The eye of the tiger



In today's modern realm of Train Photography it seems that not only has everybody have advice to give but they are 100% right and nobody can be wrong. Well being around enough Photographers that do other things besides trains I have learned that there is really no right or wrong way and nobody is really right. Ok let's pick on me for example here is one shot of a conductor riding the car.

The Ride
Ok now for the skinny this pic is 2.5 stops underexposed why? I wanted to add the Drama of the conductor riding off into the sunrise, along with capturing the sky and fog details that otherwise be blown out. Was I wrong? Maybe to some, but to others  I am a hero. It is all in the eye of the viewer.
Now let's pick on another thing called Back-lighting In regular photography it is acceptable and is used quite extensively in model shots on beaches ( sorry I don't have any sexy models for you) but it seems you ask any 100 train picture buffs I almost guarantee  93 of them will dislike the picture because it isn't perfect sun. Can you improvise ? Sure let's pick out another one to go on.

Sunny Morning Haze
Let's pick on this guy above for any purist this would never fly due to the sun and angle it was also the picture seems not to be sharp at all. Here is why, in the early morning a lot of time you have Fog, by nature fog is nothing but a cloud on the ground and will not only obscure, but soften a image but done right it adds a lot of Drama to the shot as it can seem to bend the sun light Once again was I wrong ? Yes to some  no to others again it is in the eye of the viewer.
Now I am going to Prove my point in a fun way for you all to be able to see things and lighten up a little.

Ok I made this in paint if you can spot the color difference then good we can move on if you can't ? Well then either look at it for a while or you might need your eyes looked at, I am just saying.

Now for this exercise we will use a panel of three people the first one says the one on the left is too light the one in the middle is just right and the one on the Left is too dark.
Our second person in our panel likes the soft pinkish color of the far left panel and says it is just right and the other two are too dark. The third person in our panel is the opposite he likes the richness of the left panel and say the other two seems to be not to his liking. Now add each others opinion of who is right and how and why it is right to them and how to fix it and you my friend could have a good fight on your hands. Add in about 100 more of these kind of opinions on a picture of  heritage unit and you will have a episode of railfan Braveheart with ballast being tossed and people trying to stick each other with railroad spikes..........
Honestly is it worth it to be so uptight that someone did not follow your  rule of thumb? Like the story of the Bulldog and the skunk we know for fact a bulldog can beat a skunk any day of the week but a smart Bulldog will realize it just is not worth the stink. Just telling it like it is. When you add in uncontrolled light, moving objects, and uncontrollable circumstances ( that utility marker in your shot)  it is sometimes the only picture you can have come out, And not everybody has a 4,000 dollars in equipment top of the line calibrated computers and monitors and all the trimmings of Photoshop and the skill to manipulate the image into what you think it should be. To me Photography is a way of relaxing and showing the world what I see through the my eyes and the eyes of a camera.


Above is one of the best quotes I heard of and says it all in my eyes of being a photographer. Below is the second best quotes and a link will be provided to the Quotes there are 154 of them.


Now with this being said whether or not you are using a point and shoot, a 2,000 dollar DSLR or your Phone remember it is up to you if you are the one to be happy with how you capture the image. Like photos there are a million opinions on how to do something and am I saying I am perfect no I am not there is always room for improvement in any area in our lives not just photography or our train hobby, it is for us to enjoy if you find yourself blowing up about how someone did something ( as long as it was legal) maybe you need to re-assess your ways or find another hobby with less stress in it for the sake of health and sanity both yours and mine. Like always remember God is in control and until next time take care

Here is the link to the Quotes I promised:   

https://photographyicon.com/quotes/

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