In Aug 2001, I used my new Contax G2 rangefinder to pan this Helsinki tram. A version of this image was published as two page spread in April 2005 Trains Magazine.
Rangefinders offer several advantages when making pan photos.
On Thursday 9 March , 2017, one week from tonight I’ll be giving my Illustrated Lecture called Night Trains, Pendolinos, Iron ore, Timber and Trams to the Irish Railway Record Society in Dublin.
This will be delivered at the IRRS premises near Heuston Station in Dublin (opposite the entrance to the car park). I will begin at 7:30pm (1930).
I’ll be giving my Illustrated Lecture called Night Trains, Pendolinos, Iron ore, Timber and Trams to the Irish Railway Record Society in Dublin to be presented on Thursday 9 March , 2017.
This will be delivered at the IRRS premises near Heuston Station in Dublin (opposite the entrance to the car park). I will begin at 7:30pm (1930).
Helsinki main station is the design of Eliel Saarinen—one of Finland’s greatest and best known architects. Inspired by the Vienna Secession movement, Saarinen blended elements of the Arts & Crafts movement with traditional Finnish rural architectural themes.
This train is a bridge between east and west, connecting the Finnish and Russian capitals.
It was a dreary evening at Helsinki Central when Markku Pulkkinen and I exposed photos of this unusual passenger train.
The car behind the Finnish Sr1 electric locomotive is an auto-carrier for Russian automobiles (presumably the expensive imported kind with darkened windows).
Appropriately a Soviet-built Sr1 electric leads the Leo Tolstoi at Helsinki.An old school heavy sleeping car in modern paint.Detail of the diner.
Here’s a great concept that blends the conviviality of a pub with the rolling urban vistas provided by a streetcar.
Helsinki has a virtual maze of narrow-gauge tram tracks and the pub tram makes hourly circular tours. The car itself is one of the last non-articulated trams in regular service in the city and is painted a distinctive red.
Exposed in July 2015 with a Lumix LX7.
On an earlier visit to Helsinki in 2002, I photographed the car, but was unable to ride because it had been booked for a charter. In July 2015, Markku Pulkkinen and I took a spin on this unusual railway vehicle. I think it is the only city tram that I’ve ever seen with a loo.
The pub tram is great way to see Helsinki. Every city should have one!
If you are viewing this on Facebook or another 3rd party source, you’ll really need to click the link to get the full effect.
Yesterday on Tracking the Light, I mentioned how on the morning of 31 July 2015, Markku Pulkkinen, Sakari K. Salo, and Juhani Katajisto provided me a tour of the new Helsinki Airport line by car.
Mr. Salo selected this location as being one of the best places to try to get a plane and train in the same photo.
While this didn’t line up the way we’d hoped, the location did allow me to make a variety of dramatic photos. My challenge was in capturing a high-contrast scene digitally.
The sky was dressed with some impressive clouds. So how to best work with such a scene?
I opted to gauge my exposure to retain detail in the sky, while allowing for underexposure of the train. I intentionally included the array of electrical wires to show the advantages and disadvantages of various digital treatments.
With the following four images, the first is the un-manipulated camera ‘RAW’ file. The next three show various types of post-processing adjustment using Adobe Lightroom.
This view is a Jpg converted from the camera RAW file without any manipulation in post processing. All of the detail in the subsequent views exists in the camera RAW file. The challenge with the unmodified RAW file is holding sufficient detail in the shadow areas without blowing out the highlights. Ultimately I’m aiming to achieve balance. However, as you can see, it is easy enough to exaggerate the conditions of the seen to make a more dramatic image.This is a simply modified version. All I did was adjust contrast using ‘highlights’ and ‘shadows’ sliders under the ‘develop’ section of Lightroom. Doing so provides better contrast that more closely resembles the way the scene appeared to my eye.To accentuate the effect of the sky and make for a more dramatic image, I’ve used the graduated neutral density effect. This applies the effect that digitally emulates the application of a two-stop gradated neutral density filter to the front of the camera. The effect is easily spotted by its treatment of the electrical pylons.In this fourth version, I’ve heavily manipulated contrast and exposure, and used both ‘Clarity’ and ‘Saturation’ sliders. To me, while the photograph has an impressive punch, it no longer resembles the scene as I saw it. Such manipulation is relatively easy, thus owing to it being commonly applied to images today. Incidentally, you can apply the same techniques to photographs exposed on film.
Back in the old days, I’d routinely make adjustments to contrast and exposure when I printed my black & white negatives. Often, I’d expose and process the film in anticipation of manipulation in the darkroom. (I’d also make prints from color slides using Cibachrome and Type R materials, but that’s a story for another day).
In effect, my digital manipulation of the RAW file is a modern interpretation of this traditional processing technique. I’ve not added anything to the original file, I’ve simply altered contrast, exposure, and color saturation using controls offered by the program.
In July, Helsinki’s new circular Airport service began, including operations on stretches of newly built track.
Firstly, I’ll admit complete failure on my part to experience the train on my arrival at Helsinki Airport. I was aware of the new service, and looking forward to riding it. However, I couldn’t find the train. I was told that I needed to take a bus to the station. So I bought a two-zone ticket, and when a bus arrived with the destination board reading ‘Helsinki Railway Station’ (or something like that), I got on.
I was halfway to Helsinki before I realized my mistake! Before I knew it, I’d been deposited at the Helsinki Central Station in the city center. This was a bitter defeat.
On the plus side the bus turned out to be considerably faster than the train.
A little more than a week later, I finally had opportunities to experience the new service. This is operated with Stadler Flirt electric multiple units.
Helsinki Airport train approaches Kivisto Station on 30 July 2015. This location was recommended by Sakari K. Salo who accompanied Markku Pulkkinen and me on a tour of the new line on 30 July 2015 (and again the next day by road). FujiFilm X-T1 photo.
I made my first pass over the route on 30 July, 2015, and on the morning of 31 July 2015, Markku Pulkkinen, Sakari K. Salo, and Juhani Katajisto provided me a tour of the line by car.
Juhani Katajisto drove us to this line-side location to photograph the Airport train on 31 July 2015. FujiFilm X-T1 photo.
Tomorrow, I’ll explore some necessary digital manipulation of an airport train photograph to demonstrate my experiments with Adobe Lightroom as a tool for making a photograph more effective.
Tracking the Light posts new material every morning.
While in Helsinki last month, I had several opportunities to photograph Transtech’s new Artic Tram prototypes, which were working the city’s streets in revenue service.
These are state of the art Finnish trams that feature modern low-floors with advanced technologies and yet feature classic styling.
Artic Tram 401 at Helsinki Central. Exposed with a Lumix LX-7 on a rainy Wednesday morning.One of two Artic tram prototypes in Helsinki, Finland. Exposed with my Fujifilm X-T1.The first two times I saw an Artic Tram I missed the opportunity to board. Snooze you lose. Exposed with my Fujifilm X-T1.On board Artic Tram prototype 402 in Helsinki. Exposed with my Fujifilm X-T1.Driver’s cab on the 402. The Artic’s are single ended. One of two Artic tram prototypes in Helsinki, Finland. Exposed with my Fujifilm X-T1.Three generations of trams in Helsinki. The Artic prototype is on the left.
Transtech calls them Artics (that’s right.) I think they look pretty cool.
22 July 2015, I’m whizzing along in ’tilt mode’ on a VR Pendolino heading from Helsinki to Oulu. We’ve just overtaken a freight with a pair of diesels on the move.
Just like Amtrak and Irish Rail, these modern trains have on-board WiFi. So far so good.
Using my Lumix LX7 and new Apple Mac Book I can make, process and download photos faster than ever. Thanks to the WiFi I can up load them to you quicker.
Done are the times of waiting until after a trip to have slides processed and then waiting days, weeks, months to have a slide show with friends before being able to share photos.
Why then, you might ask, did I bring 5 rolls of slides and my old EOS 3 to Finland! Well, there’s another story.
VR Pendolino under the shed at Helsinki Central Station. Exposed on the morning of 22 July 2015 using my Lumix LX7.That’s my car.Finland’s gone green!
I’ve featured Helsinki Central in several books. It will be among the stations covered in my next book on railway terminals, stations and depots. This busy city center station was the inspiration for Buffalo Central Terminal and Cincinnati Union Station.
Last night I made these views at dusk using my FujiFilm X-T1 with a 27mm pancake lens.
Exposed on 21 June, 2015.Exposed on 21 June, 2015.Exposed on 21 June, 2015.
I’ll be traveling in Finland for the next ten days.
I made this photo a little while ago using my FujiFilm X-T1 with 27mm pancake lens. Nearly 14 years ago I made a similar view on Fujichrome film using my Contax G2 rangefinder that appeared as a center spread in TRAINS Magazine.
I exposed this view of the infrastructure at Helsinki in September 2001. This is some impressively engineered and perfectly maintained track structure.
Exposed on Fujichrome Sensia II (100 ISO) slide film using a Nikon F3T with 105mm lens.
At the end of July, I’ll be revisiting Finland and expect to ride and photograph Finnish railways during my journey! Stay tuned!
