As part of the Easter Rising Centenary several Dublin post boxes have been temporarily painted red to mark significant locations of this historic Irish event.
Mark Healy suggested this location to me as a place to photograph one of the specially painted post boxes with the LUAS. It is located near the Royal College of Surgeons across from St. Stephens Green.
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The deep cutting on the north-side of Dublin’s Phoenix Park Tunnel used to be a difficult place to get a good angle on a train. Previously I’d worked it, but it wasn’t easy. There was only a narrow view and the light was almost always problematic.
Some weeks back, Irish Rail cleared brush and trees from the cutting opening up the view as it hasn’t been for in decades.
Saturday, 19 March 2016, Colm O’Callaghan collected me and we met some friends at a high over bridge to make the most of this new opportunity.
Two trains were expected after Irish Rail lifted a permanent way possession (in North America this would be called ‘maintenance window’, which basically means the line was closed for work).
Take away the trees! Hurrah!
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This is a cursory survey of new trackage now being installed for Dublin’s Cross City extension of the LUAS Green Line tram route. (The first portion of the Green Line had opened in 2004.)
A couple of weeks ago, Mark Healy and I inspected progress on Dublin’s North Side.
We made a follow up trip last week and these photos were made walking the route along Hawkins Street, College Green, Nassau and Dawson Streets to St. Stephen’s Green (present southern terminus).
I made these photos with my Lumix LX7.
One downside to the completion of the line will be the necessity to string catenary through the Dublin city centre. This will complicate photography of historic architecture.
Of course this same architecture will make for some nice backdrops.
Last Tuesday, I noticed a shaft of sunlight that had illuminated a pair of trains under the shed at Dublin’s Heuston Station.
(Hint: if you aren’t on Brian’s site, click on Tracking the Light to get the full view!).
The other day I offered a view of Dublin’s Heuston Station lit for St. Patrick’s Day.
A day or so later, I rode by on the top of a double decker bus, and it occurred to me that I’d missed the image.
By showing the station face-on, I inadvertently minimized the effect of the lit Irish Tricolour.
Here, I show the station at a more oblique angle the I feel does a better job of capturing the effect. I’ve included the LUAS but in a marginal role.
What do you think?
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It was a virtual sea of humanity; and largely decked out in green naff.
I exposed several hundred photos with my Lumix LX7 and FujiFilm X-T1 digital cameras. Below is just a small selection.
Also check out my Dublin Page for more St. Patrick’s Day photos.
My Lumix, always handy, makes a near-perfect tool for capturing the spirit and colour St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin.
Click on my Dublin Page for more photos!
Check out my Dublin Page for more photos!
I’ve posted a variety of new photos on my Dublin Page.
Check it out!
More coming soon!
Last Friday, 11 March 2016, I went up to my favored Irish local location; Islandbridge Junction. This is a handy place for me.
This is great place to catch a freight train exiting Dublin’s Phoenix Park Tunnel on a bright clear day, yet can be visually problematic on a dull day.
On this day, I thought it would be a good place to experiment with a Lee graduated neutral density filter as a means of controlling contrast and allowing for a more effective overall exposure.
The filter I use offers subtle 2/3s of a stop gradation. This is adjustable both up/down and rotationally left/right.
I made a few test photos with and without the filter to gauge my exposure before the IWT arrived with Irish Rail 088 in the lead.
A similar effect can be accomplished digitally, yet the digital effect doesn’t add information to the RAW file, but only makes a visual adjustment in the final image.
In other words to apply the filter digital may be viewed as a ‘correction’ rather than an in-camera technique. Yet, it is often easier to apply a filter in post-processing than in the field.
I’ve used both methods depending on the circumstance.
Below are some results.
This gives a nice overall of my experiment, but in the middle of all this I got a little greedy. Using my zoom lens on the FujiFilm X-T1, I made a tight view of the IWT (with the filter).
As is often the case with last second changes, I didn’t get my exposure quite right. My feeling was that the RAW file was about 1/3 of a stop too dark.
As with most of my photography, I consider this a work in progress. In all likelihood, before long I’ll be back at Islandbridge Junction to further refine my experiment.
It’s become an annual tradition to illuminate notable buildings around Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
I made this image of Heuston Station using my Lumix LX7 mounted on a mini Gitzo tripod.
Heuston is among the stations featured in my book Railway Depots, Stations & Terminals published by Voyageur Press in 2015.
Yesterday, Mark Healy brought me on a walking tour of LUAS construction in Dublin’s north inner city.
We started at Marlborough Street and walked to Broadstone and Phibsborough.
I made these documentary views with my Lumix LX7.
When trams begin operation in a year or so, I plan to return for some comparison views.
On Saturday and Sunday 26-27 September, 2015, Dublin Port hosted a gathering of antique vehicles, mostly of the road-oriented variety.
I made these photographs, which include a display of railway memorabilia by Donncha Cronin and Ken Fox.
There was a grand array of buses on display, including a few like those that I’d traveled on years ago when I first visited Dublin. I thought the Soviet-era armour was pretty cool.
All of these images were exposed with my Lumix LX7.
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I’ve written before: always have a camera at the ready. I live by this rule.
Minutes ago (8:20 am, 7 October 2015), I was hastily making my way to the Dublin airport bus, when I spotted LUAS tram 4012 dressed in Virgin advertising making its Heuston Station stop. (Tram featured yesterday in ‘Extra: Virgin Luas . . .’).
With one hand on my suitcase, I grabbed my Lumix LX7, adjusted the exposure dial, and put myself in position on Sean Heuston Bridge to catch the tram in the window of morning sun. After exposing photos, I jumped on the 747 bus, where I am presently.
Dublin bus has free wi-fi, which facilitates extra posts such as this one.
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To quote the phrase, Just Sayin’.
Twice over the last 24 hours, LUAS tram 4012 has caught my attention. This wears the latest of recent advertising liveries.
The red lettering helps makes for more interesting photos, although the lighting was pretty poor. I’ve had to make a variety of contrast adjustments in LightRoom to put a bit of zest into otherwise flat street photos. Silver trams on a dull day.
My opportunities to photograph 4012 are relatively limited. Maybe the sun will shine tomorrow, but then again if doesn’t I have my ‘safety shots’.
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In Dublin, LUAS Cross City works are underway. Ultimately, these new tram lines will link Red Line and Green Line routes (presently isolated from one another) and run all the way to Broombridge for an interface with Irish Rail’s line to Maynooth.
Back when the first two LUAS lines were under construction, I missed the opportunity to make lots of ‘before’ photos. I did make some, but not nearly enough.
The other morning was clear and bright, so I walked the route of the new tram line from the Midland Great Western terminus at Broadstone to O’Connell Bridge.
Excavation and track laying works are underway in several places along with detailed signs about the project. These photos probably won’t win prizes for artistic achievement, but I’m sure that they will age well, and make for excellent ‘before’ scenes in a few years time.
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The other evening, rain had cleared, and clear skies prevailed for a little while before sunset.
Yet, heavy clouds were encroaching from the west, making for some interesting evening light.
I made the opportunity to take a spin on Dublin’s LUAS Green Line.
Pausing at Dundrum, I made photos of the trams crossing the Dargan Bridge.
The far end of the line at Brides Glen (I saw no brides) was a convenient place to make some portraits of the 5000-series LUAS Citadis tram that I’d traveled on.
I was one of two passengers to board on the return trip. It took the tram 39 minutes to make the run to St. Stephens Green. By time I arrived, the rain had closed in again.
The LUAS trams are a silver-tinted with lilac, with large plate windows, which makes them ideal for photos at dusk. The trams reflect the hues of the evening light.
I exposed these images using my Lumix LX7.
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Most days Irish Rail’s Dublin-Ballina IWT Liner (International Warehousing and Transport; see: http://iwt-irl.com) departs the North Wall in the morning, typically between 9:20 and 11 am.
Today, it was set back to an evening path, much like the traditional liners that ran nightly up until mid-2005.
An added bonus was Enterprise painted Irish Rail 201 number 233.
This was like turning the clock back ten years or more.
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Friday night was the 10th Annual Culture Night Event. I walked for miles around town observing and photographing the city on this special night.
Last year my friends and I focused on the North Side, this year we explored the South Side.
To keep things simple I just worked with my Lumix LX7.
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Yesterday, Dublin’s LUAS Red Line made news when a horse went for a spin. Sorry, I don’t have a photo of that escapade.
I did make a few photos of tram 3001 that was traversing Dublin streets in the latest advertising livery.
The evening started off bright, but gradually clouds rolled in from the west and rain followed.
Which weather conditions do you think made for the most interesting images?
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Yesterday afternoon some unsettled weather blew through Dublin. In the course of less than an hour the sky went from blue to cloudy with rain showers and then back to blue.
Walking along the LUAS Red Line, I spotted an iridescent glow in the sky. It didn’t last long, but I thought I’d try to work with it.
As always, I had my LX7 handy.
Trams run about every five minutes this time of day, so I made the most of my window.
To make the most of these photos I had to adjust contrast and saturation in Lightroom. I avoided the temptation to over do it. After all the rainbow should appear as I saw it. It didn’t need over-enhancement, just balance. I’ll write more about this subject later, but one of the great advancements of the digital age is the ability to control contrast in photos.
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At 9:50 am, Irish Rail 074 led the weed spraying train out of the old Guinness sidings at Heuston and headed down the Cork line.
Clear skies made for nice weather. Not everyday is as nice. Tomorrow Tracking the Light examines what to do with photos made in dismal conditions . . .
Stay tuned!
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Prelude: on Friday, August 14, 2015, General Motors-built 201-class 8208 worked the Dublin to Ballina IWT liner. I’d photographed that move on the quad-track near Cherry Orchard.
I was interested in this recently painted locomotive, which, of-course, is styled for the Dublin-Belfast express passenger service, and not freight.
Day of action: On Saturday, I saw reports of 8208 working the up-IWT liner. This was an otherwise dull afternoon. I crossed the War Memorial Park on foot. No Vikings with their long boats today.
I found my spot, and was poised at the Con Colbert Road bridge over the three track-line in a cutting (known colloquially as ‘the Gullet’). Moments before the liner appeared, the sun briefly emerged from the clouds. Lucky me! And so this Saturday-freight eased up to the ‘Bridge of Signals’ giving me plenty of time to expose photographs.
First, I made a few strategically composed color slides with my Canon EOS 3 with 100mm lens, then exposed some digital photos with my Lumix LX7
Not bad for few minutes away from the computer on a weekend afternoon.
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One traditional school of thought when making photographs is capturing the ‘decisive moment.’
This moment is arbitrary, but in theory it is the instant in time when the elements in the composition are at their optimum relation to one another.
When I work with my old Rolleiflex to photograph moving trains this is a good philosophy. I’ll carefully consider all the elements in the frame, and wait, with shutter poised, until the train is at its optimum point, and ‘click.’
Some time later, often days or weeks later, I’ll process the film. Maybe I got what I was hoping to capture, maybe not.
Such is not the case with my Fujifilm X-T1. The relative cost of exposing one digital frame versus a dozen is inconsequential as compared to film. While the ability of the camera to make a burst of images rapid has completely altered the way I consider my compositions and expose photos.
I’ll still study the scene and look at all the elements. Typically I’ll make a few test photos to check sharpness, exposure and how different focal lengths alter the scene.
But when the train arrives, instead of exposing one photograph, or in the case of my old slide camera a few ‘motor drive’ dupes, I’ll might make a burst of images all the while adjusting my framing to subtly alter the composition. More is better, right?
Then after the fact I can decide which image I like best. I can erase the rest.
Below are five similar views made within seconds of each other. These portray an Irish Rail perway train working the quad track in suburban Dublin. Operation of this particular train is sporadic, and making photographs of it require knowledge, planning and patience.
When it finally came into view, I wanted to be sure I made the best possible photo that shows the train in its environment. Which one do you like the most?
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When I reviewed my latest statistics I was surprised by the results. The top five most viewed posts were neither those that I’d worked the hardest to produce, nor those the I thought might draw the most interest.
What didn’t surprise me was that my clever titles are most often lost in the mix. The blunt ‘THERE YOU GO’ headings generally do better.
So much for subtlety. A rose by any other name basically goes unnoticed no matter how sweet it smells!
The seven most viewed posts:
1 recent-images-of-dublin-ireland
2 tracking-the-light-news-flash-photos-of-philadelphia-schuylkill-river-bridge-derailment
3 sperry-train-at-islandbridge-junction-on-august-30-2012
4 streamliners-at-spencer-photos-by-brian-solomon
5 tracking-the-light-special-post-palmer-hobbies-now-open
6 panasonic-lumix-lx100-review
7 railway-photography-tips-to-improve-your-odds-the-basics
Here’s five posts I wished you’d seen, but statistically you missed. Like a post? Please share it!
U2 went there a few days ago and it went viral; Tracking the Light visited and; crickets.
2 running-numbers-springfield-massachusetts-on-a-sunday-morning
So much for betting on clever titles.
3) ghost-of-the-lackawanna-daily-post/
Cool title, cool photo, great information, check it out! (shameless plug, I know, but hardly anyone paid attention before).
4) daily-post-irish-rail-wellingtonbridge-county-wexford-december-2005/
Ah come on, it’s like the beet, man.
5) philadelphia-a-view-from-a-canoe
Hey, what’s da matter, yous got a problem with boats or something? Eh?
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Sunday Morning, March 22, 2015: I waited patiently at the Con Colbert Road near the top of the Gullet—the cutting west of Islandbridge Junction in Dublin.
In the distance I could see the smoke from the locomotive; it was blocked outside of Heuston Station waiting for a path.
Up and down regular passenger trains gave me an opportunity to check my focus and exposures.
Past experience photographing steam locomotives in contrasty light has taught me that auto focus systems can easily get confused by wafting steam and smoke. The last thing I need is for the camera to be ‘hunting for focus’ during the moment of peak drama.
I switched my Fuji X-T1 to manual focus and pre-selected a focus point. The beauty of a digital camera is the ability to inspect results on site.
If I planned this correctly, dappled light and direct backlighting would help illuminate the smoke.
Finally, the bark of the locomotive and a volcanic display of exhaust. The camera was set in ‘turbo flutter’ (continuous high) and as 461 worked its way up the Gullet I exposed several strategically timed bursts of images.
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Or, if you prefer: locomotives fore and aft on a ballast train in the cutting.
The three-track cutting extending from Islandbridge Junction up the grade toward Inchicore in Dublin is known as “the Gullet”.
Permanent way works (track maintenance) on Irish Rail’s Cork line on Saturday March 21, 2015, required operation of HOBS (high output ballast system) trains with locomotives at both ends.
While topped and tailed operations are quite common in some countries, these have been very unusual in Ireland in modern times.
I made several views of this train with an aim to emphasize the locomotives at both ends.
These images were exposed using my Fuji Film X-T1 digital camera. Among the features of this camera is an adjustable fold down rear-view display that allows me hold the camera at arms length over a wall. A built in level feature is especially useful in these circumstances.
For more about the HOBS see my earlier post: Irish Rail Ballast Train—July 28, 2014.
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Or I should say clouded. This morning a solar eclipse occurred. So I understand. Heavy cloud prevailed at the beginning of the eclipse in Dublin. I walked along the Liffey hoping to glimpse this cosmic event.
I admit it did get rather dim. I made a variety of cloudy day images.
About 10am, thinking I’d missed the event, I gave up and went for breakfast. I’m told that about that time the clouds parted and the sun (with moon shadow) made a fleeting appearance in the sky over Dublin. Ironically I watched the remainder of the event on Sky News in the cafe where I enjoyed a full Irish breakfast.
Wrong location, bad luck, and poor timing.
(Apparently they had a great view on the Faroe Islands.)
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Here we have a variation on a theme. Previously I published photos on Tracking the Light of Dublin’s LUAS specially painted Sky tram, and on a different day a panned image of a LUAS tram crossing Kings Bridge (Sean Heuston Bridge) near Heuston Station.
The other night on my way over to the Irish Railway Record Society premises (where I’m doing a bit of research in the library), I noted the one-of-a-kind Sky painted tram working outbound.
I dug my Fujifilm X-T1 out of my back pack and made a series of panned images in ‘flutter mode’ of the tram crossing the bridge at dusk.
Often, I build on past efforts, and this a good example of putting the pieces together. Visually, of course.
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It’s been a wild and colourful (mostly green) St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin! Here’s just a few of the many photos I made with my Fuji X-T1.
Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade attracted some half million people. The other million were queuing to cross the Ha’Penny Bridge over the Liffey.
See my Dublin Page for more photos!
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See my Dublin Page for more photos!
Tracking the Light posts new material every morning.
Please share Tracking the Light!
I’ve been keeping my Lumix busy making night photographs of Dublin on the run up to St. Patrick’s Day. In previous posts I’ve featured Irish Rail’s Heuston and Connolly Station bathed in green light. Today, I’m exhibiting some of the city’s other structures.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Here’s just a few from my Fuji X-T1. Notice the different colour profile.
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Yesterday, I displayed an image of Dublin’s Heuston Station bathed in green light; today, I feature Connolly Station. These Dublin railway terminals are among the oldest big city stations in continuous use in the world.
Connolly Station features classic Italianate architecture typical of many large stations world-wide.
The greening of Connolly for St. Patrick’s Day is a more subtle treatment than on some of Dublin’s structures.
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It’s become an annual tradition to bathe Dublin’s iconic buildings with green light on the run up to St. Patrick’s Day. I exposed this view of Heuston Station on March 12, 2015 using my Lumix LX-7.
For me one of the most effective times to make night photographs is when there’s still a hint of daylight remaining.
More photos of the Greening of Dublin tomorrow!
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Sometimes you have to walk the steps one at a time to get the best view.
Over the last few weeks, Irish Rail’s Relay train has made visits to the Dublin area en route from its base at Port Laoise to the Navan Branch (where it was involved in track maintenance) and back again.
The Relay train is one of those elusive trains operated by permanent way department, which makes it a special prize to catch on the move.
Keeping close tabs on the railway aids in finding these trains. But equally important is patience track side and sensing when and where to look.
Irish Rail 084 brought the train up road on February 27, 2015. Like the bullet fired skyward, what goes up must come down. But when?
On Tuesday, March 3, 2015, I took the LUAS down to Spencer Dock and walked to the road bridge that overlooks Irish Rail’s yard at Dublin’s North Wall. There I noted a gray 071 (loco 084) with the Relay train. When the guard came down and started the locomotive, then a few minutes later hung the tail lamps at the back of the train, I knew that it would soon be on the move.
But how quickly would it depart? That’s the million-dollar question (subject to the local exchange rate). Calls were made, transportation arranged, and weathermen consulted . . .
More than two hours later, I caught it on the quad-track section of Irish Rail’s Dublin-Cork mainline at Stacumny Bridge (near mp 8 ¾). As it turned out, the Relay train followed the down IWT liner.
These digital photos are the teasers: I used my EOS-3 loaded with Provia 100F (the real McCoy, not simulated) for some slides of the action.
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During the last few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with my new Fujifilm X-T1digital camera by making photos on the streets of Dublin. I’ve presented a sampling of my results on Tracking the Light’s Dublin Page (CLICK HERE).
The camera can yield fantastic results, but successfully manipulating its various modes, colour profiles, features, switches, levers and other controls takes patience to master.
Compare the Fuji’s results with the myriad of images on my Dublin page exposed over the last two years.
More to come!
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I exposed these photos with my Fuji X-T1 a little while ago (7 March 2015). Compare these photos made in soft afternoon sun with my image of the same freight train at the same location last Saturday (28 February 2015)
Locomotive 071 is the class leader; one of Irish Rail’s 18 General Motors-built model JT22CW dual-cab six-motor diesel-electrics.
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Sunday, February 22, 2015 had been a wet windy day, but as evening approached, I saw the clouds clearing in the west. I made an opportunity to experiment with my X-T1.
The dramatic lighting effects of a winter evening in Dublin are as good a time as any to make photographs, and I’ve found that among the strengths of my new camera is working in low light.
To retain the hues of dusk, I switched the white balance setting from ‘auto’ to ‘daylight,’ while I upped the ISO dial to its higher ranges, and selected the ‘Velvia’ color profile.
My 18-135 lens is a remarkably sharp piece of glass and its built-in image stabilization allowed me to work hand-held in lighting situations that would have been all but impossible with my film cameras.
I exposed about 140 images over the course of an hour and one half. That’s equivalent to just less than 4 rolls of slide film. I admit that sounds like a lot, however when I found an interesting scene, I’d bracket my exposure, while experimenting with various metering and focusing modes while pushing the limits of image stabilization.
This was an opportunity to test the camera’s capabilities, while working in a visually familiar environment. So, I revisited streets where I’ve photographed frequently over the years.
This is a sampling of Sunday’s efforts. I exposed RAW and Jpgs of each photo; presented here are scaled versions of the Jpgs. Other than the necessary size reduction for internet presentation, I’ve not manipulated, adjusted or otherwise enhanced these photos in post-processing.
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