For almost four years Tracking the Light has focused on railway photography as seen through the lens of Brian Solomon.
Connolly Station on the Evening of 10 April 2016.
Monthly Archives: July 2016
Irish Rail 079 at Sligo-April 2000; Seeing Square (pardon the dodgy crop).
I exposed this view of Irish Rail 071 class diesel number 079 at Sligo using my Rolleiflex Model T loaded with Fuji Neopan 400.
I processed the film at the Gallery of Photography at Meetinghouse Square in Dublin using Agfa Rodinal Special concentrated liquid developer.
Final processing was accomplished digitally using Lightroom.
Tracking the Light discusses photography everyday.
Brian’s Opaque Puzzle Answer.
On 4 July 2016, I offered a puzzle to readers.
I thought it was pretty easy. But, I’ve since concluded that I either missed my calling as the crafter of impossible puzzles or I should stick with straight-forward photographic tips.
I’m not sure which.
Ok, the whole post was the puzzle. In this I offered a variety of clues, each of which—when deciphered—should have produced a hint toward the correct answer.
Perhaps to make this easier I should have written; ‘what common theme of this post can be found in various elements within the post.’
The first clue was the title: “Tracking the Light Reaches 1500!”
The second was in the time of the posting (not the normal time, but at 3 pm EST; 1500 hours).
(I put in an ‘FYI’ to hint that the time zone was important.)
Each photo also offered a clue (or clues):
Conrail 9578 was a model SW1500 switcher rated at 1,500 horsepower. (I guess you just need to know that sort of thing, or look it up in a book?)
I picked an SW1500 because the model number neatly matched the output (rather than say an F7, also rated at 1,500 hp).
Admittedly the final photo’s clue wasn’t especially obvious: this photo shows the overhead catenary on the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend (In the caption, I describe the railroad as the ‘South Shore’ along with the location of the image). The clue was that the South Shore’s wires are energized at 1,500 volts DC. (Sorry, the signal is just an attractive distraction).
I’d mentioned that a one-word answer was all I was seeking; detailed explanations were optional.
The answer is an even four-digit number, evenly divisible by 1, 3, 5 and 100.
None of the answers from readers perfectly matched what I was aiming at, so I’ve decided to award the free book to the first answerer (who guessed in the form of a comment, as required by the rules) that mentioned the correct number, which as it happens was also the first answer that I received.
Thanks to all the readers who participated, and especially to those readers who provided well-thought out responses that produced answers that were more clever than I sought!
Tracking the Light doesn’t do Puzzles Everyday.
Incidentally, the puzzle behind the puzzle—my elusive allusive meaning—was that successful photography is like a puzzle: You have to put together a variety of pieces in the right order to make a picture, but kin to this puzzle, it is up to the photographer to pick which pieces to use.
Tracks in Autumn.
Tracking the Light is on auto-pilot while Brian is traveling.
Brian’s old Cameras.
These are some roster views of equipment I’ve used over the years.
I say ‘roster’ to clarify, that these are not ‘builders’ photos of the equipment. Like decades old General Motors diesels, my cameras are battle-worn machines that show the effects from years of hard service.
While I’ve lit these images to show detail, I’ve not made any effort to disguise, clean or dress up these old cameras. You see them as they are.
In my youth I made most of my photos with various Leica 3s that were the better part of fifty years old at the time.
In the 1990s, my pal TSH exclaimed sarcastically that I’d missed my calling as a Nikon endurance tester.
I’ve typically chosen to work with durable equipment that featured excellent optics and rarely worried about acquiring the latest models or gadgetry. These are tools to an end and not jewelry.
Among the cameras missing from this selection of photos are several of my work-horse machines; my dad’s original Rolleiflex, my old Leica M2 rangefinder (that my brother occasionally still uses), various Nikon model F2/F3/F3T and N90s bodies (plus lenses) that I dragged all around the world between 1990-2006, a Nikkormat FT3 (with red leather), and my Canon EOS-3s, which I continued to carry around to exposed film. Also, my two newest machines, a Lumix LX7 (that exposed these images) and a FujiFilm X-T1 digital camera).
Tracking the Light Posts Daily.
Tracking the Light Reaches 1500!
This is the 1500th Tracking the Light posting since the blog began in July 2012.
All 1,500 posts are in the archives and available for browsing.
Once I posted the pieces to a puzzle and I was disappointed when my theme proved so opaque that no one figured it out!
Today I try again.
I don’t think this one is as difficult as the last.
FYI: Tracking the Light’s official posting time zone is Eastern Standard Time (New York, Boston, etc).
To the first reader that sends me a comment attached today’s posting with the correct answer to my puzzle: I will send you a free book. As Wally says, ‘Free!’
I will accept a one word answer (if correct), but a little explanation as to why would be nice.
Please note: the first correct answer must be sent as a comment attached to this Tracking the Light post (not to the homepage or any place else); to clarify, any answer sent by Email, or left as Facebook comments, tweets, comments to Google Plus, Tumbler or sent by snail mail or phone cannot count for the free book. No ties, no second place. Sorry, but those are the rules.
Tracking the Light has posted 1500 individual stories!
Amtrak F40PH Heritage Locomotive-Finding an Angle.
So often I hear the following excuse:
“I don’t photograph trains anymore because I don’t like [fill in the blank here]”
In the 1980s, I thought Amtrak F40PHs were just about as dull as it got.
I didn’t mind the F40 per se, but the platinum mist livery with narrow stripes, black cab and black trucks didn’t do it for me. And these engines were everywhere!
They were the ubiquitous face of Amtrak: found on the Lake Shore, the Zephyr, the Broadway, etc.
I photographed them anyway. In black & white and in color.
Looking back, some of the photos have aged well.
Yet, the other day at when I was at Claremont Junction, New Hampshire to visit the traveling Amtrak Exhibit train, I still found it hard to get overly enthusiastic about an Amtrak F40!
None-the-less, I made this view on Fuji Neopan Across 100 using my old Leica fitted with a 21mm Super Angulon.
You know, it doesn’t look so bad now.
Tracking the Light offers daily insight into photography.
Sundays too!
Special advisory notice: Tomorrow’s Tracking the Light is a special post and will appear later than normal.
Amtrak Special at the Bellows Falls Tunnel.
The benefits of familiarity; knowing your locations.
Take the Bellows Falls Tunnel on the Connecticut River line. Back in 1988, I’d photographed a southward Boston & Maine (Guilford) freight in the afternoon and noted that late in the day, when the south portal was in shadow, a shaft of light illuminates the train on the north side of the tunnel.
The location and effect were filed away for future reference.
A couple of week ago, on June 18, 2016, Pat Yough and I were following Amtrak’s Exhibition Train on its way south from Claremont, New Hampshire. At Bellows Falls, Vermont the train paused to refuel, and this resulted in the leading locomotive, Amtrak F40PH 406, pulling past the grade crossing near the station.
I noticed it had gone just far enough to bask in the window of sun near the north portal of the tunnel.
This opened up opportunity for photography.
Below are a examples angles exposed from the south portal, a location reached by a narrow street from the center of town. I like the relative abstraction of tracks and engine appearing to float in a sea of darkness.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day.
Connecticut’s Shore Line Trolley Museum—June 19, 2016.
Back in the day, summer always meant that my father would bring my brother and me to one of the New England Trolley museums. Back then we’d ride back and forth and Pop would read the Sunday newspaper.
I’d make photos with my Leica.
This year for Father’s Day, I brought Pop to Connecticut’s Shore Line Trolley Museum located near East Haven, Connecticut. We used to know this as the Branford Trolley Museum (it is operated by the Branford Electric Railway Association).
Pat Yough, visiting from Pennsylvania, joined us and we all made photos. Turns out that fathers are admitted free of charge on Father’s Day. So that was a bonus.
Pop used his vintage Rolleiflex, which prompted a comment from the motorman,
“You’re still using film?”
Pop responded, “Sure, and you’re still running a trolley. Today is my ‘retro day’”.
They even had an old IRT Subway car on the move. (Pop said, “these aren’t ‘old’, I remember when they were new!”).
