Through The Lens 120 – Reflections

I remember the mirror-like stillness of the water on the floor at Scranton Lace stopped my in my tracks.  It took me a few minutes to find a composition I liked, but the end image was worth the time spend to find it.

Through The Lens 118 – Man and Machine

On a photo charter in February 2016, Christopher Brang assesses the situation while working on a stuck brake that has halted progress down the hill.

One of my goals for the year is to photograph the people involved in the operations of these historic machines more than I have in the past rather than simply focusing on the trains. Fortunately I have a couple opportunities to practice this year.

Through The Lens 117- A Chair

One of the things I find fascinating during the abandoned building workshop’s I’ve attended is chairs. Photographers move the chairs around the buildings to create scenes. Sometimes it’s an industrial chair sitting by a table suggesting the presence of a worker who stepped away for a minute. Other times it’s an arm chair (like the one above) that was originally part of an office suite placed in the middle of a warehouse or manufacturing area. You never know what you’ll find, but there’s usually an interesting vignette to be photographed.

Trip Report – Railfest 2017

Last fall, I attended Steamtown National Historic Site’s annual Railfest. The highlight of the event was a night photo session that included scenes at the Sand Tower, Mattes Street Tower and the Roundhouse. I arrived in time for the night session Saturday night and then stayed over to see the event Sunday. Special events included demonstrations in the machine shop, tours of the Office and Stores Building, and of course train rides pulled by Baldwin Locomotive Works #26.

Sand Tower:

Mattes Street Tower:

Roundhouse:

Machine Shop Demonstration:

Ring of Fire:

Singing the Theme Song:

Through The Lens 116 – Night at the Roundhouse

One of my favorite photos from the night session held during the 2017 Railfest at Steamtown National Historic Site. Steve Barry provided the lighting and did an excellent job as usual. Unlike the typical practice of late where night sessions are lit with a constant light source, this one was done with flash which produces a much better quality of light and freezes the smoke and steam.

Just finished editing the photos from Railfest, so look for a trip Report Tuesday.