IN THE FIELD: IRON HORSES

About an hour from where I live is a major freight yard for the Norfolk Southern railroad.

There is usually a lot of activity with various locomotives moving freight cars of all sorts from one track to another and coupling them together in long trains headed for destinations around the country.

Although you can not get up close to the equipment due to security reasons, there are a few places in the parking area that provide good vantage points looking east or west. A zoom or telephoto lens comes in real handy for close ups and for compressing long distance perspectives. It’s a great spot for railfanning.

It was an overcast day when I took this photo and the light was pretty flat. So I decided to use black and white to better capture the mood.

IN THE FIELD: It’s A Jungle Out There

It was a long way up there, and the views were terrific… but I have to say it was a relief to be back on the ground.

f 2.5

1/80th

ISO 200

WB Cloudy

 

IN THE FIELD: Still Life In Blue

Guess where this photo was taken. Those of you who know me already figured that out.

Ding ding ding that’s right. A garden center.

I visited this place on a weekday morning, and since there were hardly any customers I was able to take my time looking at various plants and flowers. A bonus was being able to spend a good bit of time in the pottery section which is usually very crowded. But not when I was there!

There were pots and planters and jardinieres of every shape and size imaginable. This little grouping caught my eye. I liked the shapes and the contrast in colors and texture. The pot that looks like a coffee mug would hold enough large coffees for eight people!

f2.5

1/200th

ISO200

WB cloudy

In The Field: Winter Light

Subtle

Not So Subtle

Sunsets in the winter season are so varied. The first photo was taken this time last year and the second one was taken last week. Both photos were taken from the same spot looking in the same direction.

This season has been exceptional as far as intensely bright sunsets go. Some I have photographed and others I have just gazed in awe. It’s good to do that on occasion.