Archive for the 'photo technique' Category

Lately I’ve had a couple people ask about what gear I use so I figured I’d post something that I can point to.

My camera body is a Canon EOS-300D also known as the Digital Rebel. It’s a 6.3 megapixel DSLR. I got this body in December 2003 and have been quite happy with the results. There’s newer, better bodies out there, but I’ll be honest I only have one complaint with the 300D, and that is that I wished it had a bit bigger buffer… the buffer will only hold 4 RAW images. I have the battery grip BG-E1 which I value more for the vertical controls than I do for the second battery compartment.

I pretty much always shoot in RAW mode. Sure, the files are bigger and require more post-processing, but RAW gives me the flexibility to make color and white-balance adjustments that I don’t always want to trust to the camera in the field. If you’re attending GorgeRail, Paul Petersen will be doing a workshop on digital image processing, and he’s a great source of knowledge for everything you ever wanted to know about RAW.

I carry around a few lenses and am looking to add a few more.

When I bought the camera I got the “kit” with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom. I’ve been satisfied with this lens; it’s definitely worth the $100 which it cost me. It’s not the fastest lens in the world but it’s very light and the optics are pretty good. It’s a decent lens for roster shots.

My main everyday walkaround lens is the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom. It runs around $425 and is a great value. I find it to occasionally be a bit soft but not very often, and not enough that I’m gonna chuck this and replace it with primes (well, at least not yet). The IS is great for hand-holding. I use this lens for almost all of my around-town roster shots and close-ups. About the only time I use the 18-55 is if I need to go wider than the 28mm on this lens.

I also have the EF 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, which is a bargain with a street price around $70. This is an entry-level lens, without USM focusing, but the speed is great for low-light situations and the price can’t be beat. Specifically related to railfanning, if I need to do a low-light roster shot I’ll throw on this lens.

My newest lens is the EF 135mm f/2L prime. I wanted something fast around this focal length. I have been quite happy with this lens, which works nicely with the Canon 1.4 extender to give me a f/2.8 prime around 190mm.

My big lens is a EF 300mm f/4L IS prime, which is excellent for long telephoto shots. This lens is tack-sharp. It can be handheld with the IS although I usually use it on my monopod which works out well. My only complaint is that shooting head-on telephoto shots in low light often causes the autofocus to hunt due to the locmotive headlights. Pre-focusing is your friend.

I carry everything around in a LowePro Mini Trekker AW which is a backpack-style bag which has ample space for two bodies and several lenses. It has several pouches inside as well as a couple outside zippered pockets. The “AW” in the name stands for All-Weather, which is because of the built-in fold-away nylon cover which covers up the whole thing if needed. Given the downpours we can have up in this area, the rain cover is a nice feature.

I have a Bogen 681B monopod with a 3229 tilt/swivel head. This is a sturdy monopod which I use almost all the time except for quick grab shots. I also have a cheap Vivitar tripod that I use for night shots. When using the tripod I’ll usually use a remote shutter release.

That’s the majority of what I carry around all the time to take pictures. The few other random things in my camera bag aren’t of much interest (lens cleaning supplies, a washcloth to dry off lenses, and some sporks).

A couple months ago I mentioned that I’d acquired some sensor dust, and then I was a bad blogger by not following up on that post with more information or what I’d learned.

I talked to a couple of my friends with DSLRs and did some research online and the method and system mentioned most often was the “Copper Hill” system. The short version is that the guy behind the method did some research and found a combination of tool, cloth, and solution which easily and effectively cleans dust from a DSLR sensor. He has created special tools for various sized sensors, and offers the materials in a kit. You can read through his tutorials and either acquire the materials on your own, or purchase a ready-to-go kit from his website.

Not wanting to botch things up on my own, I purchased one of his kits. I was very impressed by the super-fast shipping and set out to clean away… it was pretty easy and I must say the results were impressive. After two swipes with the cleaning pad, I couldn’t find any noticable sensor dust on a test shot of a white wall.

Here’s the link to the website for anyone needing to clean their DSLR: Copper Hill Cleaning Method.

I stopped trackside for a few minutes today at lunch and found a new photo angle down at the depot. I screwed up the shot by not using my monopod, mistakenly thinking I could handhold my 300m F4L with the 1.4x teleconverter on it. It’s a textbook lesson why a photographer should have a monopod or tripod, and use it anytime they can. Why didn’t I use it today? Laziness. I figured ah, why bother getting it out for one shot. Anyway, the vertical alignment was botched so I’ll have to shoot it again another day.

This weekend is Robert’s big annual slideshow and foaming shindig up in Centralia. Steve and I are set for an 0700 departure, railfanning our way north and hopefully getting a few decent shots throughout the day before the show. We’re spending the night up there and railfanning our way back home on Sunday. Right now the weather forecast is for crappy with intermittant shitty. Oh well.

Imagine a Railroad Photography site where members submit photo essays for peer review. Only accepted essays are featured. All photos on the site are open for constructive critique. Members with extensive photography backgrounds participate in discussions about photographic technique and equipment. A site about photography first, railroads second.

This site is coming. Soon. I’m excited.

Recent events on a certain railroad discussion forum have caused quite a bit of discussion over photography critique and opinions over a photo. The guy who runs the site has a policy of not allowing unsolicited photography critiques, presumably in order to avoid flame wars or hurt feelings.

The more I think about the issue, and the further we get into the discussion, I keep coming back to one root thought: if you don’t want anyone to have an opinion about your photography, then don’t share it with anyone. If you want to share it, great. Just grow up and don’t bitch if people might not like it.

I’ve made it clear in my signature on that site that “Constructive criticism of my photos is always welcome.” Why as a photographer would I not want to hear others’ opinions on my work? Not thinking that one’s photography could possibly improve from feedback from others seems incredibly arrogant.

It’s sunny today, which means in a little while I’m going to go take some pictures on my lunch break. Tonight I’ll post them here, and, as always, you can feel free to tell me how good, or how shitty, they are.

Edit: No photos tonight. Apparently despite the fact that Vancouver is the busiest rail junction in the northwest, none of the trains needed to move during my lunch hour.

Consider my theory:

• Landscape or wide-angle railroad photos will be most pleasing when well-planned and waited for.
• Detail or human-element railroad photos will be most pleasing when snapped on the spur of the moment.

Random coment: Those nice beautiful S-curves really don’t work for steam trains, when the steam is obscuring the whole rest of the train.

Yep, that’s right… I’ve had my Canon EOS-300D for almost two years and now have my first visible sensor dust specs (you can see one in the blurred BNSF hopper shot on my last post, about halfway between the BNSF logo and reporting marks). Looks like I’ll get to go do some sensor cleaning research.

Steel wool and some toilet cleaner, right?