Click on the photo above for a 1024 sized version.
Of more interest to photographers, might be that this photo was taken using a Nikon Nikkor 35mm focal length prime lens dating from the mid-1960's. We tend to think of digital photography as throwaway, but this need not be the case, many makes of digital SLR allow the use of wonderful older lenses - and 'vintage' is so cool! So, if you have a limited budget, the smart money will always go on a good lens, the chances are that you or your kids might still be using it 45 years later like here - whereas that expensive camera body will be down the car boot sale with all the knocked off tat in just 5. And the real bonus is that 'camera make' prime lenses are frequently optically far better than mid-priced zooms and go for pennies on Ebay! Of course that smarmy salesman in the out-of-town megastore will not tell you any of the above for obvious reasons.
So, here we have a portrayal of the end of steam scenario, taken on a lens that was around when steam ruled supreme, well just!
Below, hopefully some of the answers to the blizzard of questions that will no doubt follow......
- Loco: Bachmann Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-2 renumbered, detailed and weathered.
- Coach: Hornby Hawksworth Brake Compo after a bit of fettling
- Van: Ratio (Kit) SR bogie van.
- Layout: Catcott Burtle.
- Toys: Nikon D200, Nikkor S 35mm f2.8 shooting RAW with the camera firmly mounted on a tripod.
- Exp: 3 sec at f16, using 6 exposures combined in Helicon Focus to extend the depth of field.
- Lighting: The layout's own fluorescent lighting.
- Cheating: The only computer addition is the loco-clag using 'Clouds' in Photoshop.
- Not-cheating: The sky is physically there, is actually part of the layout and was produced photographically - proof here for those that think everything is make-believe these days: http://www.nevardmedia5.fotopic.net/p57399245.html . I'm mid-way through writing an article for the popular press on doing such.