Greg wrote: > Looking back through my slides for one's that I'd like to pass on to >Dave for scanning I've discovered that the shots that appeal most to me >are those have substansial amounts of geometric shapes in the >composition of the shots.
You have discovered just one of the many, many things that lead to a well composed picture, texture. A well composed train picture, obviously should show the train. That is why we are there in the first place. Isn't it? If it doesn't, you end up with a, "Where is Waldo?" picture. So the train should stand out in the picture. Or better yet, jump out at you. And this can be achieved in numerous ways. The use of lights and darks - the sun shiny train coming at you poking out of a dark shaded hillside. The use of texture - The smooth sides of the train against a rough surface such as rock or a tree covered hillside. The use of color - bright red for instance against a dark green background, The use of lines - A much more complicated item to write about but easy to show. But where numerous lines in the picture all lead to the main focus of attention, the train. One of my all-time favorite shots is such a picture. A back lit steam engine in Chama in the snow with the sun hidden by the smoke. For a color picture it is pretty simple. You have blue sky, white snow and black locomotive. Then you have the lines. The right and left edges of the smoke come narrowing down to the front of the engine. The lines of the track lead up to the front of the engine. Tracks in the snow lead up to the front of the engine. The lines of the dark side of the train and engine lead up to the front of the engine. The dark string of cars in the distance behind the engine lead the eye to the front of the engine. And with the sun position behind the smoke at the front of the engine, all of the spikes of the shadows from the domes and stack point to the front of the engine. I also seem to have a soft spot for unit >trains vs mixed freight. Perhaps the continuity of the shapes (hoppers >or containers) doesn't distract from the scenery or curviture (s-curves, >etc.). Bingo. Smooth flowing lines have the ability show movement where this is none (In a still picture)> > Do you think that stong geometric shapes (e.g., triangular bracing >of signal towers bridges towers) add to the picture or distract the >viewer from the train in the scene. Dave's tight wedge shot (telephoto >lens 500?) of the BN train at the river crossing in Nebraska has these >geometric elements that make the shot more interesting to me (truss >memebers seem to balance the shot between upper left and lower right). > It can be either way depending on how you handle the situation. If not handled properly, these geometric shapes can make the picture too busy and distract eye away from the main theme of the picture the train. If this happens you end up with what I referred to as the, Where's Waldo Syndrome. If handled properly, the smooth surfaces of the train can stand out against the busy texture background. Charlie Dischinger -> SPORRS: 'Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects' -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs/ -> Message © 1998 SPORRS® - All Rights Reserved
