I have been known to overcomplicate things.
I’ve written in the past about how I have missed photo opportunities because I’ve been juggling a few cameras, and maybe my drone controls. I try to do too much at once.
On January 29 (2022), I decided to head out for an hour or so to see some trains before getting some groceries. I took one camera with me, my Canon 77D, with one lens, the “long lens” (70-200mm f/4).
I drove over to CN’s Symington Yard and saw that a train was getting ready to leave on the Sprague subdivision. In the yard itself, a train was being pushed over the hump – as usual – and I found a “visitor” on the tail end of a potash train.
The long lens really captures the blowing snow!
While I watched, the outgoing train started pulling out of the yard. They had a mid-train locomotive, a former lease unit, now lettered as CN 3939. I decided to get a bit creative photographing it.
Once I saw that they were on their way, I drove (carefully) down the Trans-Canada Highway toward Dufresne and intercepted them at a crossing. It was not warm outside!
There was an interesting visitor on the train, boxcar ONT 7440. Love those yellow ends.
I’m told those boxcars go from Kapuskasing to Thunder Bay, Ontario and contain paper rolls.
As the train passed, I saw that they were slowing down. I guessed that they had a meet at the Lorette siding a few miles east of me, so once the tail end of the train passed, I followed them to Lorette.
There was a container train rolling into the siding as “my” train was rolling on the main.
The container train ended up stopping in the siding and it looked like they were going to be there for a while, so I took a few photos from the west end and headed home.
So there you have it – one camera, one lens, one post!
Hi Steve,
It has been my experience that too many cameras / drones / whatnot not only do you miss photo opportunities but the quality of your photos goes down. That’s because we humans can only do one thing at a time even though we try and try and try to multitask!
Agreed, Ian, it’s really more like “task switching” than multitasking. It’s hard to resist the temptation of capturing the subject from more than one angle, though…
Hey Steve, Could you use the filter that “warms” your picture. I have to put more wood in the stove after looking at these.
Take care, I enjoy your adventures.
Another Steve
Ha! I would have to use the “warm filter” pretty heavily on these photos!
Hey, Steve;
I used to do the same; excursions for railfanning took an hour to pack the car. 3 cameras, camera bag with lenses, binoculars, scanner, tripod (s). It got out of hand.
I now bring my Canon and binoculars and sometimes the scanner, but not always. Have a lot more fun, relax, and my pictures are fewer but better.
Thanks for sharing & stay safe !
Everything is always packed for me – cameras, drone, etc. – so that part is easy.
I hardly ever use a scanner so it normally stays home. Binoculars are something I haven’t considered. What do you use those for?
Even just doing one video/tripod and one photo camera, it can get to be a hassle. Sometimes I’ll leave the tripod at home, and either shoot “old school” freehand or just leave the phone in my pocket and shoot stills only.
Hi Harrison, that makes sense.
I almost never use a tripod for my still camera unless I am doing long exposures. Usually the tripod stays in the car unless I am shooting video.