"All Aboard"

stunning Image!
You are one lucky person getting to ride on the footplate! I feel I should move to my right otherwise I am going to get hit by a steam train :))

One word: WOW!!

OK, I’ll elaborate a bit: Fantastic capture and treatment! (What’s more to say; it’s great!) :-)

Wow what a wonderful shot!! I love it Shawn!! Gives me the old timey feeling!!!!

Very interesting combination of HDR and Orton! You are starting up new trends :-) Wonderful picture and very dramatic effect!

Perfect! I hardly know where to go from there – this is a beauty! I predict you will sell one of these! It’s absolutely amazing!

You’ve definetly learned to combine all the new techniques. This makes me want to say …” ALL ABOARD….” It’s just Beautiful !! Your photography makes things come alive. And moves you in time magically.

This is *Stunning) Bradley…..:)
Ummm maybe I should take up the offer of learning how to do HDR.. A photo becomes a piece of artwork….

Absolutely stunning! Fantastic! Perfect angle and composition. Reminds me of the Hogwarts Express… Outstanding piece of art!

Superb piece of work!

Stunning treatment , Bradley

What a stunning image.. Just love it.. The HDR on this is just fantastic.. Beautiful capture and work :))

What fun!! A train trip with the family. The stuff great memories are made of. Fantastic shot here Shawn! well done.

Bradley Shawn – that is really quite superb!

excellent work well done

yeah – brad – I do love this :o) – takes me back ya know!

Brilliant shot & effect!

So great HDR image this is.. Congrats on this feature tonight.. Writing quite interesting too..

Congratulation Bradley….Great work…

Very dramatic!

Outstanding! This photo, clearly the work of an aficionado, captures the spirit of the ‘School’ of Steam Locomotive Photographers such as Don Wood, Elwin Heath, James Adams, et al. Images of steam locomotives lent themselves to innumerable media formats, from the purely aesthetic, Fine Art prints, many taken by the most prominent photographers of the day, through purely commercial applications, like Annual Reports published by some of the industrial giants of the day (see also Annual Reports of major Ship Building companies, especially during the period 1920 through 1940), originals of which are highly sought after, and hence valuable ‘collectible’ – themselves often rivaling the very best of the Fine Art sector. Perhaps it was fortuitous that the ‘Great’ photos of this genre were taken before the advent of color photography, when the ‘art’ of print-making was seen as an art form in and of itself, and photographers such as Ansel Adams devoted as much time, energy and creativity to producing their Prints as they had to capturing the image itself – rarely delegating such an important component to third parties.

[Many were the work of unemployed artists during the Great Depression, taken under the auspices of FDR’s New Deal legislation, which included the creation and funding of the Federal government’s Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), organized by the Civil Works Administration. The general purpose of the program was “to give work to artists by arranging to have competent representatives of the profession embellish public buildings.” This program lasted less than one year, yet it provided employment for approximately 3,700 artists who created nearly 15,000 works of art. In 1935, a similar project, the Federal Art Project (FAP) was established by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Federal Art Project continued until 1943, when the beginning of World War II had changed economic priority to the war effort and the Nation was experiencing economic recovery. Thus ended the first major era of government patronage for art in the United States.] (Redacted and paraphrased from a variety of credible and respected sources).

By rendering the steam in Black/White, and retaining the patina of the loading (water, coal?) machinery in that perfect brown, modestly rusted color of heavily used equipment which has the look of being maintained without being pampered. The steam locomotive lovers among us will wax nostalgic over the Rio Grande Zephyr, the Silver Meteor, those ‘romantic routes’ which conjure up pictures of Pullman Sleepers, 46 hour journeys, with Dining Cars, Observation cars, and the long, narrow passageways which ran the length of the car, just wide enough for one – a welcomed narrowness which provided the male, forced by unavoidable circumstance to navigate past that beautiful young lady fate was kind enough to put in his path that moment, or an annoying inconvenience when cruel fate chose instead to place an obnoxious, class-conscious matron, conspicuously lacking that savoir-vivre, her harried PA in tow, in his path. The photo is endowed with an authenticity which clever and visually appealing post-processing fail to diminish. In all of this you’ve created an image which, as you said in your narrative invoke “the sights, sounds, and smells of steam trains. They represent a more romantic time.” Congratulations – not only for a superb photo, but also for saying, in 16 words what it took me 533 words to say :D

Amazing capture! Congrats on ImageWriting feature!

Congratulations you have been featured in Rural Around The Globe. BigD

Amazing shot Shawn, stunning processing and composition!

MY CONGRATS BRADLEY...I really enjoyed the read my friend.

Congratulations, Shawn!!!! Two features on this piece in a short time – see, you’re on your way to selling it!! Pretty soon, I’ll be able to say what I read from a certain person, “Na na na na, I told you so!”

Hi Bradley, I too love old time steam engines and trains. Not too many left running in the U.S. these days. The work you did on this shot is fantastic. Excellent. I like the brownish tones of the engine and how it contrasts with the steam and clouds. The Orton effect looks great. It’s like looking through a time portal into a past age. I like it. Ed

great capture, nicely done :))

many congrats Shawn :)) so glad we are a part of your 100th!

awww that is fantastic :))

YAY I would have featured it last week but didn’t as I assumed it was in the transport challenge! Just as well or it wouldn’t have been your 100th!

Excellent work. (Two words.)

Great image!

Amazing work of art! Fav.

This is a masterpiece !! Your at the right group now…..Nostalgic Art and Photography

wonderful capture

Terrific,well done!!!!

This would be great in the Happy Haven Photography current challenge: Planes, Trains and Automobiles!
Marie ~ Co-Host

CONGRATULATIONS! THIS GREAT CAPTURE IS FEATURED IN ALPHABET SOUP! Please enter this image into The Best of T Challenge!
Marie ~ Host

I just discoverd this whaile voting in the plane, train, auto ontest, captured me completely!!
Excellent treatment and superb enotion!

Just saw this while voting…phenomenal!

ON PLACING #2 in THE TOP 10!!!!!!

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES CHALLENEG

Congratulations on comming in 2nd in the challenge, your image is fabulous and shows your great photographic skills.

Well done Bradley , just voted for it, I hope it’s win the challenge

Fantastic shot! I love steam trains and remember as a young child travelling on them and envied my brothers having train sets but have held on to my sons!

CONGRATULATIONS! THIS GREAT CAPTURE PLACED IN THE TOP TEN FOR THE BEST OF T CHALLENGE IN ALPHABET SOUP!
Marie ~ Host

WOW STUNNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing! Love this!! :) CONGRATULATIONS ;) :)

You are so welcome :)
They are very much romantic, I’m a huge lover of trains. The world would be hurting without them, they are needed and should always be respected.
This is an amazing shot and I love what you did with it. :) :)

brilliant image, reminiscent of a still from a great old Hollywood blockbuster

Congratulations on the challenge!
Most deserving!! One of my all time fav images of a steam loco!

Congratulations on your Top 10 win, this is a lovely capture Bradley of this great old train. I know what you mean about steping back in time when you board one.. I have a passion for them too.

I’d would never have thought of Orton for a train, but you made me a believer. It’s great.

Congratulations on your Top Ten finish in the Planes, Trains & Automobiles challenge.

6/21/09

Congratulations on your many features on this beautiful photo Shawn, specially the challenge Top2 in Old Things,,,,,,,,,,way to go

CONGRATULATIONS! for winning the HDR Challenge. Well done my friend!

Congrats on your win in the Inspired Art Challenge!

bravo !
my best, francis.

Fantastic artwork! Congratulations on your challenge win!!

Well done my friend! Fantastic image and a well deserved win :-)

bravo !
my best, your host (francis).

(your vote is needed here !)