Don Hill
July 2026 - Old Box Car
About the Image(s)
The next town up from where I live has a lot of old train cars. I decided to try out my new iPhone. The train car was built in Wyoming in September 1998 and did not originally have windows (or Graffiti). I liked the old abandoned track in front of the car and since it was 98 degrees, I decided to leave the foreground hot and dry looking. Post processing was in Adobe Camera Raw, and I really did not do much to the image. If you have been a member for a while you will know I love old rusty metal things.
The image was captured with my iPhone 17 pro in Raw mode, with a 14mm lens at ISO 20 shot at 1/500sec at F/2.2.
10 comments posted
Hi Don. I wonder if a monochrome presentation would make the image look more hot and dry. You could make it quite grungy which would work with the graffiti. The rust has quite warm, cosy tones. Posted: 07/01/2026 09:29:55
Hey Julie. Good Point. I guess I got caught up in the rust. Here is Silver Efex Gritty. Posted: 07/01/2026 17:27:18
Hey Julie, as an additional note, I am glad you mentioned the Monochrome. I probably would not have revisited it. I value your comments like that. Posted: 07/03/2026 19:27:45
Hi Don - I like old rusty stuff too. This old car is a wonderful subject and has so much going on with textures and details - I agree that monochrome helps you bring this out.
I am also seeing a repetition of squares and rectangles. If you are into abstracts, you could have some fun playing with this in color and monochrome.
In the current composition, my eye is a bit distracted by the foreground and the tracks. I experimented with the crop just to see the difference.
the new cell phone did a great job. Posted: 07/02/2026 13:42:19
I am also seeing a repetition of squares and rectangles. If you are into abstracts, you could have some fun playing with this in color and monochrome.
In the current composition, my eye is a bit distracted by the foreground and the tracks. I experimented with the crop just to see the difference.
the new cell phone did a great job. Posted: 07/02/2026 13:42:19
Hey Sheri. Thank you for the kind words. The tracks are a toss-up. I wanted to give the image some depth. I love abstract photography, and will play with this image with that in mind. With the new phone, I have dilemma now because I have two trips coming up and would really not like to lug around a bunch of stuff for 21 days in China. My daughter has the new iPhone and is 10 days into a 16 day trip to Sicily and her images are unbelievable. Thank you again for your comments. Posted: 07/03/2026 19:25:20
Hi Don, I like both the monochrome (but not so gritty) and the color versions. You did a great job of making sure everything is straight vertically and horizontally. I like it with the railroad tracks in the foreground to add more interest. The graffiti gives the eye a place to rest nicely. I was thinking 1998 would be fairly new, but it's actually 28 years ago. Time flies! Hahaha! Posted: 07/02/2026 17:54:41
Hey Janice. Thank you for the kind words. I will look at the grit again. Posted: 07/03/2026 19:18:58
Hi, Don. I like old rusty things too! I like the symmetry of the windows and ladders in the train car. I wonder if a different angle would give more of an abandoned feel? I tried desaturating which keeps some of the color of the rust. Posted: 07/03/2026 19:06:43
Hey Elaine, I appreciate the kind words. I tried different angles but maybe I could have gotten lower. At my age, I may not have been Able to get back up (ha). I never thought about desaturation. Thanks for giving me something to think about. Again, welcome to the group. I look forward to more of your ideas. Posted: 07/03/2026 19:16:38
Thank you, Don. I totally understand about the getting lower. I've been trying to see if exercising would help me with that, but I'm not very consistent with it so no improvement yet. One member in my camera club has a little fold up stool he uses. I tried sitting on a low bucket once and couldn't even do that. Posted: 07/03/2026 19:22:13