This image is of a train approaching a railway station at night. It was an experiment and you could be forgiven for thinking it was an experiment in long-exposure photography although that’s only part of the story
I’ve done a lot of long-exposure photography recently (see here or here for instance). What I was trying to do on this occasion was combine black and white photography with a long-exposure of less than 10 seconds.
It took a lot of practice. Loads and loads of images were rejected before I took this one. Previous long-exposure images I’ve taken have had lots of objects to focus on or have had a fixed focal point. I’ve discovered that trying to get a camera to focus on one moving object for a long exposure shot is incredibly difficult!
As I usually do with my photography blog posts, I’ve linked this one to the #MySundayPhoto blog linky hosted by Photalife.com. I encourage you to click on the badge below to visit the blog and explore imagery taken by other bloggers.
26 thoughts on “Toying with black and white”
Hi John, at first that went over my head! Not the train, of course (sorry couldn’t resist!). Thank goodness for digital cameras, at least we can practice to our heart’s content without running up costs. I can imagine that long exposure whilst trying to focus on a moving point is difficult, but I like your photo. It’s quite ghostly.
xx
Oh gosh did it take along time to get that image. A very long time. Yes, I am thankful for the arrival of the digital camera!
Glad you got an image that worked in the end! It’s certainly very striking.
Just don’t ask how long it took Sarah to get the image, please don’t ask how long it took!
Another amazing shot! #MySundayPhoto
Thanks Natalie, that’s very kind of you to say so.
Morning! I hope that if you took it this week you were well wrapped up! Great image
I certainly did….and wasn’t wrapped up nearly enough. It was absolutely freezing.
I love the effect, I am wondering what it would look like with just a flash of red light
Thank you for linking up
Yeah, getting the train from behind and using selective colour? That could be worth trying.
Wow this is amazing, very atmospheric. I wouldn’t even know where to begin #mysundayphoto
Well, you could start by going and spending several nights stood on a freezing cold bridge. Alternatively…..just look at my photo and stay warm!
I love the idea of combining long exposure with black and white. The result is great! Got me thinking now… #MySundayPhoto
Wonderful to hear I’ve inspired you. the colour version is on my Instagram feed if you want to take a look.
Really interesting shot John. I keep saying I must go to a motorway bridge near us to take some photos, but never get round to it.
Well, let’s be honest, hanging out on a motorway bridge isn’t everybody’s idea of fun!
The light trail certainly stands out
it does doesn’t it? the curve of the track adds something to the image I feel.
Your patience has really paid off
Didn’t feel it at the time. I was absolutely freezing!
I love the light trail, takes a whole different perspective X #mysundayphoto
Sort of looks white hot doesn’t it?
I love the way the black and white really makes the light trail of the train stand out. The contrast works really well in this shot. Love your long-exposure shots 🙂
Thanks Louise, Ilike the effect on the main headlight on the front of the train. That really stands out for me.
I’m liking the black and white feature. I think the lack of colour really makes the difference with how dramtic the photo is! I’ve not experimented with long exposure so it’s fascinating watching you go through it. As always, fab shot. Loved it! Looking forward to seeing tomorrow’s! #mysundayphoto
Thanka Martyn, glad you liked the shot. Took a lot of practice. Alas, I may not be participating this week. Just not happy with any imagery I have taken over the past few days.