Composition: Brake Wheel

Consider this nice brake wheel image (captioned version here). It has some appealing character- istics. A nice contrast between the round brakewheel, with the rounded shapes inside the rim and the angular running board with its shadow in repeating diagonals, and underlying that the horizontals of the ribbing on the boxcar. Interesting textures, including both the wheel and the wall of the car. A very nice shot (by Bill Grenchik.

By contrast, the next image (captioned version here) has, in my view, a stronger composition, more interesting and more dynamic. Why do I like Nick DAmato's shot more?

First, Bill's shot is taken from a face-on angle, which I find inherently less interesting than an off-center angle. An off-center angle introduces depth and diagonals, which often add life to an image. Having a third dimension is important in bringing life to what is, after all, a two dimensional image. Depth is important.

Here, the depth comes from two sources. Obviously, the angular view puts the far side of the car end further away from the viewer. More subtly, the brake wheel casts a shadow which necessarily falls behind the wheel and thus generates a perception of depth, creating an implicit sense of in front/behind, although in actuality the shadow may be no further away from the viewer.

Second, Nick's shot has lots of diagonals, the obvious one being the top of the hopper running from upper right to middle left. But the brake wheel and its shadow form a second, implied diagonal from upper left to lower right. The diagonals form an X which, along with the depth, add to the dynamism, which the horizontal composition of Bill's, with the wheel on the left and the running board and shadow on the right, lacks.

Also, I'm not personally a fan of the somewhat 'up' angle in Bill's shot. I find it off-putting - insufficient to create a strong dynamic, yet not quite right as a flatter scene. All in or all out for me, I guess.

Of course, there are lots of things to like in Bill's shot and there are a number of things I prefer, starting with the textures. Also, the sky separates better from the car because the car is dark, and I'm not a fan of how the wheel shadow is cut off in Nick's shot. Both have something to offer, and for that matter opinions will vary and some will like the first one more.

Shaughnessy: Another Review

A month ago I posted a link to a review of the upcoming Jim Shaughnessy book by Alex Craghead. I have since come across another review of the book, by Otto Vondrak. His review is also lengthy, shows several images from the book, and even makes reference to rock and roll. Read up!

Troy Paiva: Color

One of my goals for this blog has been to find and present interesting rail photography that pushes the limits of the genre, in particular in the more-artistic, less-representational direction. One interesting example is this set of shots by Troy Paiva. These shots are all taken at night using gelled strobes and flashlights to create the coloring; details of the technique are here. (Thanks, Troy, for the correction.)

The first shot, above (original here), uses a strong red color to bring the inside of the switcher cab alive in a way that capturing standard interior light simply can not. The contrast of variants on the primary blue and red colors along with the rather bright levels of light on both inside and outside surfaces make this shot almost playful; a simple geometric study, happy.

The second shot, at right (original here), uses color differently, the green and blue being more complementary in tone, in a way, and the scene peaceful. And yet the colors take a rather drab peace of equipment, a rustic relic, and give it some life. The composition is enlivened by a wide white stripe that intersects with the lines in the car, and a well-placed puddle of water.

The third shot (original here) is a bit of a muddle, yet I find it interesting. While the right side is bold and clean, colorized cab, number, and (air?) tank, the left side has a jumble of hardware without strong definition. Note the light touch of added color on the domes at the top. I find the shot a bit out of balance, but the applications of color have a certain presence. Not a favorite, but interesting to look at.

I find the last shot (original here) fascinating! It appears to be a pile of taken-down signals, both crossing and line. The foreground has an upside down "STOP ON RED SIGNAL" sign (overturned sign, overturned equipment, overturned world) with red highlights, echoed in subtler red applied to a line pole in the background. The signals themselves either glow from moonlight or are lit/processed artificially and have a touch of blue tint. Their horizontal lines oppose the vertical of the pole and the square of the sign. The pole stands out against a plain background while the sign gives definition to the muddle of pieces below. It's a beautiful rendition of discarded material!

A bonus: Troy has some excellent shots from his night visit to the S.S. Independence, a decommissioned "ghost ship." While many of these shots (also found here) make use of the coloring approach seen in the shots here, a number of excellent ones do not. A stunning set of shots! I must say, more interesting than the train images. Other shots are here and here . I have yet to go through his entire website but I bet there is much more to savor.

Lew Ableidinger and the Open Spaces

Lew Ableidinger works primarily in black and white. In going through his images, I immediately took an interest in several shots from the Woodworth, ND area. I love the ways these shots convey open spaces through composition and texture.

In the first shot, "Road to Nowhere," note the unusual angle of the train. It's barely in the frame and it is already up and out of here, heading over the small hill (an effect enhanced by the road which is also going up and out). This shot does not have en expanse retreating into the distance, and for that matter the train doesn't appear small relative to its surroundings. And yet, the unusual angle, the train sitting on some sort of a ridge, the balance with the road and the tree give this somewhat odd view great appeal. It perhaps does not fit with the rest of the shots here as the "open spaces" feel is weaker and there are more elements in the frame (including the grassy textures). But I enjoy the way the subject is the road, enhanced by the tree/bush and the fencing, and one is in effect driving up to meet the train and both will subsequently make their own explorations on the other side of the ridge.

I will treat the next two shots, "The Open Country" and "Life in the Vast Lane," involving the same crossing and tree, as a pair. They are simple compositions, a train, a road, a tree (or two), and the endless plains.

The first shot of the pair is a classic scene, a road leading up to a short train. The foreground tree provides depth in front of the train and the receding plains behind, and stands on the left, balancing the light source at the right background. The plains have just enough roll to them to provide a stronger sense of distance. The combination of snow and backlight make for excellent contrasts, both at the "macro" level in terms of the tree and train and at the "micro" level in terms of the grasses in the snow. It's a peaceful, interesting scene.

Sometimes a road takes the eye in a direction, but sometimes it frames. In the second shot of the pair, it forms a diagonal that "supports" the trees and train. The two trees create an internal framing for the train, helping to keep the eye from following the road to the right. In doing so, however, the road is left as a strong triangular element; too strong for me. To me it is a large dark object, dominating the smaller tree, the train, and what is visible of the open spaces. It detracts, without itself bringing sufficient interest in terms of its texture or otherwise (unlike the road in the opening shot of this post).

The final shot, "Trains and Plains," turns out to my eye, surprisingly, to be an abstract. Compositionally, it has three elements, two of which are the lines of the train and horizon and the block of the backlit engines. The third, subtle but to me rather striking, is a curve in the sky, a bowl shape formed by variations in the light and clouds.

Complementing these simple elements are restrained variations in light and texture. The fine granularity of the grasses poking through the snow fades into a formless sky with diffuse changes in light across the frame. The land has just enough roll to the land to convey a greater sense of depth. The light does not radiate but rather glows in an odd, foggy/hazy manner, with only a partial sense of the direction of light. The black, backlit power enters the frame from the left (presumably), proving a dominant element, but to me, participating in the scene as an equal party rather than being the focus of it.

I think of this shot as being conceptually equivalent to a pastel picture; just as pastels tend to have subdued colors, this image has subdued compositional elements and light, but the overall effect conveys an interesting glow and a strong, uplifting, almost spiritual sense or presence.

Recently I've been absorbing David Plowden's recent tome, which has a number of non-RR shots of this type. The present of a train makes Lew's shots more accessible to me, because they draw a contrast between the small train and the large space, a contrast enhanced by my knowledge that the train is actually large. And yet, the trains don't necessarily appear small in these pictures; it is not that the trains become smaller when faces with these expanses, but that the expanses appear timeless, permanent, as the train temporarily occupies part of the space.