Tag Archives: #HST

photography

Improving an old Digital Photo

I thought about giving this the title, “Snapping Up an HST.”

In June 2010, I bought my first (and only) DSLR: a Canon EOS 7D.

It’s a great camera, and I’ve made thousands of photographs with it.

Canon is famous for its color palette. However, I’ve often felt that many of my early digital images were somewhat lackluster in terms of contrast and composition.

The other day, I imported a variety of my Canon CR2 RAW files into DxO PureRAW 5 for DeepPRIME XD3 correction and conversion to DNG files for subsequent adjustment in Lightroom.

Among the images I felt needed improvement was file 4875, which I exposed in December 2010 in the United Kingdom. It depicts a former East Midlands HST racing north near Harpenden on the old Midland Main Line.

Below are representations of the original CR2 file. Both have been scaled as JPGs for internet presentation. The top image is shown without adjustment or conversion; the bottom image reflects an improved PureRAW interpretation of the RAW data, along with a variety of nominal changes to color, contrast, and exposure.

This remains a work in progress, as I’m curious to see how Word Press file compression alters my adjusted files in their final presentation here.

Scaled from the camera CR-2 RAW file without alteration to appearance.
CR-2 RAW file following correction using DxO PureRAW 5 for DeepPRIME XD3 and conversion to DNG files for subsequent cosmetic adjustment in Lightroom.

Tracking the Light Looks Back!

photography

Lads with the HST

I titled this photo, ‘The Usual Suspects.’ This made it a bit harder to locate in my files.

In May 2003, I was traveling with the lads from Dublin to Crewe (England) by way of the ferry to Holyhead in Wales.

Along the journey, I exposed this group portrait in front of Virgin Cross Country HST.

Saturday evening (January 29, 2022), I was saddened to learn of the passing of my friend and fellow photographer Aiden McDonnell, who is pictured here second from the left.

I’ve often made it point to photograph my friends when on excursions to document the passing railroad scene. I’m really glad that I did.

RIP Aiden.

Tracking the Light Posts Every Day.

photography

At Par for Virgin.

Yes, you read the title correctly.

In July 2002, my Irish friends and I paid a visit to Cornwall in the west of England, to photograph long distance passenger trains on the old Great Western Railway main line.

To make a long story short; the car we were traveling in developed a ‘fault’ at Par, which invovled a delay to our travels, and resulted in a trip on a stink buggy ( a common bus) in order to reach the railway station.

Ultimately the automobile was repaired and so we visited myriad other destinations and locations in the south western regions of England, but in the meantine we made the best of being at the station at Par.

Using my Contax G2 rangefinder, I made this view of an approaching Virgin Cross Country ‘HST’ passenger train operating approaching Par on a bright overcast morning.

I was working with Fuji Neopan 400 black & white film that I later processed using my custom tailored recipe using Agfa Rodinal Special mixed about 1 to 60 with water. If anything, these negatives are too constrasty and required some post processing adjustment using Adobe Lightroom

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!