Take better silhouettes!
Magical at sunrise, marvellous at sunset – silhouettes can be a forgotten side of railway photography, often due to timings and vegetation, which has ruined many locations over the years. John Titlow selects his finest silhouettes from four decades at the lineside.
Magical at sunrise, marvellous at sunset – silhouettes can be a forgotten side of railway photography, often due to timings and vegetation undergrowth which has ruined many potential locations over the years. John Titlow selects his finest silhouettes from four decades of lineside photography.
One of the biggest problems is to find a clear section of railway on a bridge, viaduct or an embankment without trees or vegetation so the train can be fully highlighted against the sky.
Personally, silhouettes are ruined by having details on the side of either the locomotive or carriages. Numbers or any details on the locomotives or carriages should not be seen at all – the art of a silhouette is for a completely black subject, or it is not one.
How many times have we been fooled by the weather forecast and go out, only to find dull conditions for the day? However, all need not be lost because a colourless day can still produce a reasonable effect with a little bit of thought and work.
Lines that run north to south give a greater opportunity, with the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
Some preserved and main lines can produce spectacular effects whereas others provide none whatsoever. Lines that run through valleys are the most difficult because it is impossible to highlight the train against the sky. Setting it against a background of a hill does not work because the train merges into that background.
The shorter days of winter are often the best at creating wonderful red glows, which can extend into early spring and late autumn. Just because the sun has disappeared over the horizon, don’t give up; this can often be a chance of getting good results, with the sun illuminating the clouds from underneath and creating wonderful afterglows. Predawn can have a similar effect.
Summer tends not to have so many wonderful colours, though you have to be up very early to make any use of the sunrise. Just the slightest colour in the sky can make a good result.
Most railway photography tends to be best by being level with the train or using height to look down, getting more of the landscape in view. It is the opposite for silhouettes, where you want to be as low as possible. Get low to lift the train against the skyline – it may seem crazy but ‘photographers’ have been known to lay down sometimes in unsavoury places to get the greatest benefit.
Choosing your location
It is not a difficult technique to get good results, but a little more thought has to be put in when choosing a location.
Pick one where there are no trees or bushes to grow out around the locomotive; there is nothing worse than branches or twigs sticking out of your subject or letting it run too far where a tree touches it to become part of the subject.
Foreground can have vegetation that can be hidden in front of the locomotive, especially if exposed correctly and the subject becomes black. There can be a problem here – it can become messy if you want to see underneath the frames and highlight the spoked wheels. If there is enough space, allow the locomotive to run that little bit further through the picture to hide bushes by the tender.
Water can be useful as a background rather than the sky, but locations like this are rare. Height is essential for this to ensure the train is fully silhouetted against the water – and not any distant hills or objects that can blend in with the train. A break is essential between the subjects.
It is also possible to silhouette against fields, but there must be a very strong contrast of light or colours between the subject and background. Be careful not to let any dark, distant hills blend in with the train.
Lighting very much depends on where the clouds and sun are in the background. At sunrise and sunset this changes minute by minute and can vary enormously within a very short time. The colour of sky is important and can be the difference between an average or good image. Soft sun can produce a very good, often more colourful image.
Timings are important and knowing sunrise and sunset times helps: you want the
train at the optimum location and position to maximise the silhouette.
Shapes and outlines
Some steam locomotives are immediately recognisable silhouetted, LNER A4s in particular.
The more shape to a locomotive, the more interesting it is silhouetted, such as wheel arrangements, chimneys, cabs, domes, and even the boiler when it is raised above the frames and there is a gap separating them for the light to come through.
Diesels I find difficult due to their lack of shape... dare I mention the word boxes!
There are some with a distinctive shape and could be worthy contenders, but the exhaust of a steam locomotive helps against the sky. This is a personal view.
Technique
Exposure is the major factor governing a good silhouette.
This was very critical with film because over-exposure bleaches out any detail in the sky and under-exposure blackens the subject against the backdrop.
Primarily, the most basic is to freeze your image which must be sharp by using a high shutter speed – at least 1/500th of a second
on preserved lines or higher for faster trains on the main line. Silhouettes are much easier with digital cameras because the results are viewed instantly and can be corrected long before the train appears.
Firstly, set the camera to shutter priority and take an image pointing towards the brightest spot; this will give an idea of how much detail there is in the sky.
It does not want to be bleached out or too dark. As time goes on, you will be able to guess this.
Do be careful looking into the sun. Take multiple exposures at different apertures beforehand as a test. This technique is known as bracketing, and all this will vary as the light changes and the sun sets.
A lot more can be done afterwards using photo editing software.
Once you have decided on the exposure you are happy with, turn the camera to manual exposure, locking both shutter speed and aperture. This is without doubt the best option. You have to control this rather than the camera.
One problem when shooting directly into the sun is flare in the lens. The train and smoke can be used to block the sun, reducing this. Digital cameras do not like extreme or harsh sunlight directly into the lens, so be careful.
Another issue I have found is focusing when pointing the camera towards the sky, because the sensor has nothing to react to. Should this happen, point it towards the ground where the train will be, overcoming this problem by giving the camera a focal point.
Some people use graded filters but I personally would rather play with the image in editing software. Rectifying it afterwards
if it is wrong can be more difficult.
Low ASA/ISO helps considerably to reduce noise commonly called grain.
Noise in the sky can ruin a wonderful smooth effect.
In film days it was one shot only, particularly with colour, and what you got back from the processors was it; there was no way of manipulating it afterwards.
Another complication that reduces impact can be smoke blowing down over the locomotive and the wheels, which can get messy. One plus is to hide awful headboards.
Most cameras are capable of taking reasonable silhouettes. A motor drive is very helpful and gives a greater chance of getting the train at the best position.
Digital is so cheap as opposed to film and unsuitable images can be simply deleted, reducing space on SD cards. It is best that this is done later on the computer as things can look very different on the camera. It could be the best shot you delete, where the colour of the sky is at its best.
Post processing
Once you have your image, the interesting bit begins with the photo editing software suite on the computer.
I use Adobe Photoshop, although nowhere near to its full capacity. Each image varies immensely, and it is all on a very personal basis. Files in NEF/RAW format are much better to work with as they have a greater level of detail, and it is possible to make adjustments before opening the file.
With a NEF/RAW file, before the image goes into Photoshop, check if the sky has bleached out – this can happen when shooting into the sun.
Adjusting the exposure and darkening highlights at this point will pull in greater sky detail, and reducing shadows blackens the subject, which is what we want.
It is always possible to return by pressing the ‘as shot’ tab. Do not worry too much at this stage as all can be adjusted later.
Once opened, one tool I find particularly useful with silhouettes is the enhance/adjust lighting/levels tool. Using the sliders can further increase the blacks and lighten or darken the sky. Lastly, adjust the contrast.
Using the brush tool, remove any detail of things like logos, numberplates, and any detail on carriages…this is a silhouette.
Tweaking colour
Adjust colour next using the hue/saturation tab. Push up saturation to a point where it does not look fake.
Tweaking the individual colours can be very interesting, but don’t overdo it.
Finally, use the spot healing brush to remove any things you are unhappy with.
All this is personal and each image is different – there are no set rules.
What works for you might not for others, and there are always plenty of people out there to criticise – as it is so easy to do.
If you make a mistake, it is easy to go back a step using the undo arrow or just start again.
The image is always there unless you delete the original, which is a huge mistake.
Keep trying
If it gives you pleasure, as our hobby does, continue to enjoy it. You decide what is best for you; as long as you are happy with your results, keep at it. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
This is a very good way to start and end the day. As a well-known photographer commented at the lineside, you have to be there to fail.
We have all done this many times and will continue to do so – but it will not stop us from trying.