your shot was great and Railpics didnt, isnt right. You will get better, no question, but you need to focus on it more than just pointing and shooting. Everyone has started at some point, and their work isnt great, but with time comes improvement (most of the time). Heres one of my early shots, its nothing great, but I have paid attention to ways to improve.
http://wctransfer.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=209802 That is trash for many reasons, the shadows, the horrible tilt to the shot, and a bad camera. But this was one of the few "really bad" shots I took then ( I shot film from 2003-2005) so by then I had already had some sort of practice. But a little practice and you can start getting creative and wallah, stuff like this just seems normal.http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=196741&nseq=6
Im glad your having fun, thats what its about, but if your going to take shots and then try to get them on Railpictures, you better have a good grasp on photography. Like Matt said, your better waiting for the engine to stop and have a tripod (or something to set your camera on) then taking pictures with the flash. You can do MUCH better than the last stuff you posted, and getting a new camera is definately going to help. But 4.1 MP isnt horrible, I started with a 3.2, but one thing Ive noticed with your camera is the horrible shutter speeds. If something is blurred bad like that (and some of your older shots), dont even bother posting the picture online.
I know people who only will take shots of stuff if the paint is nice, the sun is perfect, and the engine is clean. Im not like that, I dont shoot for TRAINS magazine, and I shoot stuff how it is, doesn't bother me one bit if the door is open or whatever. But, if you are going to pursue photography, dont get an attitude when people tell you the truth about your shots. Its not extremely hard to learn how to atleast take decent roster shots, so dont think that you need to be as artistic as some of the greats. But if/when you decide to actually say "yes, I would like to be better, and be proud of my shots" then you will notice how much better you can be. Until then, I guess keep the attitude the attitude and excuses coming, your only hurting yourself.
Alec
Why be stupid like CN and repaint engines that wont be around for that long anyway. UP knows that the SD40-2 fleet will be replaced soon, so its not even a concern for them. Sure, you see the occasion repaint come by (ive seen a few nicely done ones recently) but they really dont see the paint making the engine better, its taking away from the bottom line.
Alec, I think you hit the nail on the head.
I've always thought that there are sort of three different "types," if you will, of railroad photographers, at least from my experiences. There are those who are out to get only the perfect picture, and refuse to take the shot unless everything is exactly right. Then there are those who are out to take pictures to just capture a moment in time the best that they can, in hopes that the picture comes out pretty well at least. They go home with their pictures and evaluate, and maybe pick some of the best to share with the rest of the world (like through the forums). And then there are railfans who feel that almost every picture they take should be plastered anywhere they can find a place to put it, and that their photographs are the best thing since sliced bread. It doesn't matter how good the photo is, just that they took it.
I'm more than willing to admit that I take bad pictures all the time. If you were to look at my "raw" collection, you'd find a heck of a lot of horrible shots. Even the best photogs take bad pictures sometimes. But to me what truely makes a photographer good is that they develop an eye for what a good photograph is. They also learn that the bad pictures are the ones that should be filed away for the personal collection, not put up on the internet. I have a lot of bad photos that mean something to me, but that I wouldn't bother posting anywhere because they won't mean much to anybody else as they look horrible. And then I have just a lot of plain bad photos.
I don't submit much to railpictures anymore myself. A couple years ago I did submit a lot of shots, but I got tired of all the rejections (though looking back, I realize that 9 times out of 10 the screeners were right, my photo wasn't good enough for them). One of the things I did though was use the rejects as a teaching tool. I'd evaluate why they rejected the photo, and try to take the knowledge to the field with me the next time. I do really think I owe a lot to rp.net over the years for helping me get a better handle on photography. Of course, I have improved my skills a little since I used to submit photos regularly, and improved my camera equipment. Some days I think I should upload a few photos again just for kicks, to see if they'd make it in or not...
Noah
Brent, I third that adivice. One thing I like to say about photos is it never hurts to try something creative or new, especially on trains with common power. The good thing about Metra here is you can try new things on Metra, and if that works, try it on something rarer. You can do the same thing on CN power. I've been trying to edge away from getting the exact same shots on every train. Variety is a good thing. I've been trying to mix it up between common and creative angles. Also, about Railpictures, it is good to take some advice from them but don't let them control what you photograph. I know some people won't even take a photo of a rare train because the light isn't good, and I think every train deserves getting a photo or video taken of it. Also if they reject a photo, don't complain because their standards are very high and 9 times out of 10 they will reject it. I'm sure most people on there get far more rejected than accepted, even the best photographers whose photos you see in magazines. I know I get far more rejected than accepted. Here is a example of something creative I tried, and I really like how this turned out. It is a blur of a Metra train taken three days ago.
I fourth that advice. At point, like msot of you know, it's hard to get "good" shots, but I like going there for roster shots.
Robby, I do wonder how long the GP40s will last. I think they will be for a few more years as I've heard CN like GP power. I do wonder if they will repaint the other GP40s, or the GP38-2s.
Atmo, nice shots. Even though you don't like the patched CNW SD40-2s, I kinda of enjoy them because I have only seen 2 CNW units in Fright service so far.
Tyler, yeah i guess. Brekenridge is basicaly dead in summer. Besides from the bikers.
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JR7582 My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcfan/
EJE: Check your PMs.
I finally got my first train video up on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZoMLGPMykw
Enjoy!
Thanks Noah and Robby. I also agree with the whole "If its not Railpictures quality, than I'd rather be at home" type of mentality people have. I still hate cloudy days most of the time, but hey, go take pictures, have fun, and take the "boring" roster shots (which, oh by the way, were the ONLY thing people shot back in the slide days) and wedgies that people frown on. To me, if its a good crisp shot, or an artsy shot where all you can see is blocks with color, you've done well. I dont submit a heck of a lot to Railpics, most of the time because of weather and boring power. When I post something I want it to get a lot of views, and be happy with showing people THAT particular shot. But in short, shoot for you, and take those common shots if you want to. A good roster shot of something like an SD45 wont put me to sleep!
....BUT! Still shoot for quality, control the things you can (you obviously can control the framing, exposure, etc) and dont worry about the stuff you cant, like weather. Shoot around it, or do something interesting with a going away shot if possible.
WCfan wrote: I have only seen 2 CNW units in Fright service so far.
I have only seen 2 CNW units in Fright service so far.
let me guess. the duo? cause when it comes to FRIGHT service, there's no sad excuse of a CNW to better fill the position than 2 crash 9s.
i've seen all kinds of CNW in active service way back when. SD50s, SD60s, SD40-2s, all the EMDs. but i never got a single picture.
i havent seen a single one of those units for years now. it sucks
wctransfer wrote: Thanks Noah and Robby. I also agree with the whole "If its not Railpictures quality, than I'd rather be at home" type of mentality people have. I still hate cloudy days most of the time, but hey, go take pictures, have fun, and take the "boring" roster shots (which, oh by the way, were the ONLY thing people shot back in the slide days) and wedgies that people frown on. To me, if its a good crisp shot, or an artsy shot where all you can see is blocks with color, you've done well. I dont submit a heck of a lot to Railpics, most of the time because of weather and boring power. When I post something I want it to get a lot of views, and be happy with showing people THAT particular shot. But in short, shoot for you, and take those common shots if you want to. A good roster shot of something like an SD45 wont put me to sleep!....BUT! Still shoot for quality, control the things you can (you obviously can control the framing, exposure, etc) and dont worry about the stuff you cant, like weather. Shoot around it, or do something interesting with a going away shot if possible. Alec
That I totally agree on. You don't need to take RP quality picture ALL the time. Watch trains, that's what every one does. have fun to. brent that is exactly what you are doing and there's nothing wrong with it. Like alec said if there's somthing in the way try to get around it. I mean at the point engine tracks it's almost impossable. But in some of my shots you can see I have a wedge or angle to the shot because there was alot of stuff in the way and I wanted to get it out. But Alec basicaly sums it up, god railfanning and have fun, take roster shots. But if ya want to get on RP, makes sure you take your time.
Speaking of photos, I've been FAR behind uploading them. Until today I hadn't updated my rrpa site since the 14th, yikes! Well, here are just a few of the photos.
A pair of warbonnets sit at Eola Yard.
The deadline at Homewood, including a rare BC Rail RS18C!
I already posted the Metra blur shot, but here is another night photo from Westmont.
Like I said, I have many more I haven't posted yet.