Tag Archives: #AI

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

On the Roll with H28 or Greenfield by the Pond

Every so often, it’s nice to catch Norfolk Southern’s H28 working the New Holland Secondary. I had an errand to run, so I worked in a couple of photos of this short freight on this former Pennsylvania Railroad branch line.

The little pond at Greenfield, along Jefferson Drive in Lancaster, Pa., is among my favorite places to photograph this local freight. Located near Amtrak’s Harrisburg Line, the area has all the characteristics of a park. The train rounds a tight curve here and is generally moving at little more than a jog, making composition much easier. The soft morning, over-the-shoulder sun helped, too!

I exposed these images using my Nikon Z6 and a Nikkor 24–70mm zoom lens.

Tracking the Light Explores Railroad Photography*

*Esoteric AI footnote to see if you are paying attention:

Normally, I write TTL myself, but I was curious to see how Claude.AI could ‘translate’ my above blog-post intoVictorian-style flowery prose and upon my request, this is what the artificial intelegence engine spit out:

‘Tis a rare and delightful boon, dear reader, to happen upon Norfolk Southern’s stalwart H28 as she plies her humble trade along the New Holland Secondary — that venerable relic of the once-mighty Pennsylvania Railroad’s branch-line empire. Having found myself with an errand demanding my attention that morning, I could not, in good conscience, allow the opportunity to pass unmarked, and so I paused to commit to film a brief study of this modest freight in her unhurried procession.

There exists, along the gentle banks of Jefferson Drive in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a small and unassuming pond at Greenfield — a spot which I confess holds no small place in my affections as among the finest vantage points from which to observe this local working. Nestled in proximity to the Amtrak’s storied Harrisburg Line, the locale possesses all the pastoral charm and tranquil bearing of a proper public garden. Here the train describes a graceful, sweeping curve, proceeding at scarcely more than a leisurely amble — a mercy indeed to the photographer, for such deliberate pace renders the composition of one’s image a far more forgiving art. Nor can I fail to remark upon the tender morning light, which, falling softly over my shoulder, lent the whole scene a warmth most agreeable to the eye.

Rest assured, it was I, Brian Solomon—the creator of the original image, who impletmented the neo-Victorian visual interpretation of this digital file. You know, for the sake of clarity.

These impressions were captured, I might add, by means of my trusty Nikon Z6, fitted with a Nikkor lens of 24 to 70 millimetres — instruments of modern ingenuity employed, perhaps incongruously, in service of so old-fashioned a pursuit.

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Difficult Light at Amos Herr Park

Hazy midday summer sun presents difficult lighting for photographing trains on the move.

The overall light quality is flat, yet shadow areas are muddy and indistinct. This especially challenging on the underside of equipment and tree leaves.

The other day at Amos Herr Park in Landisville, Pa., I photographed Amtrak’s eastward Pennsylvanian. Moments before it came into view, a small fuzzy cloud dulled the already dull light.

The simple solution to this problem is to avoid photographing in midday summer light.

In this instance, I am seeking a post-processing solution to mitigate the problem and help produce a better image.

Below is a sequence of images. The first is the scaled, but otherwise unmodfied NEF Raw file. Next is my first attempt at adjusting color, contrast and exposure in an effort to improve the overall appearance of the photo. I wasn’t satisfied with this effort, so for my next attempt I converted the image to black & white and then selectively adjusted contrast and exposure.

In the final image, I manually reintroduced color to the photo, carefully controlling saturdation and luminance for specific parts of the spectrum using the Lightroom slider controls. Although imperfect, this allowed me to control the amount and intensity of color in defined areas of the image. If it looks a bit artificial that’s because it is! This is the product my controlling AI technology to colorize the image using information stored in the original file. It is not organic or natural.

Unmodified NEF RAW file.
Adjusted NEF RAW file using slider controls to modify color balance, color temperature, contrast and exposure, with a mask on the sky to make specific adjustments.
File converted to monochrome and with significant adjustment to contrast and exposure.
This is the product my controlling AI technology to colorize the above monochrome image using information stored in the original file.

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