Photo 365 - Day 231 (Millbrae Train)

Day 231 (February 19th, 2011)
Title: Millbrae Train


I love trains (I think I've mentioned that before), and BART is no exception.  Some folks don't count light rail as trains, but I still enjoy riding them.  That's one part of living in (or around, in my case) a big city - mass transit!  I'm an avid fan of trains, buses, rickshaws, taxis, boats, junks, trolleys, ferries, you name it - as long as it means I don't have to drive - I like it!


I enjoy the composition of this shot, because of the juxtaposition (that's right, I used an artsy word!): Fast moving train versus still, waiting, riders.  There is also a mirroring of the still riders in the windows of the train, giving it a duality (double points - two artsy words used!).


Technical bits: Due to it being generally dark in the waiting area, I amp'ed some of the settings up to help get the photo.  Shot at f/4.0 at 1/50th, using on-board flash with ISO set to 1600 (that's why the photo is a bit fuzzy).


Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 230 (Tiger Bike)

Day 230 (February 18th, 2011)
Title: Tiger Bike

Riding the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit - basically the subway system/light rail for the San Francisco Bay Area), you meet a lot of interesting folks - some you wish you hadn't ever met, some you wish you could have chatted more with, and some who might not even be native residents of this planet.  Happily, the gentleman I met while waiting to get to downtown SF was of the middle group - I was enjoying a lovely chat, which was tragically shortened by my train arriving.  At first, I saw his bike, which is certainly an attention-getter (see the photo), and so I decided to walk up and ask him if I could shoot a few shots of it.  He smiled and said yes and while getting some close-ups of the tail and handlebars, we started chatting about photography.  I also loved that the warning cone was his - which is important, because it IS a tiger bike after all!


So, the next time you see something a bit wacky (like a tiger bike), walk up and ask about it, you never know what sort of conversation might ensue. 

Technical bits:  I was using my widest angle lens for this shot (18-55mm) at 18mm.  I had to use the on-board flash (I think it would have come out a lot better if I could have used a flashgun or other more powerful source).   The settings were: f/4.0 at 1/60th (ISO 400).  For "next time", I think a lower angle (perhaps being at his eye-level) would have made the shot more friendly/inviting. 


Enjoy!