Good morning, all!It's been a bit since I dropped in, but thought I'd share some rail photography odds and ends from around the Centennial State that I've shot recently.Let's start with home — Pueblo, CO. Much like Denver Union Station was in Denver, Pueblo Union Depot has become my de facto subject when I come across good light and can't figure out what to shoot. Lately, I've been playing with some stitched panoramas in said situations. Be sure to follow the Flickr link on the second of these and enlarge it. I've posted it larger than my normal web sizing.
ATSF 2912 and Rainbow - Pueblo Union Depot by Chris May, on Flickr
Pueblo Sunset Panorama by Chris May, on Flickr
I managed to catch the DPU's on a UP coal drag with the same storm light that I had in the first stitched photo:
Rainbows Over Coal DPU's - Pueblo, CO by Chris May, on Flickr
I caught a BNSF Welded Rail train east of town on the Pueblo sub. This isn't too far from NA Junction where the former MoP heads towards Towner (I know there's been some discussion about that line on another thread). As with a lot of my recent B&W work, I played around with this one in Nik's Silver Efex. Google recently released the full Nik suite of editing software for free download. Some of it is a bit cheesy, but Silver Efex is one of the plugins that is the real deal. I have really been liking the B&W looks I'm capable of getting from it.
BNSF Rail Train - Pueblo Sub by Chris May, on Flickr
Of course, sometimes I still like playing with film. Lately, I've fallen in love with Ilford Pan F+, especially in medium format. This is a shot I took down on the Joint Line near Palmer Lake with my YashicaMat LM twin lens reflex camera. Initially, I was really upset that a cloud managed to block the light just as the train approached. In retrospect, I don't mind it as much as it adds a bit of contrast and drama to the scene:
Approaching Palmer Lake by Chris May, on Flickr
July brought the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days train, complete with a freshly rebuilt 844 on the point. Here's a B&W view of the train near Pierce, CO. I wasn't super satisfied with my Frontier Days efforts this year. Fortunately, there's (hopefully) always next year with that train:
2016 Cheyenne Frontier Days Train - Pierce, CO by Chris May, on Flickr
My fiancé likes to paint and had a class up in Ft. Collins one Sunday. While she was painting, I took the opportunity to shoot the Ft. Collins Municipal Railway. I had been hoping for some of Colorado's standard afternoon cloud cover for some nice, even and soft light. Alas, it was not to be this day. So ended up using a fair amount of fill flash to kill some of the shadows. I wish I had been able to get the flash off camera, but I left one of my radio triggers on and the battery was dead. So ugly, flat, on-camera flash was my result. Alas, alas.
Fort Collins Municipal Railway by Chris May, on Flickr
Another flat, ugly fill-flash shot is somewhat redeemed by the cute moment when a young guest rider reaches for Conductor David Howell's hat while he was punching tickets:
Can I Have Your Hat? by Chris May, on Flickr
And only indirectly rail-related, but a shot that I'm very happy with is this detail of the cribbed construction of the Pueblo grain elevator here in town. This is shot with my oldest and most pedestrian lens — an old AI Converted Micro-Nikkor 55mm f3.5. While it's an old and simple lens, it delivers lovely results. Proof that you don't always need the latest and greatest to get a nice photo!
Pueblo Grain Elevator Cribbing Detail by Chris May, on Flickr
As always, thoughts, comments, critiques or questions are more than welcome!
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
As usual, Chris, a nice treat. Some nice examples of unusual composition that breaks away from tic-tac-toe for stunning effect. It's that darned "eye" at work again, for sure. Since I have to go to lunch shortly, I will revisit later when I have time to savor.
ChuckCobleigh As usual, Chris, a nice treat. Some nice examples of unusual composition that breaks away from tic-tac-toe for stunning effect. It's that darned "eye" at work again, for sure. Since I have to go to lunch shortly, I will revisit later when I have time to savor.
I have to agree with ChucK Cobleigh...Particularly, his comment:"... It's that darned "eye" at work again, for sure.." Spot on! Amazing.
Awesome as usual. I especially liked the black and whites. I have a color photo of Chris' avatar on my office wall. One of my customers went ga-ga over it. The guy is not much into trains but seemed to be big into protography.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
While reading that your fiance liks to paint, I glanced down at the Ft. Collins trolley picture and thought it was a painting. A really transformative photo.
I like the "Approaching Palmer Lake" shot with the train further back. It takes a great eye to see compositions like that. Thanks.
MidlandMike While reading that your fiance liks to paint, I glanced down at the Ft. Collins trolley picture and thought it was a painting. A really transformative photo.
23 17 46 11
Or a jigsaw puzzle.
How much to rent the rainbow generator?
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
edblysard MidlandMike While reading that your fiance liks to paint, I glanced down at the Ft. Collins trolley picture and thought it was a painting. A really transformative photo. I'm with you...keep getting drawn back to that one, even though Chris says the flash made it flat....
I'm with you...keep getting drawn back to that one, even though Chris says the flash made it flat....
The flat light on the flowers that makes them prominent, as opposed to the high contrast sunlight/shadow of the background, just looks like artistic license that a painter of popular art might take.
Nice work as always Chris. I haven't been in here much myself lately, but your photography is one of the reasons I got to drop in from time to time .
PS--The D60 is still rockin'
zugmann How much to rent the rainbow generator?
Ft. Collins: Two pieces of rail hiding in the grass. Wish they would consider taking care of the track along with the shiny toys...
Chris, you're too hard on yourself, your "failures" are a hell of a lot better than some other people's successes!
Great shots, all of them.
By the way, where do you get that Ilford Pan film developed? And where do you get it, period? Digital's killed just about everything traditional around here.
It's hard to find something to complain about when looking at Chris' finished products. And I didn't, so I won't.
Good stuff!
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Thank you, all, for your very kind words!
Chad - I can't believe that thing is still kicking. If you ever get rid of it, I get first dibs at buying it back for nostalgia's sake!
Firelock - The Pan F was actually a gift from the fiancé. I think she picked it up at Hunt's Photo in Melrose, MA while she still lived out there. Colorado still has a photographic source -- Mike's Camera -- that carries a small selection of medium format film. I don't see Pan F every time I go in there, but have at least a couple of times. Tri-X and TMax 100 seem to be their standard B&W emulsions that they carry. If you want to look online, Freestyle Photo seems to have the best selection of film emulsions and sizes, though there are other sources. The Film Photography Podcast store has some truly unique stuff, if you're in the mood to experiment.
As for development, I've been sending my stuff to The Darkroom in San Clemente, California recently. It's of course anathema to send out B&W film for developing at a lab, but I just don't have the time or any manner of a darkroom (even my bathroom leaks light like a sieve). The Darkroom can process most things, provides free basic scans, offers higher resolution scans, provides you with free mailers for your next rolls and has a great reputation among film photographers. It's a good fit for my life at the moment, though I do hope to have a darkroom again in the future.
Thanks so much for that feedback Chris! I'm not a serious photographer by any means, but I do have a nice collection of antiques that are sitting idle because I've got nothing to feed 'em. I'm afraid my beloved Argus C-3 is facing permanent retirement one of these days.
My champ antique? An 1899 Kodak folder with a red leather bellows, originally built for Type 105 film it handles Type 120 quite nicely. And let me tell you, when used properly some of those antiques can still sing!
Great pictures of my home state!
In your 1st photo, 2912 looks great....has the restoration been finished?
Last time i was down there a few years ago it looked pretty forlorn...
CopCarSS Chad - I can't believe that thing is still kicking. If you ever get rid of it, I get first dibs at buying it back for nostalgia's sake!
No problem, but I plan on rollin' with it till the wheels fall off . And since every Canon product I ever owned still works just fine, I'd say that might be a while.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.