Shooting from railroad

[chauncey]

Anyone ever tried it...am considering a scenic rail trip?

[Shadowman]

Tried it once, well worth the trip. Most scenes will zip by.

[TonyW]

Last year we travelled from Sydney to Perth by train, a distance of 4,000km over three days. I posted a couple of images that I took through the moving train window. These and others are on my Flickr page https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyw3...7648849909327/

The scenes went by quickly and, even in the desert where everything looks pretty uniform, there are subtle variations so that to get something like a good composition I had to be quick and I missed a few. We couldn't open the train window (and probably wouldn't have wanted to) so that reflections were a bit of a problem. During the part of the trip over the mountains out of Sydney, the view was often obscured by trees close to the train line.

Where are you thinking of going? In North America or Europe, I would expect the geographical features to be more shapely than the ones I saw.

[pnodrog]

If you see a scene you like pull the emergency stop cord but don't get caught....

P.S. You will need to anticipate the scene as trains have very slow reactions.

[xpatUSA]

Tried it from my armchair via a PBS documentrary - a spectacular journey.

Some info here:

http://www.copper-canyon.us/Copper-C...ad-History.htm

http://www.copper-canyon.us/Copper-Canyon-TrainRide.htm

Don't know if the ride still exists, though.

[IzzieK]

Tried it in Colorado via the Gorge rail tour...beautiful...you should try it.

[dennybeall]

A lot of fun but very challenging. Many of the lines announce upcoming sights. You could always practice in a car along a nice twisty country road. Get someone else to drive though......
If you have a couple of cameras you can also keep one with a wide lens and one with a longer one.

[Manfred M]

Dirty windows, reflections off windows, other passengers popping their heads up at the most inopportune times and of course, the previously mentioned issue that you are looking out the side as things rush by (an you are usually sitting on the wrong side of the train).

When all is said and done, the images are really not that great. I love train travel and looking out the windows, but frankly the images one gets tend to be forgettable.

[dje]

If you see a scene you like pull the emergency stop cord but don't get caught....

P.S. You will need to anticipate the scene as trains have very slow reactions.

The voice of experience ???

Wm it depends on the train. We travelled on the Rocky Mountaineer a few years ago and had access to a rear open air viewing area which gave better photo opportunities. Bit chilly though.

Dave

[pnodrog]

The voice of experience ???

Dave

Of course - I also know you don't leap out with your tripod as the guards get really suspicious and the view from the cell in the guard van is hopeless.

[William W]

Can you open the window (or door)?

WW

[pat3pee]

I did something similar but out of a BUS window travelling at about 80km/hr . It was 3.30 in the morning, sun rising and with lots of mist or fog. Although the photos didn't turn out so great it was exciting to try and I think I captured the mood quite well?
Here some shots....





Cheers/Patrik

[Marie Hass]

If you ever get down to WV, Cass Railroad has a nice assortment of rail tours, some of them themed.

They also do murder mysteries.

Marie

[chauncey]

the images one gets tend to be forgettable

Assuming that my goal was to take wall hangers, this is another one of my dumb ideas.
"Working the scene" from a moving train would, for sure, be an exercise in futility .

[Shadowman]

Assuming that my goal was to take wall hangers, this is another one of my dumb ideas.
"Working the scene" from a moving train would, for sure, be an exercise in futility .

First step, get yourself a frequent traveler card as you'll have to do many a roundabouts.

On a more serious note, I've found that the light inside the scenic car makes for great wide angle shots; especially with the world blurring by outside. Plus there will be some stops along the way, mostly little burbs and a few desert locations. Also, the train does slow down at bridges.

[chauncey]

Let's do the math here...tickets for 6 kids and me...economically ain't feasible...maybe Disney World.

[Shadowman]

Let's do the math here...tickets for 6 kids and me...economically ain't feasible...maybe Disney World.

Depending on your route of choice, perhaps an RV is more practical.

[IzzieK]

Very impressive...but next time you upload an image or images, please put a space in between them so it is to see that they are not flowing from shot to the next and also remember to number them...thanks...welcome to CiC.

I did something similar but out of a BUS window travelling at about 80km/hr . It was 3.30 in the morning, sun rising and with lots of mist or fog. Although the photos didn't turn out so great it was exciting to try and I think I captured the mood quite well?
Here some shots....





Cheers/Patrik

[rpcrowe]

It has been a while since I traveled by train but, I assume that many of the problems inherent in shooting from from a plane might be there in train photography...


1. Don't press your camera against the window
2. Don't use a CPL because of possible moire effects
3. Don't rest your camera/hand on any part of the train
4. Hope that you are on the correct side of the train for the views and for the sun

On a plane you don't have any DOF problems so you can shoot wide open, his might not be true on a train...

I would assume that you need quite a fast shutter speed, especially to capture views near you that are wizzing by...

Some train roadbeds are smoother than others - the smoothest I have traveled on is the MAGLEV between Shanghai and Beijing Airport. However, at a speed of over 300KM per hour, the scenery was a blur...



BTW: Some "special" scenic railways are better for photography than are trains on regular passenger runs...

[Manfred M]

Richard - so you've been on the Transrapid maglev as well? That was absolutely amazing; airplane speed while floating on a tracked with the train levatated and pulled along by magnets. What surprised me the most was how slowly the train accelerated.

I just wish the ride had been a bit longer.