Abstract in the Park

Decided to explore a local park with some free time today.

I took this shot in Tilden Park last year.

Color or black and white

Sometimes during the editing process I wonder if an image is better in color or B&W. This is a prime example:

At times the idea of using B&W is because I can't seem to get the colors to look right or I was unhappy with the original lighting and B&W is a way to salvage a photo.  In this case, I think the black and white has a nice feel for the old barn.  What do you think?

What method does everyone else use with B&W editing? Do you have a specific process you use for the B&W workflow?

As a side note about this photo. I love this barn, but I am not super happy with the photo itself, The sharpness isn't what I really wanted. Mostly I think it was the lack of a tripod.

Best of the Doors

I have always been a fan of doors and the texture and age they can express. Just showing off a few that I thought were interesting.

D600 upgrade rambling

Now that I have seen photos of the future Nikon D600, I am wanting it even more. I am now realizing that the lens I use the most is a DX Tamron 10-24 lens and it can not take full advantage of the D600 sensor.

If I decide to upgrade to a D600 I need to figure out what Ultra Wide Angle lens will give me the same field of view that I get with the DX camera.  My research shows that many Ultra Wide FX compatible lenses do not allow you to screw on a filter. So not only do I need an equivalent  viewpoint, I also need something that will support my 77mm filters.

I am still new to the FX vs DX world, so it is hard for me to figure out which lens I should consider buying (without breaking the bank).  It looks like Nikon has a very good Wide lens but I am not sure if it is wide enough or equal to the Tamron.

If you have any thoughts, I would love to hear your feedback.

Car House #3

Yes, I made another trip to the Western Railway Museum. Mostly because I learned about a train barn that I had never visited before. Before we talk about Train Barn #3 (Car House Three), I was able to track down a train shows in a 1975 family photo.

The original photo was taken by my dad during my first visit to the museum. Today the train is not working and visitors are not allowed inside.  The "Blackpool Corporation Transit Boat Car" is from england and was built in 1934. It joined the museum in 1972 and road the streets of San Francisco from 1983 to 1985.

Boat Car in 2011

Boat Car interior 2012.
Had to hold my hand into the air above the train to get this shot... Without the viewfinder.

Car House #3

The Western Railway Museum has a giant train barn full of almost dust free perfectly restored trains. For train fans, they are beautiful. For some crazy reason, access to these trains is limited to a 45 minute guided tour twice a week. All other access is prohibited.  Basically the best of the best is locked away and you are rushed though the barn by a tour guide. Almost no time is available to take a quality photo, let alone look around and just enjoy the history. It is a shame.  Below are a couple of the cool trains I found, a bunch more shots can be found on my flickr WRM photo set. The fastest way to get as many shots as possible was to just put the Nikon D5100 into automatic mode and just shoot.

You can't really tell but the size of this steam engine really is impressive.

Sadly, the steam engine in this family photo is in Barn #2 and "rusting away"

Old Pullman sleeper car. I would love to get inside to shoot photos.

Boxcar with it's own hobo

Oregon Electric

United States Maritime Commission Shipyard Special

Former San Francisco Street Car

This Sacramento Northern train was recently restored and is in working condition

LowePro Pro Messenger 200AW

I picked up a Pro Messenger 200AW shoulder bag today. It is a big bag, almost as big as my LowePro backpack but the layout makes it look smaller.

The shoulder strap had a super thick pad and the inside is full of so many little pockets to store gear, I would never have trouble filling it up.  I was super impressed.  Without a doubt this was a great purchase. I will post photos in a few days when I get some more time.

With my LowePro backpack, I have to set it on the ground to change my lens so I wanted a bag I could hold while changing a lens. The Messenger 200AW can hold my 70-300mm lens on it's end and I could easily swap lenses in a crowd with this bag.

I don't see a little dedicated memory card pouch like in my LowePro backpack, which so far is the only downside I can come up with.

Highly recommended.

Return to the WRM

I have a long history with the Western Railway Museum. My first visit was in the mid 1970's when my parents took my on a visit.

The Comet. Taken around 1975

The Comet taken in August 2011

My next visit was in the 1980's when my best friend and his parents took us on a day trip. I had no idea where the place was located but last year I accidentally passed it while going for a drive.

Museum ticket from 1987 and 2012

So I stopped in 2011 and took some photos and returned again today.  Below are some the shots.

This HDR capture of an old red boxcar was the last image I took today.
Clearly they are doing work to rebuild the interior and exterior.

The next 2 shots were taken of the same train 1 year apart using different lenses. Which one do you prefer?

2011 HDR 18mm Nikon kit lens version

2012 HDR 10mm Tamron wide angle version

HDR train interior

HDR image turned almost totally B&W. Not very happy with the POV.
Next time I will get the tripod lower toward seat level.

I also took a bunch of Macro shots with the Tamron 90mm Macro lens

And of course a few cool signs from inside the train that I really enjoyed