Tag Archives: #photography

Amtrak 448 at CP83 by Night.

On our most recent visit to Palmer, Mass., in addition to architectural photos of the old Union Station building, I also made some views of Amtrak 448, the eastward Boston-section of the Lake Shore Limited rolling by the building.

I’ve made similar views over the years by day and by night. In recent years the brush along the tracks has partially obscured the view of passing trains. I opted to include the brush in the photo, rather than make a tight view that may have cropped the station, which was the primary subject.

Below are two versions from the same NEF RAW file. One is a JPG converted straight from the RAW without denoise or demosiac adjustment. The second was converted using DxO Pure Raw 4, which includes both denoise, demosiac features that removes/mitigates pixelization and diestracting artifacts as result of using the sensor at high-ISO (in this case 12,800), and also corrects for lens defects that are specific to my 24-70mm Nikkor Z-series zoom

Over the last few weeks I’ve been experimenting with a demo version of the DxO Pure Raw 4 software. This was recommended to me by Tracking the Light reader David MacKenzie. This sophisticated software requires several minutes of processing time for exach file, but cleans up many of the objectionable qualities inherant to high-ISO files, and allows for significantly superior end results.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to display a variety of results using DxO Pure Raw 4, and other processing software.

JPG converted straight from the RAW without denoise or demosiac adjustment. Compare with the convert version. ISO 12,800 f4.0 at1/10 second. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens set to70mm, and mounted on 3Pod tripod.
Image converted using DxO Pure Raw 4, JPG output using Adobe Lightroom. ISO 12,800 f4.0 at1/10 second. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm lens set to70mm, and mounted on 3Pod tripod.

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South Railroad Avenue—Part 2

New Holland, Pennsylvania has classic character. It is one of those towns where the railroad still serves local industry and remains an active part of the landscape. It is at the east end of Norfolk Southern’s former PRR railroad New Holland Branch.

On another recent visit, I made these photos along South Railroad Avenue in the evening light.

Kris spotted the TTX ‘Railbox’ Plate F boxcar on the siding located east of the grade crossing.

Photos exposed using Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras.

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Hints of Steam over the Fields and Trees.

Must all railroad photos focus on trains?

Is there a place for the elusive?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve made a great many photos of steam locomotives at work in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. This selection hints at what lies beyond. Subtle rather than obvious.

Follow the smoke.

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Secret Weapon

In my arsenal of glass, I have a few secret weapons—lenses that when used properly can execute superior images.

Although I rarely use it, I have a Nikkor f2.0 135mm Defocus lens. This has an extra setting that allows for added control to adjust the out-of-focus effect of the background.

This is also an extremely sharp and very fast lens.

The other day it was cloudy and the light was flat. Kris and I drove over to Strasburg to catch the morning excursion on its run back from Leaman Place. This is a train I can (and have) photographed ‘any day of the week’.

To make something of the dull morning, I made this series of photos with my 135mm Defocus lens. Only with the photo of the observation car did I used the Defocus ring to alter the foreground focus. The effect is subtle but makes for a stronger image.

Exposed with a Nikon Z6 with f2.0 135mm Defocus lens attrached using a FTZ adaptor. ISO 100, 1/800th sec, f4.0. No defocus effect.
Enlarged portion of the above photo to demonstrate the exceptional sharpness of the 135mm f2.0 lens.
Exposed with a Nikon Z6 with f2.0 135mm Defocus lens attrached using a FTZ adaptor. ISO 100, 1/800th sec, f4.0. No defocus effect.
Exposed with a Nikon Z6 with f2.0 135mm Defocus lens attrached using a FTZ adaptor. ISO 100, 1/800th sec, f2.8. Defocus effect set for foreground.
Exposed with a Nikon Z6 with f2.0 135mm Defocus lens attrached using a FTZ adaptor. ISO 100, 1/800th sec, f4.0. No defocus effect.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!