Blur shot question

[RobJor]

Hesitate to ask, don't want to sound dumb or negative but I don't understand this effect, vis-a-vis a still shot or other blur photos I have seen.

PhotoID: 751903 Photograph © Michael J. Wilson

Bob

As an aside looking at the shadow gap, visually it looks lucky the caddy didn't lose a bumper.

[miningcamper3]

Can Photoshop do this? I noticed the same, shall we say, odd look as Rob did, and that was before he posted.
Anyway...
Tastes differ, of course. I won't be saving this one.

[John Russell - NZ]

Originally Posted by miningcamper3

Tastes differ, of course.

Back in the early days of photography this effect probably didn't require much effort or technique! A lot of train shots were posed, of course, due to the early limitations of film photography. The quote is perhaps an understatement and maybe is more generally applicable on this site than most folk here would like.

[Mike Wilson]

While blur shots such as the one I took are not "in vogue" for most railroad photographers, I wanted to accomplish the task of focusing on something other than just the train. 95% of charter photographers do just that and while that is perfectly acceptable I have shot the Strasburg Rail Road too many times to count and I find it imperative to come away with something completely different and unique. I find that slowing the shutter speed and focusing on the car and crossing scene, in this instance, helps to create a more dramatic effect of speed and motion in combination with the steam exhaust and whirling rods. I think in some ways it mimics what our eyes see when a bigger locomotive like #90 comes whizzing by us.

This is just my opinion and I do not take myself seriously enough as a railroad photographer to think its the only and best way, but I wanted this to be more of an explanation of my thought process.

[Decapod401]

Originally Posted by Mike Wilson

While blur shots such as the one I took are not "in vogue" for most railroad photographers, I wanted to accomplish the task of focusing on something other than just the train. 95% of charter photographers do just that and while that is perfectly acceptable I have shot the Strasburg Rail Road too many times to count and I find it imperative to come away with something completely different and unique. I find that slowing the shutter speed and focusing on the car and crossing scene, in this instance, helps to create a more dramatic effect of speed and motion in combination with the steam exhaust and whirling rods. I think in some ways it mimics what our eyes see when a bigger locomotive like #90 comes whizzing by us.

This is just my opinion and I do not take myself seriously enough as a railroad photographer to think its the only and best way, but I wanted this to be more of an explanation of my thought process.

Mike,

I have no issue with trying something different in a situation where you're getting three or four cracks at recording a scene on a photo charter. I've got plenty of blurred slides where 25/64 ISO wouldn't hold up to the lighting conditions. Some are of scarce subjects, and have been rejected by the screeners when submitted to RP. That doesn't mean that yours should have suffered the same fate, as it was an intentional effect that crosses from documentational to "artsy", which doesn't work for everyone. I have only intentionally blurred a train once, and it was a very tongue-in-cheek shot where I felt that I was risking nothing to take it:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/149706553@N05/50484684553

[Joe the Photog]

It's a good way to depict speed esp. at a crossing with a car in front of the train. It's usually not a shot I think about doing, but I have, in fact, done it a few times with typical modern day diesels

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by Mike Wilson

While blur shots such as the one I took are not "in vogue" for most railroad photographers, I wanted to accomplish the task of focusing on something other than just the train. 95% of charter photographers do just that and while that is perfectly acceptable I have shot the Strasburg Rail Road too many times to count and I find it imperative to come away with something completely different and unique. I find that slowing the shutter speed and focusing on the car and crossing scene, in this instance, helps to create a more dramatic effect of speed and motion in combination with the steam exhaust and whirling rods. I think in some ways it mimics what our eyes see when a bigger locomotive like #90 comes whizzing by us.

This is just my opinion and I do not take myself seriously enough as a railroad photographer to think its the only and best way, but I wanted this to be more of an explanation of my thought process.

Great response, and I think you captured it quite well. I like the effect of the train blurring through the scene.