What Is The Best Photo/Video You Have Ever Captured?

I have a photo runby story.  Many years ago while on a trip on the Clinchfield RR, One Spot was doing a photo runby coming left to right.  We we told to stay behind the safety line on the ground and all complied, except one person.  I had the perfect spot low to the ground, I had my 35mm ready to shoot and there were no people visible in my shot.  Waited for a few more seconds and then...   Just as I shot the picture about 20 feet to my left,  some ignoramus of a woman stepped over the line a few steps to "get her shot".  I was so upset, with the snap of my wrist, I whipped a small piece of ballast that hit her on her enormous rear end (she was wearing pink pants, I couldn't miss)  She dropped her camera (breaking it) and I kept shooting as if nothing happened and no one saw where the piece of ballast came from.  People were laughing so hard and that evening at dinner at the hotel it was a topic of many conversations.  I was young and foolish when I did that, she could have gotten hurt and I wasn't thinking, but it was funny.  Boy she was really PO'ed.

I took this photo and color enhanced it.  It's the CN trestle bridge over the Manitowoc River on the Manitowoc Sub.

Here is the final run of the B&M 3713 taken by myself in April 1956

Lew Schneider

lewrail posted:

Here is the final run of the B&M 3713 taken by myself in April 1956

 

Lew Schneider

This is an absolutely fantastic picture, especially considering the equipment of the 1950s. Excellent framing, perspective, contrast and focus. I'm thoroughly impressed!

LLKJR posted:

I have a photo runby story.  Many years ago while on a trip on the Clinchfield RR, One Spot was doing a photo runby coming left to right.  We we told to stay behind the safety line on the ground and all complied, except one person.  I had the perfect spot low to the ground, I had my 35mm ready to shoot and there were no people visible in my shot.  Waited for a few more seconds and then...   Just as I shot the picture about 20 feet to my left,  some ignoramus of a woman stepped over the line a few steps to "get her shot".  I was so upset, with the snap of my wrist, I whipped a small piece of ballast that hit her on her enormous rear end (she was wearing pink pants, I couldn't miss)  She dropped her camera (breaking it) and I kept shooting as if nothing happened and no one saw where the piece of ballast came from.  People were laughing so hard and that evening at dinner at the hotel it was a topic of many conversations.  I was young and foolish when I did that, she could have gotten hurt and I wasn't thinking, but it was funny.  Boy she was really PO'ed.

THAT is funny.

October 26, 2013.  NS Wabash Cannonball Excursion from Ft. Wayne to Lafayette.  765 westbound at Lafayette Center Road near Ft. Wayne.

Tom

I want a do-over.  THIS is the best photo I have ever captured.

Tom

Two of my favorites:

Rusty

Hi Brody,

Here is my best video:

And my best pictures to date: 

I took a photo while sitting in the passenger seat of a Pontiac Firebird going down the freeway near San Francisco once, shot it thru the windshield.

When I got the film developed the photo showed this huge hand coming out of the clouds, like the hand of God going to smite me!

Turned out it was the reflection of my own hand, resting on the dashboard, but it sure looked cool!

Unfortunately, no good photos of trains��

A couple from back in the day on NYS&W............

Well, if we're sticking to steam, I don't have all that much.  This will have to do.  As always, click on the photo to enlarge and see the detail captured.

Kent in SD

This is photo of a set of tracks during this past Fall season Super moon.

MarkStrittmatter posted:

This is photo of a set of tracks during this past Fall season Super moon.

As shown above, you can have a great RR photo that doesn't have a train in it. 

Kent in SD

I cannot compete with the quality of some of the photos in this thread so far.  But I will say that these three photos were slides that had been sitting in my attic for years before I was able to upload them onto my computer.  However, the excitement of being able to shoot them has never left.  Particularly the second one of the repainted GG1 #4935 taken as it was rounding the curve along I95 approaching the Tacony-Palmyra bridge area.

A very old Cannon A520 Point and shoot.  Note that the time it takes to move the image to the card is what you see in this picture sequence. I could not have taken more pictures than what you see.  We have come a long way since this camera.  Though for the dirt, grim and abuse of hiking and camping, it does hold up.   IMO a lot of times pictures are luck, you shoot enough pictures, you are bound to get a good one.  Not train related, but this one, I was way too close. Same camera.

I've always been fond of this one.

I took it with my dad's Yashica TLR.

Basil posted:

lewrail posted:

Here is the final run of the B&M 3713 taken by myself in April 1956

 

Lew Schneider

This is an absolutely fantastic picture, especially considering the equipment of the 1950s. Excellent framing, perspective, contrast and focus. I'm thoroughly impressed!

Thank you very much Basil.  Photo was taken with a Kodak  Tourist 800. No cropping.  What I saw was what I got.  I remember the day quite well, because somehow I lost my overcoat on the trip.

Lew Schneider

Dieselbob posted:

I know where that is! 

The Giveaways:

The broad curve, the cornfield, the small yard lead, and the Wabash RR signal (Which has since been replaced).

That's Roanoke, Indiana, isn't it?

May be not the best, but one of the best.

Paul Moore posted:

LLKJR posted:

I have a photo runby story.  Many years ago while on a trip on the Clinchfield RR, One Spot was doing a photo runby coming left to right.  We we told to stay behind the safety line on the ground and all complied, except one person.  I had the perfect spot low to the ground, I had my 35mm ready to shoot and there were no people visible in my shot.  Waited for a few more seconds and then...   Just as I shot the picture about 20 feet to my left,  some ignoramus of a woman stepped over the line a few steps to "get her shot".  I was so upset, with the snap of my wrist, I whipped a small piece of ballast that hit her on her enormous rear end (she was wearing pink pants, I couldn't miss)  She dropped her camera (breaking it) and I kept shooting as if nothing happened and no one saw where the piece of ballast came from.  People were laughing so hard and that evening at dinner at the hotel it was a topic of many conversations.  I was young and foolish when I did that, she could have gotten hurt and I wasn't thinking, but it was funny.  Boy she was really PO'ed.

THAT is funny.

I have a runby story too. 

This is Boston Mills Station, where my picture was taken. For the first runby, I was standing on the bottom rung of that wooden fence. Someone else had the same idea and went over to the second section of fence to the left of me. However, the wood wasn't very stable, and when he put his weight on it, it broke off and he fell. I was concerned at first, but he had a good laugh about it. I'm just glad the fence I was standing on was fine. 

There were all kinds of people trying to infiltrate the spot for passengers only, but the CVSR staff wouldn't let them in. I was talking to one of the CVSR volunteers, and she told me that one guy came up and asked to get in because he had purchased a ticket for NEXT weekend's excursion. She said that she replied: "Sure you can come in here...next weekend, but today, no."  

Two23 posted:

Well, if we're sticking to steam, I don't have all that much.  This will have to do.  As always, click on the photo to enlarge and see the detail captured.

 

Kent in SD

I really like this pic.  Please tell us more about it; the set up, the time of day, who it is, etc.  The lighting is awesome and eerie, the smoke was fantastic when you captured it.

Many more where these came from. Contact me if you like them.

lewrail posted:

Basil posted:

lewrail posted:

Here is the final run of the B&M 3713 taken by myself in April 1956

 

Lew Schneider

This is an absolutely fantastic picture, especially considering the equipment of the 1950s. Excellent framing, perspective, contrast and focus. I'm thoroughly impressed!

Thank you very much Basil.  Photo was taken with a Kodak  Tourist 800. No cropping.  What I saw was what I got.  I remember the day quite well, because somehow I lost my overcoat on the trip.

 

Lew Schneider

3713 Still in pieces, at Steamtown.

Basil posted:

I really like this pic.  Please tell us more about it; the set up, the time of day, who it is, etc.  The lighting is awesome and eerie, the smoke was fantastic when you captured it.

Taken December 2015, WMSR in Maryland.  Wife & I were in Pittsburgh for one of her conferences.  The train ran at night as part of their "Santa" train program.  We hiked up the jogging trail a little before dark.  I decided to catch the train at the tunnel exit as there would be smoke pouring out and the train would be running very hard.  I set up five small flash (Nikon SB-25) with radio triggers, on small 8-ft. lightstands.  Lighting is the most critical thing.  It took us most of an hour to get it perfect.  Camera was a Nikon D800E, lens was Nikon 24mm tilt/shift.  This is a special lens that allows me to take a photo that doesn't have that "falling over backwards" look.  I pre-focused the lens on a small flashlight held by my wife.  ISO 800, f4.5, sync.  We waited in silence, in the dark and cold, completely alone.  The waiting is the best part for me--you hear the train sounding crossings in the distance.  You begin to hear the roar of the engine as it draws ever closer, and when it's coming up through the tunnel the roar is deafening!  The headlight shines straight down the tracks, the engine burst out, and my wife screamed over the din--"SHOOT IT!  SHOOT IT!"  This is very disciplined shooting--you only get one chance.  I held off until the engine was at the exact mark I had placed along the track, and fired.  I knew before I ever saw the shot on the LCD that this one was a keeper.  Shooting trains at night is very exciting, and addicting!

I took a number of other shots that week, which can be found here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/96826069@N00/23661081336/in/dateposted-public/

Kent in SD

Kent,

Thanks for the detail of the shot!  Knowing what the photographer puts into the shot makes it that much better for me.  That is a great story!  I love your wife shouting "shoot it", that's funny.  The lighting in that shot really shows the work you put into taking it.  It is an excellent photograph, I truly enjoy looking at it.

I have some great shots, and most have been sheer luck. This is the one everyone comes back to, to I will call it my "best" 

I don't have a best shot, but here are two I like.

First one is taken as a thunderstorm rolls in and the NJ Transit Coast Line train is easing over the Manasquan River. Go ahead, ask how many shots that took to capture the lightning and get a train in the foreground...

Second is in Grafton MA, I like the way the fall colors compliment the CSX units - especially the "Diversity in Motion" engine.

I certainly need to know how many shots it took to capture that lightening!  That is a tremendously difficult thing to do!

Basil posted:

I certainly need to know how many shots it took to capture that lightening!  That is a tremendously difficult thing to do!

Not as difficult as you might think in the "digital age". The flash/lights are synchronized with the camera, i.e. post the button and everything clicks at once.

Sweet! I just got my first DLSR. I'm a complete newbie to using such a capable camera.

Railrunnin posted:

I

First one is taken as a thunderstorm rolls in and the NJ Transit Coast Line train is easing over the Manasquan River. Go ahead, ask how many shots that took to capture the lightning and get a train in the foreground...

 

Nice catch.  It would be possible to capture the lightning shot with just one press.  Set shutter speed to something link 2s, and when the lightning flashes wait a second or two then hit the shutter.  Good chance you'll catch the next flash with the train.  The train will streak slightly, but at the angle you are shooting it won't be as noticeable. If you are shooting a stationary scene, the common trick is to set shutter to something like 5-15s, press and hold a few seconds after you see lightning.

Kent in SD

Took this back in December.   No I wasn't standing on the track in front of the locomotive.  I had my 200mm lens with a 1.4x teleconverter and the track curved in front of me.  I was actually standing about 20 feet to the left of the track.  

see many more at www.3rdcoastphotography.net 

Hot Water posted:

Basil posted:

I certainly need to know how many shots it took to capture that lightening!  That is a tremendously difficult thing to do!

Not as difficult as you might think in the "digital age". The flash/lights are synchronized with the camera, i.e. post the button and everything clicks at once.

I think he was talking about the lightning shot, not my flash shot.  True that the radio triggers link the flash directly to the camera and they fire instantly when I hit the shutter button, but getting the flash in the right spots, at the right power levels, checking where shadows will fall, preventing equipment failures--on & on.........not easy.

Kent in SD

This is one of the best train photos I ever took.  It was March 27, 2009.  I was lucky enough to assist Scale Rail, who was filming a video of the Southern Pacific 2472 in Niles Canyon, CA.  As the locomotive came down the tracks a 1949 Chevy pick-up pulled up to the crossing.  It looked like a pic from back in the day.  Matt                                                                                                                                

BOIN106 that is an awesome shot of a gorgeous locomotive! Thank you for posting.