Break's Over

Two years. That's how long it's been since I updated this blog. I never intended to go idle for that long, but there's only so much time in a day, and too many other demands and distractions. After all that time, I have nothing new to report on the layout itself, but I have been doing some modeling. I just finished a small diorama using Monster Modelworks' Brick Freight House Flat kit. Proved to be a fun little kit to build, and just the thing I needed to get the modeling juices flowing again.

I won't be using this on the current layout (doesn't belong in 1920), but maybe on a future one. Meanwhile it will be a nice display piece.

Over The River And Through The Woods

The river crossing diorama for my workshop in May is almost finished.  Thanks to some perfect late-winter overcast lighting, I was able to get a great shot outside.

For those just joining the conversation, I'm conducting a workshop in May on late autumn/early winter scenery.  Specifically, I'll be walking through the construction of a river crossing, discussing everything from ground cover to trees to the water in the river.

One of the keys to good model photography is lighting, and the gray diffused light of an overcast day is PERFECT, especially for a scene like this one.  The lighting, combined with the real trees in the background, create the illusion that you're looking at something much bigger than a model.  That photo above is pretty convincing.  The one below, taken from a completely different perspective, is much less impressive, but it clearly shows what you're looking at.

The only thing missing is the "water" in the river, which I'll be pouring later today.

Needs Horsepower

The title says it all.  This thing needs horsepower.

This is the first non-rail vehicle built for the layout, a horse-drawn delivery wagon.  It's one of the Highway Miniatures kits that I bought for 50 cents a piece.  Even better, with the exception of the wheels, I now know how to scratchbuild more of them.

Here are a couple of staged shots, with the wagon posed next to the boxcar full o' buckets.  Now I just need to find a horse...

Studying Hard

The learning continues...  I'm finally beginning to understand how aperture, shutter speed, focal length, and all the other ingredients go together to create a photo.  I'm also discovering that there are some VERY cool things that this camera can do, more on that later.

Here are three of the best photos I took this evening, immeasurably better than anything I've posted here to date....

Move Over, Jimmy Olson!

Just like a scene from any Superman comic, the young(ish), enthusiastic reporter/photographer has a hot story that he's just dying to write, only to be told "Your pictures are crap, kid!".  Yeah, I really just used a comic book reference to set up my story - I admit it, I'm a geek.

Aaaanyway... 

The truth is, I do have an article that I'm itching to write, for one of the trade magazines, but over the past few days, I've discovered that I have a LOT to learn about photography and publication.  Most of the photos that you've seen in this blog are 8 megapixel photos taken with my HTC phone.  They're good pictures, compared to the old Canon point-and-shoot camera that I own.  In terms of magazine use, however, they're crap.  There simply aren't enough pixels to make the photos look good on paper.  The phone also has other limitations, mainly with depth-of-field.  Bottom line - if I'm going to pursue magazine publication, I need a better camera.

After a few days of research, I decided that I wanted one of the new "super-zoom" cameras, also known as "bridge" cameras, because of their placement between cheap point-and-shoot cameras and higher-end DSLR's.  I found one at a great price, with loads of features, at Tiger Direct, with lots of positive reviews on various sites around the Internet:  http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6248269&csid=ITD&body=MAIN

The camera arrived today, and I've spent all evening playing around with it.  There are a LOT of bells and whistles on this thing.  Some of them I know how to use, most of them I have no clue, but it's very clear that this is a great camera.

Here's one of the cell phone pictures:

Here's virtually the same shot, taken with the new camera (cropped to the same size as the first photo):

Much better field depth (notice the trees in the background - blurry in the first photo, sharp in the second), and vastly higher resolution.

One more, taken from the far end of the layout, showing the "super-zoom" capabilities of the camera:

The same photo, with subtle clouds of steam added:

It's going to be fun learning to use this new tool, and I can't wait to see what shots I can pull off with it!

The Unknown Photographer

Check out page 6 of the August 2011 issue of Model Railroader magazine.  Readers of this blog will recognize a photo on that page.  They didn't name the photographer, but it's mine!  Yeah, I know, it's small potatoes, but way cool nonetheless...

Old-Timey Photo Fun

Playing around with some of the features on my camera, just for fun...

Something called "Vintage"

"Sepia"

Brakeman's Perspective

It's not easy to get a good photo from the roof of a moving boxcar, even with the latest 1920 state-of-the-art camera.

Hot Potatoes

Sven, known around the region for his ability to grow potatoes larger than anybody else, has brought a fresh shipment to Johnson's Produce.  He's been working all day digging them up, he's hot, tired, and apparently angry.  Seems old man Johnson offered an insultingly low price for Sven's potatoes, and Sven's not happy.  As Johnson Junior watches, it looks like a fight's about to break out!  My money's on Sven...