Tag Archives: #fujifilmXT1

CSX RAW and Adjusted

June 15, 2023 brian solomon

Daybreak on June 15, 2016: I set up in West Warren, Massachusetts to wait for CSX’s westward Q009 intermodal train out of Worcester.

On the long days it was possible to catch this priority train in daylight.

I opted for West Warren to make the most of the scenery in Quaboag River valley.

Shortly after the first rays of sun tickled the old Boston & Albany line, the headlights of Q009 appeared.

I made a burst of photos using my FujiFilm XT1.

Since I made those images eight years ago, I’ve learned to work with the RAW files in Adobe Lightroom and really get the most out of my files.

Below I’ve displayed the unadjusted Fuji RAW file and my adjusted file. Notice the differences in highlight and shadow areas and subtled differences to color saturation.

This is the scaled but otherwise unmodified Fuji RAW file. Notice the highlight and shadow areas. Compare this view with my modified version below.

Working with Adobe Lightroom, I adjusted highlights and shadows to improve detail, while modifying color saturation and color temperature, warming the scene slightly and making the most of mist over the river. I also adjusted the level to correct for my slight tilted original view.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

photography

12mm at the Reflection Pond.

July 1, 2021 brian solomon

Here’s another of my photos at dusk from our pursuit of St. Lawrence & Atlantic’s westward freight 393 last week. Kris and I were positioned along the south shore of the Reflection Pond near Gorham, NH.

My tripod was occupied holding my Canon EOS-3 during a 30 second time exposure. This film photo remains latent at this writing.

While the Canon was exposing film, I made a few hand held photos with my FujiFilm XT1 fitted with a Zeiss 12mm Touit with the ISO set at 5,000.

These are two of the 1/2 second exposures that night.

I adjusted the Fuji RAW files using Adobe Lightroom.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

photography, Tips and Technique

Photo Freight Second Edit

May 30, 2021 brian solomon

During the course of last weekend’s special Railfan Photo Freight hosted by the Conway Scenic Railroad, I made several hundred images of the train and its preparation.

Today, I’m just getting through the editing of these images.

A few days ago I posted: http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/wp-admin/post.php?post=31266&action=edit

Today, I offer this selection, all exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm lens.

View from the head end working west near Bartlett, NH.

Run by at Second Iron, west of Bartlett, NH.

I converted my Fuji RAW files using Iridient X-Transformer and made adjustments to color and contrast using Adobe Lightroom. When I make contrast adjustments, I generally use the ‘highlights’, ‘shadows’, and ‘contrast’ slider controls.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Uncategorized

Wide View at Crawford

May 29, 2021 brian solomon

Two years ago I made my first trip to Crawford Notch by road in 20 years.

I was on my way to the Conway Scenic Railroad at North Conway to write an article for Trains Magazine.

One thing led to another, and two years later Crawford is now a regular place on my visit list! I was up there again yesterday in HyRail truck TC-205 as part of a bridge inspection with Wayne Duffett of TEC Associates .

This photo was exposed on May 29, 2019 using my FujiFilm XT1 with a Zeiss 12mm Touit. I’ve posted two versions, one more saturated than the other.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Uncategorized

East Deerfield—Nice Light, No Trains.

January 30, 2021 brian solomon

Sunday, January 24, 2021, on the drive back to the White Mountains, we diverted to the old Boston & Maine yard at East Deerfield, Massachusetts.

It was my most recent visit to this hallowed ground of New England railroading, a place where I’ve photographed countless hundreds of trains over the last four decades.

It was Kris Sabbatino’s first visit.

Winter evening light made for some wonderful photographs.

These images were exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55mm lens using the Velvia color profile. Other than scaling for internet presentation, I made no alternations to the camera Jpgs.

Tracking the Light Posts Every day!

photography

Ice at Grafton Notch

January 17, 2021 brian solomon

Last Sunday (January 10, 2021), Kris Sabbatino and I drove north into Maine to the narrow crossing of the mountains called Grafton Notch.

In my opinion, this is the coolest of the ‘Notches’ in the White Mountain region.

At Moose Cave a stream navigates a narrow cleft in the rocks where ice had formed.

I made this sequence of photos using my FujiFilm XT1 with 16-55 mm lens, converting camera RAW files with Iridient X-Transformer and making adjustments to color, contrast and exposure using Adobe Lightroom.

Tracking the Light Posts Everyday!

Tips and Technique

Storm Light at Bartlett—October 10, 2020.

October 10, 2020 brian solomon Leave a comment

I arrived at Bartlett, NH, several minutes ahead of Conway Scenic’s train 162, the eastward Mountaineer. The sky was chocolate.

Then as the train approached the crossing with Rt302 west of town, the clouds parted to bathe the scene with strong rays of afternoon autumn sunlight.

I made photos with both my Nikon Z6 and my FujiFilm XT1 (with 27mm pancake lens).

This image was exposed with the Fuji.

I converted the Fuji RAW using Iridient software to make a DNG file, which I then imported into Adobe Lightroom for final adjustment.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

Uncategorized

Maine Central 252 on the Valley.

July 11, 2020 brian solomon Leave a comment

During the last week, Maine Central GP38 252 has been working Conway Scenic Railroad’s Valley trains that run daily from North Conway railroad east to Conway and North Conway railroad west to Bartlett.

While 252 is more than capable of working these trains, it is typically been assigned to the run to Crawford Notch.

I took the opportunity to make photos of 252 working the 1910-1920s-era heavy steel cars that comprise our Valley train set.

These photos were made using a FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm lens.

Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!

photography

NIR Downhill, Co. Derry—Two Years Ago.

October 8, 2018 brian solomon Leave a comment

On this day, 8 Oct 2016, I made this view of an Northern Ireland Railways CAF at Downhill, Co. Derry on its run from Derry/Londonderry to Belfast.

A similar view from this sequence appeared in my book Brian Solomon’s Railway Guide to Europe.

The book is available from the Kalmbach Hobby Store and Amazon.

Tracking the Light Posts Everyday.

photography

Live from the 0930 Dublin-Belfast Enterprise.

October 4, 2018 brian solomon 1 Comment

Today is 4 October 2018, I’ve just down loaded images of my train directly from my Fuji XT1 to my iPhone using camera enabled WIFI and Fuji software uploaded to the phone.

Tracking the Light posts daily!

Tips and Technique

Sunny Saturday: Colourful Tram Works LUAS Green Line on Dawson Street—3 photos.

September 30, 2018 brian solomon 2 Comments

Yesterday, 29 September 2018, I made these views of a LUAS Green Line tram wearing the latest fully covered advertising livery as it worked up Dawson Street in Dublin on its way to Broombridge.

September often brings sunny days in Ireland, and yesterday was a fine afternoon to make a few photos.

This encounter with the colourful tram was fortuitous, rather than planned, as I was on a shopping mission and photography was a secondary activity.

Photo adjusted from the camera RAW in post processing.

All the images were exposed using my FujiFilm XT1 with 18-135mm zoom lens.

Tracking the Light Posts Everyday!

photography, Tips and Technique

Irish Rail 071 Leads the Grand Hibernian—Variations on a Theme.

September 24, 2018 brian solomon Leave a comment

I’ve been unusually fortunate to catch Irish Rail’s 071 almost everyday for the last couple of weeks.

This locomotive is the class leader and features a heritage livery based on the as-delivered General Motors scheme.

It is very popular with photographers.

On Saturday 22 September 2018, locomotive 071 worked the Belmond Grand Hibernian cruise train from Dublin Heuston to Connolly Station. Until yesterday, it had been assigned to the Dublin-Ballina IWT Liner container train.

To make this view, I used my FujiFilm XT1 fitted with a Zeiss Touit 12mm lens. To help bring in sky detail, I attached a Lee 0.9 graduated neutral density filter (a physical filter), then made further adjustment to RAW files in post processing using a digitally applied graduated neutral density filter, which allowed me to make adjustments to highlight and shadow detail.

Additional adjustments were made globally (the entire image) to modify contrast and colour saturation to improve the appearance of the photograph.

Compare these images with my earlier post: Irish Rail 071 in Retro Orange and Lessons in Exposing for RAW Adjustment

A view from Dublin’s Conyngham Road above the south portal of the Phoenix Park Tunnel on the branch that runs from Islandbridge Junction toward Connolly Station.

Thanks to Paul Maguire for lending me an SD card! (I’d left mine in the computer, and the spare on my desk, and the second spare in my other bag! Poor show on my part.)

Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!

photography, Tips and Technique

Northern Ireland Railways at Helen’s Bay.

September 15, 2018 brian solomon Leave a comment

Here’s another case of when the station isn’t a station.

The classic old stone station building at Helen’s Bay, County Down is now a salon.

The platforms still serve the railway though.

Exposed digitally using a FujiFilm XT1 with Zeiss 12mm Touit lens.

NIR 4006 bound for Bangor glides into Helen’s Bay.

Brian Solomon’s Tracking the Light posts every day!

Tips and Technique

Ghosts of the North Shore—Five Photos.

September 6, 2018 brian solomon Leave a comment

In the 1950s and 1960s, My father made a project of photographing the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee, the distinctive interurban electric line connecting it’s namesakes.

Last month, John Gruber and I paid a visit to the Illinois Railway Museum at Union, Illinois. Like my father, John had focused on the North Shore. He made hundreds of excellent photographs that distilled the spirit of the railway.

North Shore was before my time, but I feel that I know the line thanks to my dad’s and John’s photographs, which were featured in books by the late William D. Middleton.

The railway may be gone 55 years, but key pieces of it’s equipment survive.

I made these digital views of preserved North Shore cars at IRM using my FujiFIlm X-T1 with 12mm Zeiss Touit lens. This flat-field super wide-angle lens is well suited to making images in the tight quarters of IRM’s car barns.

John Gruber has an on-going exhibit of his finest North Shore photography in the East Union Station at IRM. This will be subject of another Tracking the Light post.

Tracking the Light Posts Every Day.

photography, Tips and Technique

Modern American Railroading in Soft Light.

September 3, 2018 brian solomon Leave a comment

Here’s a thoroughly today scene: An Amtrak Midwest Siemens Charger at Milwaukee’s Intermodal Terminal.

Diffused afternoon sun works well with the geometry of the station’s architecture and the curves and lines of the Siemens Charger.

Using my FujiFilm X-T1 fitted with a 12mm Zeiss Touit, I opted for a skewed angle that accentuates this modern scene.
In post processing, I adjusted contrast and color balance.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily.

photography

Canadian National: Clear aspect on a Clear Morning.

August 23, 2018 brian solomon 3 Comments

Reading the signals is part of the challenge and joy of my railroad photography.

Three weeks back, Chris Guss and I were following a southward Canadian National freight on the Wisconsin Central line.

North of Slinger, we made photos from a wooden plank bridge near the north approach signal for Slinger, Wisconsin.

This displayed ‘green over red’, in other words a clear aspect.

Clear signal at the north approach for Slinger.

I made these views with my Fujifilm XT1. After exposing the view of the signal, I changed lenses, and used a 27mm pancake lens for the action photo of the passing train.

Canadian National 2813 leads freight M342-41-30 south near Slinger, Wisconsin.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily

photography, Tips and Technique

High ISO: Sturtevant Station at Dusk in the Rain.

August 22, 2018 brian solomon 2 Comments

Heavy rain had given the ground a lacquer-like gloss.

Chris Guss and I had arrived at Sturtevant, Wisconsin to roll by an Amtrak train. (Featured the other day in: FIRST ENCOUNTER: AMTRAK CHARGER.

While waiting for the northward train. I made a series of photographs of Amtrak’s relatively new Sturtevant station. I’ve always liked the effect of a twilight sky, when the blue light of evening nearly matches the intensity of electric lighting.

Fujifilm XT1 with 12mm Zeiss Touit at ISO 2000.

greater color saturation and contrast applied in post processing.

Here, I worked with my Zeiss 12mm Touit lens. This is flat-field lens, so keeping the lens level, minimizes perspective distortion.

I was without my small tripod, and I used the camera handheld at a low angle. To make use of the reflections of the station in the parking lot.

I set the ISO to 2000. Here are two post-processing variations of the Camera RAW file that feature different contrast curves.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily.

photography

First Encounter: Amtrak Charger.

August 19, 2018 brian solomon Leave a comment

I was curious to experience one of these new locomotives.

The Siemens-built Charger is powered by a Cummins diesel and has a European appearance.

Among their Amtrak assignments is the Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha corridor.

I waited on the platform at the new Sturtevant, Wisconsin station. The eerie blue glow of the locomotive’s LED headlights could be seen reflecting off the rails long before the train arrived at the station.

Working with my FujiFilm XT1 fitted with a Zeiss 12mm Touit, I set the ISO to 6400 and panned the train arriving at 1/30^thof a second at f2.8.

To better balance the color and keep contrast under control, I modified the camera RAW file in Lightroom to produce this internet suitable JPG.

Here’s a screen shot of the camera-produced JPG with EXIF data for comparison.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily.

photography, Tips and Technique

EMDs on the Roll! Conrail-Era SD60M.

August 18, 2018 brian solomon Leave a comment

Gosh, I remember when 6798 was NEW and blue. This is among Conrail-era SD60Ms still at work on Norfolk Southern.

To make for a more dramatic locomotive action photo, I’ve taken a low angle medium-telephoto view.

Notice how the angle features the wheels on rails, allowing you to see below the locomotive.

Engine exhaust blurs the wires beyond, demonstrating the engines are working.

By focusing on the locomotives; I’ve cropped most of the following freight, more than a mile of it in tow.

Exposed at LaPorte, Indiana on Norfolk Southern’s former New York Central Water Level Route mainline. FujiFilm XT1 with 90mm telephoto. ISO 200, f5, 1/500thsecond; JPG image processed from camera RAW file using Lightroom; contrast and exposure adjusted globally and locally to improve visual impact.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!

photography, Tips and Technique

South Shore Revisted

August 10, 2018 brian solomon 2 Comments

Last week, Chris Guss and I revisited the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend street trackage at Michigan City, Indiana.

This classic vestige of interurban railroading always makes for interesting photos.

My father, Richard J. Solomon first visited the South Shore at Michigan City back in 1958.

My first trip over the line was 26 years later.

I exposed this sequence of an afternoon eastward electric train using my FujiFilm XT1 with prime 90mm telephoto. I was playing with the focus.

At Michigan City the tracks are the subject.

In this view I’ve focused on the train. If the sun had been out, this would have been a harshly lit afternoon image.