Railroad Shoot

On the evening of  November 7th, I participated in a group shoot with the Cincinnati Female Image Makers at a train depot.  The group was 10 people,  5 models and 5 photographers all the photographers wore masks during the shoot, which was 95% outside, except for the few instances people were in the one open train car.  Before the shoot everyone was provided a few mood boards for inspiration, the models went for a more vintage1940’s look in there outfits instead of steampunk look. 

For this shoot I used:

• Canon 80D
• 2 Speed lights
• Light stand
• Mini soft box

I shot 247 frames over the course of 75 minutes.  (Each photographer is given 15-minutes per model.) I shoot the 247 frames at ISO 200.  I used three apertures over the course of the shoot F5, which was the most prevalent, F6.3, and F8 which was the least prevalent. My shutter speed ranged from 1/25s to 1/250s with a majority of the frames being shot at 1/250s and 1/160s.  My focal range varied from 18mm to 50mm with the most common focal length being 18mm.

For this shoot we had permission from the  Railroad to climb on the train cars and train engine, usually you are prohibited from doing this. There were a nice variety of cars and colors, but only one was open to shoot inside of.  We could also shoot at the little vintage gas station that now acts as an office; however, it was already decorated for Christmas.

I worked with each of the five models, and tried my best to match the mood of the photo to the outfit they were wearing.  The first model I got to work with was  Lilith (Lillith_Gloom  on Instagram).  Her outfit was adorable and her modeling and mannerism really made the outfit and the time period she was portraying come alive.  I have several favorite images of her but my first is of her sitting on the train looking out the window, it just reminds me of a movie scene were our female lead is plotting her next move.  For the first image I had the flash with the softbox set to my left to add a bit of kick to the window light coming in from the window and make sure the shadows weren’t too harsh.  The sunlight gave the image a nice golden tone which complimented the brown of her outfit and played well with the color of the seats in the train. 

(ISO 200, Aperture F6.3, Shutter 1/200s, Focal Length 40mm)

The second image was one of the last shots I took of her, I asked her to lean out the train window and wave like she was saying goodbye.  To get this image I had the flash to my left and raised all the way to the height of the model’s face.  When editing I increased the brightness on the model slightly, increase the clarity a touch, then added a vignette to pull the image together. 

(ISO 200, Aperture F6.3, Shutter 1/160s, Focal Length 18mm)

Getting on and off the train are classic pictures and Donna (Donnaheartcle  on Instagram) gave me some great poses using this concept.  My favorite by far is her ascending the steps of the train and looking up with a smile.  Due to the angle I took the shot you can’t tell if there is a person there, she would be smiling at or she is just happy to be heading off on an adventure. I like to thing this is the ending of some 1940’s romance movie where the female lead, after going through rough times reunites with her lover in the end.  This would be the scene right before the camera pans to see who is standing in the vestibule of the train car.  To get this image the flash was to my right and positioned just slightly above and pointed towards the model’s face.  When editing the image, I brighten the light on the model’s face a little bit and added a  bit of a vignette to the image.

(ISO 200, Aperture F5, Shutter 1/250s, Focal Length 18mm)

In this second image of Donna, I used the same set up as the first image but the expression and pose give the image a completely different feel. This image gives me the feeling that the model is a femme fatale, looking back to make sure no one is following her as he gets on the train.

(ISO 200, Aperture F5, Shutter 1/250s, Focal Length 18mm)

The next model I had the pleasure of working with was Alexis (Darlin_Lexi on  Instagram). For her images I stepped away from story telling just a bit.  I feel like her images are better suited to be on some album cover and lean more towards fashion.  My favorite image is of her standing at the back of the engine with the setting sun  streaming lighting her face. I did use the flash to fill in a bit of the shadows on the darker side.   When editing the image, I knew I would not be able to save the color on far edge of the engine since that was blown out but the detail was there. I used a few graduated filters to balance the image and overall strong vignette to finish the image.

(ISO 200, Aperture F8, Shutter 1/100s, Focal Length 18mm)

This second image leans towards a fashion image you would see in something like Town and Country.  For this image the flash was set to my right, raised, and pointed down towards the model’s face.  When editing the image, I balanced the exposure and bumped the clarity slightly. I also used a yellow/violet split tone. I used yellow/violet to go with the blue of the train car and the yellow accents on the train car.  The image was finished off with a light vignette.

(ISO 200, Aperture F5, Shutter 1/160s, Focal Length 18mm)

The next model I got to work with was Gabby (moriartieuniverse on Instagram). My favorite photo of her sitting on a bench by the train.  I like this image because it is different perspective then the other images, it is one of simply waiting. This image was mostly in the shade since the sun was on the other side of the engine.  So to light the image I placed my flash to the right of me, up slightly and pointed down, zoomed out to 35mm.  When editing the image, I balanced the bright light in the back with the more subdued light given off by the flash. I did brighten the light on the model’s face slightly and added a bit of a vignette to the final image.

(ISO 200, Aperture F5, Shutter 1/160s, Focal Length 18mm)

This second image is more of an action shot of typical train experience, looking for your seat. To light this image, I balanced the natural light coming in from the grain windows with flash to light the whole scene. When editing I enhanced the light on the model’s face slightly and evened out the tones in the image.  I also got rig of the stand 6-feet apart sticker on the floor of the train car.  

(ISO 200, Aperture F5, Shutter 1/100s, Focal Length 18mm)

The final model I worked with was Kelsey (kelseysentry  on Instagram).  My favorite image is of her looking out the train window, which I converted to black and white.  I felt black and white weas more suitable for this image and makes one focus on the subtle lighting on her face coming from the window.  I did use flash in this image to add a bit of fill.  When editing, besides changing it to black and white, I darkened it a little bit and enhanced the highlights slightly. I finished with a heavy vignette.  

(ISO 200, Aperture F5, Shutter 1/50s, Focal Length 18mm)

I like this final image for the expression on the model’s face and the overall mood of the image.  To light this image the flash was placed to my left, perpendicular to the model with the light positioned above her face and pointed slightly down. I used the natural light coming from the window as a bit of backlighting and fill. When editing the image, I tended towards a darker exposure while enhancing the highlights. To finish the image, I added a deep vignette to keep the image moody.

(ISO 200, Aperture F5, Shutter 1/100s, Focal Length 18mm)

This was a great shoot, and a nice way to work with a bunch of different models. However, it did make me miss my cosplay meet-ups. The 15-minute time constraint for working with each model was not an issue for me, since I’m use to working fast due to conventions. The only hinderance I had was how fast I could get on and off the train while holding a light stand and wearing a bookbag and a camera.  I enjoy these shoots and will attend more in the future.   You can see the whole set of final images here:  CFIM – Railroad Shoot