Winter CME's, February 2012.

Re: CME 24th March 2012.

Here hear

 

It's true that a lot of people do go like sheep and follow each other so there is a long line forms,that's their choice and thanks to all who post their images,each is different in its own way. Personally I prefer to be on my own/in a small gathering as it enhances the video quality and also means that I do get something different,even if the quality of the location isn't the same.

Another great train on Saturday,really enjoyable day out,thanks to all for a good day and making it go ahead with minimum disruption (fire risk).

I have uploaded another couple of shots,they,along with the rest are on my flickr at:

Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express - a set on Flickr

Cheers,
Mark

P.S Really hope you run these trips next year Nigel,they seem to have been a huge success and IMO show the S&C at its best.....

 

Re: CME 24th March 2012.

Troll, troll!

 

Despite any deliberate “winding up” that may be taking place, as Alberta 45562 intimates, there is more than an element of truth in some of the opinions expressed. The trouble, I suppose, is that we get to see far too many shots taken at the same old places – and these often on the same thread.

Some of us are quite happy merely to join the herd and to congregate at the usual time-honoured spots, but part of the challenge for so very many others, including myself, is always to endeavour to find somewhere that little bit different and perhaps a little more imaginative in composition.

Why do we do it? Indeed, why do we continue to turn out at the lineside time after time, week upon week? Although most probably haven’t really given the matter much thought, I guess that if any of us really were pressed to come up with an explanation, although it’s always good to wrench ourselves away from our computer terminals and to get out into the country and the fresh air, we would inevitably always have to conclude that the real answer related more to the eternal quest to secure that “ultimate mastershot above all others” than to anything else. Furthermore, the apparently equally eternal failure to achieve such ambitions, clearly merely makes us all the more determined and, even, to the extent that, for many, it has all come a bit of a competition. Does all that make sense?

Cheers, Andy

 

walking in the footprints of giants, mate

 

Sounds rather a lot like fishing to me, and I've never understood that either :behindsofa:

 

Well standing around in all weathers waiting for something that may or may not happen, more than likely trespassing to do it, spending large amounts of wonga on kit and petrol to undertake this practice - and very often coming away with something that should be thrown back! It could well be angling - and at least you can eat plenty of fish species once you have bagged them. I think angling comes out as the more likely supportable activity

 

Unfortunately, if you want to run on the WCML on a weekday, you have got to go before Mr Bransons finest start running in earnest. Once the virgin service gets going it is impossible to run fast line due to the headways and volume of traffic. If you go slow line it's a minimum of an hour to do 50 miles to MKC, because you catch the all stations up somewhere.
Its either very early, or very slowly !AT

 

In my opinion I think we should appreciate the work that people put in to produce pics and videos on here.Its the easiest thing in the world to criticise.
I was near Scout Green on Saturday and witnessed the work that a regular contributor put in setting up his video shot.(He made it look like an Olympic sport) Having seen the shot it was excellent as usual
Lets just get happy and give constructive criticism. Theres a thin line between winding up and nasty
Henry

 

Re: CME 24th March 2012.

It went down well with me matey, I enjoyed it. Many thanks.
Same to all you fellas who post picture and videos, I enjoy 'em, so do my young grandsons, "show me some trains grandad", many thanks.

 

Cheers Ralph
H

 

Here here, Henry. Myself and probably some others are very gratefull to see what the conditions/performances have been like when we couldn't get out. Looks like the forecast for the southbound run was a bit wrong !.

Steven
Crozier Photography

 

Hi Steven
Yes apart from the Easterly wind it was fine from about 3PM
Henry

 

Wont be to everyone's taste but some on-board clips from Ollie's effort on 31st. Ollie was taking things easy, but Wilpshire wasn't too bad.

70013 on The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express - YouTube

Alan. ;-)

 

Re: CME 24th March 2012.

Well, since you DID ask .....start with these two
http://railways.national-preservation.com/whats-going/20535-return-cotton-mill-express-24.html #232
http://railways.national-preservati...le-header-5043-6201-march-10th-2012-a-12.html #114

Oxford Dictionary
"forum"
Pronunciation: /ˈfɔːrəm/
noun (plural forums)

- meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
.
If those views always have to be positive and complimentary - as some might wish to be the case - then, I respectfully submit, that 'medium' no longer constitutes a "forum"!

Having been in the game for a year or two now, I have long since learnt that the mere possession of an obscenely expensive camera and a bag-full of lenses does not make one a master fotter (or by "Cambrian55's" definition, a "great one") and, let's face it, we must surely all agree that there's some stuff being posted out there on the internet that, at best, could only be described as eminently lacking in quality, if not also positively dire. So, I guess that it is up to the rest of us, to help those who struggle, to endeavour achieve something better, by making our own suggestions of where improvements might be made. Such efforts, however, are not helped by such posters (and, be assured, I am referring to no-one in particular here - and certainly not to any of the moderators) being incessantly browbeaten by that over-sensitive minority who tend to leap in at every opportunity and who appear totally incapable of being able to "agree to differ" with others in their opinions.

For myself, I am one who does regularly openly circulate my work to a circle of friends and, in an attempt to hopefully improve my standards, might add that I always welcome any criticism ... be that positive, or negative. In this age of digital photography, when few people now bother to produce prints of their efforts, it is of concern that much good work would otherwise not see the light of day and such circulation lists (of which, I am aware, many others already exist) are an excellent way of sharing experiences. As for "Cambrian55", as I don't appear to know him personally and I am unclear if, to date, any of his work has been made available for the rest of us to view, I remain unclear as to whether he would benefit from contributing to our circle. Nevertheless, if he so desires and if he would care to "PM" me, I will gladly add his e-mail address to the list. (That applies equally to anyone else who might also be interested!)

 

I am not a photographer, thus the few pictures I take with a Samsung ES25, are not for public consumption, but I do know the type of photo I like and the first one in the first post here I think is excellent. http://railways.national-preservation.com/photography/35257-heart-midlothian.html
Your two examples 23E to me, whilst being well planned and framed, appear as if the contrast is wrong making the colours harsh.. This of course is only my opinion and it seems to happen with others, not just yourself.

 

This is a hobby, everyone is entitled to there own photo.
beauty is in eye of the beholder, if you take a picture and want to share it good for you, no one should be knocked down for want of trying, it isn't a competition.
as for same locations.. I pride myself on platform 9 london Victoria and platform 3 & 4 at clapham... Over the years I have umpteen pictures of different engines going through... After all the locos will still be here in 20 years, but the locations are subtely ever changing.

 

Well, there you go, you see! Constructive criticism always achieves something positive.

Yep, absolutely right, the only two pics that I could find still residing in my Nat-Pres attachments folder, were quite old ones and, to be honest, had both been edited at the time from RAW images using CS5 on a laptop that consistently produced some very strange colour variations and light levels that I could never quite bottom out. One of the things that I have learnt along the way (from my esteemed peers) is that, for correct colour rendition, the only foolproof way to obtain even approaching natural rendition is to use a correctly-calibrated CRT monitor.

Maybe this item should now be transferred to the Photography section and where it can be debated further?

On the other hand, I do adopt a different approach to ADB968008 and I will not comment further on what he clearly finds satisfying for himself. Nevertheless, whenever I go out to the lineside with my colleagues, we do all endeavour, on each occasion, to seek out new locations and, if that is not possible, try to adopt slightly different angles or interpretations upon those shots available.

For myself, although I, too, have amassed "umpteen pictures of different engines", the locomotive itself usually isn't as important as its setting in the landscape. You only have to look at the latest issue of 'Steam Beano' to discover at least three absolutely stunning shots taken from vantage points some considerable distance from the subject (in one case, several miles away) and which, I must confess, I wished I had in my own collection!

No, it isn't a competition and railway photography is very much "horses for courses" and, from what is now so clearly the case, some of us are obviously quite content to return to the same old spots time after time. I think, however, that many others of us have gone down this road before .... when, in our own formative years, the work of the likes of WJV Anderson, Stephen Crook, Paul Riley and Eric Treacy started to appear in print and irretrievably stirred our imaginations!