Hamilton trestle bridge (MI)

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Neat old wooden RR trestle over the Rabbit River in Hamilton, MI. Thought I'd get a nice colored up sky at sunrise, but I think I needed to be there about a half-hour earlier for that, plus there wasn't a cloud in the sky which might have helped. Really starting to see just how crucial "the right light" is to getting those nice colors that really pop in a photo. Thank goodness for digital editing software.

[shoebop 0]

Byron,I like the light/color on the first photo the best even though you captured the rising sun with the shadows in the second.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

I agree Shoebop - I tried and tried to bring some blue into the sky on the one with the sunrise, but there just wasn't much blue there to start with. I've decided that winter and early spring--before anything greens up or blooms--are just difficult seasons to photograph well. Unless you get just a spectacular sunrise or sunset going, you just don't have much color to work with.

 

I will say this, though - I was having enough fun shooting this morning that it didn't bother me one bit to be streamside without a fly rod-- even with others fishing.

[netabrookie 0]

I really like both of them. The spring and summer greens do add a splash of color to photographs but the angles that you shot from and the reflections on the water look very nice to me. I absolutely love trestles in any season and the wooden ones are more scarce than they used to be. Is the train still running or has this been turned into a trail or something like my local tracks have become?

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Thanks netabrookie, that's nice to hear. I share your love of wooden trestles; you're right, they are becoming quite scarce. I honestly didn't know whether the trestle was still in use or not until just now - according to a post on a photography forum called uglyhedgehog.com dated May 30, 2013, it is, in fact, still in use. I also found this shot from railroadfan.com dated Feb. 20, 2009, showing a CSX train crossing the trestle. There is another very cool wooden trestle over my favorite smallmouth stream; there should be plenty of color by the time I get to photograph that one.

 

[mikechell 0]

Nice pictures, Bryon. You're getting the hang of it.

Watch your angles for picture composition. Find some info on "converging angles", "opposing angles" and horizons. If I remember my landscape photography information correctly, converging angles are what's best.

 

Anyway, angles or no ... your light and shadow work on these photos is pretty good. And you're right ... the photo editing tool is our friend !!!

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Thanks Mike! As always I appreciate the feedback and tips. I do remember reading something somewhere about converging angles, or angles in general in composition. I've got a rapidly growing file of articles and such from various photography websites, blogs and forums...I'll have to dig into it and find that article.

[Goats 0]

I grew up in Holland. My wife's family had a large farm in Hamilton with the Rabbit running along one of the boundaries. Nice photos.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Thanks Goats! Did you ever fish the Rabbit? I know people fish for steelhead and salmon there at the dam in Hamilton, but I don't know what fishing it offers upstream or down from the dam. If I had to guess, I'd say smallmouth and pike, if anything.

[Goats 0]

Never fished it. Most of the farm was sold some years ago to Walters Gardens Inc and the house, barns and remaining two+/- acres sold about 5 years ago.

[COMike 0]

Second shot is my Favorite one! Nice work Bryon!!!

 

Mike

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Thanks Mike -- I like the second one best too. I was hoping to get some nice sunrise pinks in the sky that morning, but I got there too late, and there really weren't any clouds to color up anyway. I'm planning on going back and shooting that trestle at least once more over the summer. There's another really cool trestle over my favorite smallmouth stream, and I should be able to get better angles on that one because I'll be able to get in the water.

[COMike 0]

The second shot is amazing to me Bryon!

 

I can never get the sun with reflections in a shot. I really need to take lessons in photography. My little iPhone camera might be able to do some adjustments/tweaks but I am part of the .....

 

LEAD PENCIL CLUB....essentially I am the "pothole" on the information superhighway when it comes to tech stuff at times....LOL

 

I think your second picture stand's on it's own! I noticed in the upper left of the picture (on the trestle) that you can actually see some really nice colors in there!

 

Mike

[Bryon Anderson 0]

_Mike,

 

_{I am quite new to the whole photography thing myself. I've wanted to learn for years, but since I didn't have anything but point-and-shoot cameras, I didn't think it was worth my time to learn more than just, well...point and shoot.}

 

_{It was only after doing a couple of magazine articles that I decided to get more serious about it. Initially, it was just so I wouldn't have to rely on someone else to do all my photography for me. (I learned pretty quickly that it's pictures, NOT words that sell magazine articles!) So I upgraded to a more versatile camera, then upgraded again, and started learning. Once I started, I quickly discovered that it is a LOT of fun. I like to think I have a bit of an artisitic nature, and photography really appeals to that. I love the way it has changed the way I look at the world. I see things now that I would never have noticed before, and I see familiar objects in brand new ways.}

 

_{Anyway, I did myself a good turn by purchasing a very useful book called Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs With Any Camera by Bryan Peterson. It explains how a camera creates an image in a very easy-to-understand way, much like Skip Morris's book does for fly tying. Even if you just stick with your iPhone (which takes very nice photos, by the way), understanding how exposure works will make a big difference in how you compose and shoot pictures. It's been invaluable to me.}

 

_Cheers,

_Bryon

[RCFetter 0]

the 2nd pic in the first post is really nice. don't think I've ever seen a wooden trestle before.

thanks for posting the pics.