Abandoned Trains and Planes (Night Shoot and First time Strobist)

[Goldeeno]

After numerous phone calls from a friend who wanted someone to go shoot some abandoned trains and planes at night. Not owning a flash i borrowed a Jessops special from my uncle. It came with an on/off and test button, but it was a flash so i thought it might do something.

I had been eyeing up these locations for a while, but had shot them in day, never even thought about night shoots. So this was a new idea to me. After a bit of basic advice from my friend Adam, i was left to my own devices. The results follow.

Old Trains
Shot 1: Class 50 Loco

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldeeno/2359049801
(30 second exposure, f4.5, Focal Length 12mm (Sigma 10-20mm), ISO 400)
Not really making effective use of the flash technique i had the ISO set quite high at this point, this was just a plain long exposure, but thought the end result was quite nice. I quite like the gainy effect of the higher ISO.

Shot 2: Class 50 Loco (Front)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldeeno/2358998971
(30 second exposure, f6.3, FL 10mm (Sigma 10-20mm), ISO 400)
This time the strobe fired twice one from each side of the cabin. The cabin always looked dark, so i think the flash really adds more impact to the control point of the loco.
I tried a few flashes down the side of the train, but they didnt seem to work as well as just the long exposure. I think it softened the side of the train better. A little bit of bounce from inside the cabin led to the light catching the floor, but i quite like the photo in general.

Old Planes
Shot 1: B&W, Slight Sepia Adjustment HDR

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldeeno/2367248266
Taken from three exposures, +2 and -2 and 0. Blended together in CS3, adjusted the photo with the "Shadows and Highlights" amd then coverted into Mono, and filters slightly adjusted with a slight sepia overlay.

Wanted to try and make the sky dramatic and try and highlight the plane a bit more, but i think the B&W is much more effective than the colour. The nose was painted in a flouresent orange colour and looked in a bit of a state, i think the B&W hides that well.

Shot 2 - RAF Rescue and Fire Sky

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldeeno/2366412325
(30 second exposure, f5, FL 10mm (Sigma 10-20mm), ISO 400)
With the low aperture the sky really came through, i did adjust the WB in Canon RAW, and set it to cloudy to highlight the colour more. I honestly don't know how many flashes i fired, i was running round the whole thing firing constantly. But this is probably my fav photo of the set.

- - - - -

A few more shots from the last two nights are on my Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldeeno/

I would appreciate any comments and crit. This flash photography is something new, but i had so much fun trying it out, i can't wait for the next chance.

 

[gravy]

that chopper is the clear winner to me... awesome shots though!

 

[Roger]

really nice results, well worth the night trip.....coloured gels on the flash head can have some nice effects too.

 

[Shibby!]

Really nice work.

I like the train and the chopper. I like the added creativity (although done lots, it still works great) on the train. Makes it look like that rust bucket is still in use.

 

[Myspacepix!]

great! i like the second train shot personally

 

[invisible]

Beautiful images, all of them.

 

[Goldeeno]

thanks guys

 

[bradster76]

Beautiful. You got my attention at "Abandoned", so I checked it out. There is a UE site that has a thread on exploring abandoned aircraft, ships, and planes. I got the link from a buddy on my old forums, sleepycity. uer.ca has some threads on some trains and boats which is cool, but beware....the people on that thread are real jerks. Only a handful can take decent photos, but the content is fun none the less. I left because of all their arguing and drama....they act like a bunch of 12 year olds. Sad, but true.

Anyways, you can surf and search the site without joining. So look for like trains or whatnot if you do visit it. Peace.

 

[Wyjid]

i like the interior lighting on the second shot. it looks like lightning going off inside and a wild storm cloud brewing outside.

 

[Goldeeno]

It was quite windy for the train shots, so the clouds were flying by, makes an awesome effect.
As for Urban Exploration, 28dayslater is a pretty good one that ive been involved with, but like you say, there are alot of very negative people on there also.
If you like UE, i have a couple of interesting site ive been to, including a foundry and car assembly plant.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldeeno/collections/72157602155836405/

 

[Doug]

Great shots I like all of them.