The Author – Bart Busschots
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Nov
30
Photo of the Week 41 – Homeward Bound
Filed Under Photography on November 30, 2008 at 10:01 pm
This is one of those photos that I just love but I have no idea why. I’m not even sure it’s actually a good photo, but it’s one of my favourites all the same. What makes my love of it even stranger is that it’s of what I consider to be the ugliest class of train the NMBS (Belgian national rail company) ever brought into service! A real low-point in Belgian train design! Maybe there’s some kind of sub-concious bond because these trains are the same age as me, we both date from 1980.
For those of you interested in such things, here are the technical details of this shot:
- Camera: Nikon D40
- Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
- Exposure: 1/160 sec
- Focal Length: 55mm
- Focal Ratio: F6.3
- ISO: 200
- Camera Mode: Auto
The composition is great and I don’t agree that the train is ugly.
What lets the photo down, in my opinion, is the harsh light. There is plenty of rich yellow and brown in the front of the train and the trees and tracks, but the side of the train looks colourless and the tracks too dark.
This is a problem I am dealing with constantly in my own photographs. So often I end up with either ‘flat’ lighting, or overly harsh contrasts.
Hi Allister,
I know what you mean, I think it’s because the dynamic range on DSLRs is so small. In this case I had to boost the shadows to get them lit at all, and that has the effect of washing out the colour in the shadows.
Bart.