Views through the train window

[TonyW]

Last month, my wife and I travelled from Sydney to Perth by train, a journey of over 4,000km starting 3pm Saturday, arriving at 9am Tuesday, stopping at four places on the way: Broken Hill, Adelaide, Cook and Kalgoorlie. In between drinks, meals, conversation with friends I managed to get a few pictures of the countryside. Many of the pictures are plain and featureless, like the country, and the views are pretty much tangential to the ground but I hope they give a bit of a flavour of the country. They are in chronological order.

1. The Blue Mountains, not far west of Sydney

056A9498a by tonyw36, on Flickr

2. Sunday sunrise (I have to be allowed one sunset or sunrise)

056A9508a by tonyw36, on Flickr

3. Keeping company across the desert

056A9579a by tonyw36, on Flickr

4. In the South Australian wheat belt

056A9604a by tonyw36, on Flickr

5. More wheat. It looks like a good season

056A9607a by tonyw36, on Flickr

6. On the Nullarbor Plain

056A9731a by tonyw36, on Flickr

7. A bit of grass appearing

056A9762a by tonyw36, on Flickr

8. Yet more wheat as Perth gets closer

056A9839a by tonyw36, on Flickr

[Donald]

Great series of images, Tony.

For me, the one that stands out is this ................

I think that's great picture. The composition just grabs you (well, me!).

[bnnrcn]

All very nice Tony

[Shadowman]

Quite a distance traveled, were these photographed through an open or closed window? Nicely captured.

[HaseebM]

Nos: 1 & 3 I like very much. Train journeys were great during early days without airconditioning. Now with A/C, everything is glassed and tinted.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

No. 7 does it for me. The clouds and earth meeting out at infinity in a perfectly straight line. Great shot!
Thanks for sharing. My sister lives in Perth so I've seen some of your country via her pictures. Wish I could visit but I couldn't stay on an airplane long enough to get there I'm afraid.

[Nicks Pics]

Tony, I would agree that the one Donald complimented is a great picture, there are too many to consider very carefully, but the first also I liked, it really wasn't boring, looks very Australian to me. The sunset is also striking. I would say you did a good job shooting from a moving train if that's what you did, must have had to use a high-ish shutter speed. It depends on how much of a perfectionist you are, but I noticed a little noise/sharpening grain in the first image at full size.

[TonyW]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Donald, I thought too that #4 was the one with the good composition. But even in the dessert, there were continually subtle changes in the appearance, even if only a new patch of red earth or a small bush.

John, all these were through a closed window. The window did not see to have a noticeable tint but there were some troublesome reflections which were hard or impossible to remove.

Nick, shooting from a moving train was not a problem really except for things that were close. Mostly there was enough light for a good shutter speed although the first was taken in the late afternoon. It was surprising how often there was a good scene spoilt by passing trees close to the line.

[pnodrog]

Good selection.

See any photo opportunity that tempted you to pull the emergency cord so the train would stop and you could get out and set up the tripod?

[IzzieK]

Good selection.

See any photo opportunity that tempted you to pull the emergency cord so the train would stop and you could get out and set up the tripod?

At some parts of the Nullabor Plains can be scary especially at night...

All nice shots Tony...I like the truck in #3...

[Suzan J]

Hi Tony: Thanks for sharing this series. I have never been to Australia, but I am getting a pretty good glimpse of the countryside from your images. A lot of these shots remind me very much of Saskatchewan. Number 4 is particularly nice with the little barn in the composition.

[Shadowman]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Donald, I thought too that #4 was the one with the good composition. But even in the dessert, there were continually subtle changes in the appearance, even if only a new patch of red earth or a small bush.

John, all these were through a closed window. The window did not see to have a noticeable tint but there were some troublesome reflections which were hard or impossible to remove.

Nick, shooting from a moving train was not a problem really except for things that were close. Mostly there was enough light for a good shutter speed although the first was taken in the late afternoon. It was surprising how often there was a good scene spoilt by passing trees close to the line.

Very clean compositions for through the glass shots.

[Brownbear]

Hi Tony,

Lovely series.

I also adore #4 for the beautiful colours, and also for the layers of trees/layers of colour that lead up to the beautiful rolling hills on the horizon.