Tag Archives: #MEDIA

More Media

Photographing streetcars (trams) with a long telephoto presents a visual quandary.

The compression effect offered by the lens can be used to help separate the car from other traffic, while presenting an interesting background. However, the same effect will also compress the streetcar, making an already short vehicle appear even shorter.

Working with my f2.8 70-200mm Nikkor Z-series telephoto zoom, I made these photos of a SEPTA light rail car working east on State Street in Media. This car was on its return run toward 69th Street in Upper Darby. Less than 20 minutes earlier, I’d photographed this car on its outward run, and that image was featured on Tracking the Light a few days ago.

By using a wide aperture, I was afforded shallow depth of field which helps the viewer separate the car from its environment.

200mm f2.8 1/5000th of a second.
200mm f2.8 1/4000th of a second.

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Media 101-on the street.

This is not a class. It’s a streetcar!

My first visit to Media, Pa., was more than 45 years ago. On that trip, my family rode from the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby on a December evening in a vintage Brilliner trolley car. At the time the car was more than 40 years old. I’d made an underexposed Kodachrome slide of the car in the inky darkness

Kris and I made a Media visit in January. On this adventure I caught one of SEPTA’s early 1980s-vintage Kawasaki Cars working the single track line on State Street in midday sun.

SEPTA has plans to retire these relics in another few years, and I was happy to make a few digital photo of this car.

More Media photos will follow over the coming days.

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