Know your Train Times

[Silver Simon]

I was experimenting with my big stopper for a bracketed shot, 3 on 30 seconds to see what the results would be.

On the last shot the train flew across the bridge!

However, it has given me the idea of going down when it's dark with a train crossing the bridge with its lights on.

I'm playing with Photomatix with a view to getting it, hence the watermark.

 

[TheBigYin]

To be completely honest, while I'm sure it was an interesting experiment, IMO it's not been a success. It's an interesting idea, using the stopper to get blurred water and skies, but then getting the sharpness in the rest of it with Photomatix - but frankly - it's not really the processing that's the problem here, it's the composition of the shot itself - theres just not enough of interest in the actual shot. Get an interesting composition in frame first - THEN start fiddling around with the rest of the stuff.

 

[Silver Simon]

To be completely honest, while I'm sure it was an interesting experiment, IMO it's not been a success. It's an interesting idea, using the stopper to get blurred water and skies, but then getting the sharpness in the rest of it with Photomatix - but frankly - it's not really the processing that's the problem here, it's the composition of the shot itself - theres just not enough of interest in the actual shot. Get an interesting composition in frame first - THEN start fiddling around with the rest of the stuff.

Thank you for the input. I totally agree with everything you said.

I had dropped my better half off to go shopping and I'd only got about 30 minutes. This scene was a minute from the shops in Poole.

As I'm a newbie I'd thought I'd try and experiment with my big stopper, try and learn what it does etc. I used the bridge solely as a focus point, I was more concerned with the water and grass.

As the third shot was in process the train just came into view, I was not expecting it.

I was not going to post it on here because of what you said above being pretty non descript but it just made me smile with the ghost train!

Having said all that, I will go down when it's darker, find the train times, get closer and maybe do the same type of shot but with just a single shot or maybe continuous shots.

Again, really appreciate your input.

 

[dave600]

Hi Silver

Thanks for posting your photo, I understand what TheBig Yin is saying but its nice to have fun and experiment sometimes, seeing your photo and the view, gave me an idea for something I hadn't thought about unit now, look forward to seeing the "dark version"

 

[TheBigYin]

Dave, I wasn't saying it was a waste of time, far from it, it's an interesting idea, and when Simon re-shoots, as I'm sure he will - a bit more time spent on initial composition, followed by the "tricky stuff" will undoubtedly result in a far better image. Photography would be a terribly boring thing if we all went out and got the shot, perfect, first time - the fun for me, as a hobbyist shooter at least, is in learning, and refining the shot or technique, until that final "eureka" moment when I get what I originally saw "in my minds eye"

 

[MWHCVT]

I'm trying to work out why this scene has gone through photomatix, which suggest HDR as does your talk of bracketed exposure but as a scene it really doesn't look like one that needs to be bracketed :shrug: I really do look forward to seeing a night time photo from this location though

Matt
MWHCVT

 

[dave600]

Oh bigyin if only once I could get that "eureka" moment ;-)

 

[Silver Simon]

I'm trying to work out why this scene has gone through photomatix, which suggest HDR as does your talk of bracketed exposure but as a scene it really doesn't look like one that needs to be bracketed :shrug: I really do look forward to seeing a night time photo from this location though

Matt
MWHCVT

Matt, totally right. as I said in my second post I was just playing around with the big stopper trying to see what it did.

I then had a

... I wonder what a bracketed Big Stopper shot would look like in HDR. Nothing to do with the bridge or anything else just the waves and grass.

I bracketed the camera and set it to 30 seconds, the first two shots went off and during the time the shutter was open for the third, the train appeared. You can just make out the front of it about two thirds across from the right.

It's all a case of a newbie playing around and trying to learn.

I also look forward to seeing the shot from the dark side!

 

[James J]

Personally I'd be tempted to sample a smaller area using a longer focal length to avoid the grass in the foreground and concentrate on a water foreground instead with the train at night idea you have. I'd quite like to see how it would turn out with that in mind.