Richard Stauber
July 2026 - Old Iron - Power and Beauty
Original
About the Image(s)
The Union Pacific No 4014 AKA Big Boy is on a cross country tour and is the world’s largest operating steam locomotive. Today it was rolling from Jim Thorpe, PA, to Philadelphia, where it will stay for over the 4th of July and eventually head back out west. This image was captured near Port Clinton about 30 miles north of Reading PA.
The train was not on a precise schedule and not knowing when it would be at the location I had chosen meant that I would need to do a quick launch and setup. A lot to think about ??“ power lines, spectators, positioning and I knew there would be one chance to get it right. And near record breaking heat, temp was 105F.
After the shot I traveled on to Reading which was a big railroad town, think of the game Monopoly, but with crowds of many thousands eager to catch a glimpse of Big Boy and with the heat I decided to head home.
The train will make the great horseshoe bend in Altoona (Lisa had two great shots of the bend in past postings) as it heads west. This will be a major event in the train world.
9 comments posted
A few suggestions:
Although composition is of course subjective, putting strong lines exactly in the corners is usually frowned on and I suggest a slightly different crop to avoid this.
Burning down the lower left area would help focus attention on the train.
Overall the image seems just a bit flat -- maybe try darkening and adding a little contrast?
If you are into trains and ever get to Southern California lets go see the Tehapachi Loop together. It's a great drone shot. Posted: 07/03/2026 20:06:49
I like the composition. Looks like you needed a little brighter exposure on the original. If you don't exposure bracket, I would suggest trying it. I find it harder to get the exact correct exposure with the drone high up in the air, and I typically exposure bracket. (I shoot according to the histogram. It helps, but still is not always right on).
But brightening in post seemed to have worked well for you. I agree with Pete that the lower left side of the photo is a little too bright. A global brightening and increasing contrast brightened that area too much. Also, you lost the soft reddish-brown color of the soil. I would suggest using a linear gradient in that corner to bring it back down, decrease the contrast, and soften the color a bit, so it will look more natural. The people in the photo are a good addition.
Good job at removing/cropping out the power lines and pole. I would also crop out that person on the edge of the picture on the lower right. Posted: 07/04/2026 21:13:07
If your shutter speed was pretty high, it might not have made a big difference, and the no-ghosting algorithms in most of the software might have been able to handle it. The speed at which your drone saved the images to the card might have made a bigger difference, though. Posted: 07/15/2026 23:31:26