No need for me to say what a year it has been – plenty of others did so.There have been positive things happening too, though. Let’s try to remember those.On the second to last day of the year, I went out for my last photo day of the year. Snow and trains, and at noon even some sun. I wish you all the best for … Continue reading Out with a bang!
During the extended autumn break this year I also took some days off to take care of my daughter. Apart from playing at home, we also went out to the tracks one day. This time we went to Zichem. We enjoyed a picknick and the company of friends who live closeby, that we hadn’t seen in real life since a couple of months. There were … Continue reading Social time
During the last weekend of October, train traffic between the Belgian seaports and Germany was diverted over Mechelen, Leuven and Aarschot. This promised some intense freight traffic between Mechelen and Leuven.I decided to take my daughter out for a day along the tracks. Playing with the ball and a bicycle – on safe spots! – and occasionally snapping some shots with the camera. We both … Continue reading Q stands for quality time
On the way back home after a day of work in Antwerp, I needed some air. I decided to spend some time on the Schelde’s left bank, and see what would be coming.I was lucky enough to get one of the first rides of a Vectron locomotive from BLS Cargo. And some other interesting trains. It weren’t the trains, however, that made it a good … Continue reading Beautiful light, after all
A heads-up right on time, at the end of the working day, made this picture possible. The photo location in Oostkamp has changed a lot, construction of a new industry zone is oingoing. Catch them wile you can, although this autumn was probably the last one that we could easily photograph a DB TRAXX locomotive heading towards Zeebrugge, as DB has just started commercially operating … Continue reading A simple autumn picture
After the previous attempt, I wanted to work on sharpness. The strong flash lasts for a time that is long enough to get motion unsharpness. Solution: less powerful flashing, ISO up. Sharpness is fine now. Next working points: get the ISO value down and light some more aspects of the train and its surroundings. Continue reading Optimizing the night shots
Night photography fascinates me. How to get good pictures in almost complete darkness?Previous attempts with flashes were frustrating. I didn’t like the whole setup with classic batteries: they are always empty when you need them, and flashes didn’t fire a bit too often. Also, separate battery powered remotes were needed.This year I tried a new system with rechargable high-capacity batteries and efficient flash units, with … Continue reading Into the night again
Last weekend, works between Bruges and Ghent meant rerouting of rail traffic over scenic West-Flemisch rail lines, that otherwise don’t see that many freight and intercity traffic.Add to that a sunny Saturday, and no car available. What you get is an oldschool day trip by bicycle. Packed with photogear, tripod, lunch and water; led by the circumstances to get the most out of the day. … Continue reading Oldschool day out
3 photos, 3 regions, 1 day. I started the day in Drongen on the 4-track section of line 50A from Ghent to Bruges. The second freight train that came through was the Railtraxx containershuttle from Oradea to Zeebruges. Second destination: Idergem, between Geraardbergen and Denderleeuw, where I could catch a 1344 with a train connecting Longeau to Aalst.Third destination: Berneau, for a few trains in … Continue reading Cargo from west to east
At the time this photo was made, diesel traction between Liège and Luxemburg had ended only a few months ago. As such it become more usual to see blue 55’s on freight trains, as proven by this example. With a heavy coal train to Germany, sisters 5502 and 5519 are singing loud to pull it up the hill.During the summer of 2000, I started going … Continue reading Yellow and blue oldie
Railscapes 