View allAll Photos Tagged rustoleum
I don't know if anyone ever reads my descriptions, but I write them anyway, so there!!
Was out today (August 20th 2021) on a forced vacation day, from 9:30AM til' almost 4PM. 80F today but it felt like 100F. This is a very active line and I probably flicked 20 freights today. 750+ flicks. By the time I get rid of a few duplicates, and bad ones, I'm guessing it'll be about 700 +/-. 700 to straighten, fix any color issues, upload, and also ID the writers. It's lots of time and as you can imagine, it's a lot of work, but so far it's been fun. I'm trying to not rush myself to post before I'm ready. I already have the flicks, and they're timeless. So getting them posted ASAP!!!!!! is not really my concern. Duh..
Had an interesting interaction with a guy while out there. Guy with backpack had walked back and forth across the tracks a few times. The lat time I saw him he was on the other side of a set, about 100 yards away. Next thing you know he's coming closer..... Closer..... And I'm like WTF? I'm way out here minding my own business. He walks within' like 10 ft. of me and I say "How ya' doin'?" he says something, and then says "Trains?" and I say "Yep." and he says "Oh.." and walks away. I think he was feelin' me out, as there's a small population of people who's homes are shall I say, mobile. I've talked to a few of them, and have never had a bad interaction, I just don't like people walkin' up on me when I'm trying to get away from the rest of the world out by the tracks. I go out there to get away from people, not to interact.
======================
I follow some other amazing photographers on flickr, but for this I will talk about the ones who flick the freights. There are a few that I really love. Some it's because of the great locations they shoot at, and others it's the amazing little details they manage to capture. For me (right now) I don't have the luxury of walking the lines and seeing pieces static. 99.999% of my flicks the freight is rolling by at 10-50 mph and sometimes I don't really even know what I have until I get home, dump the memory cards and go through the photos. Because of this, most of my flicks are just straight on shots and documenting what I saw and where. I saw this freight here, on this date, here's what was on it, and i captured it. Buffed or scraped next week, well I have it on "film" for future generations (sounds corny, I know). There are times when a freight will stop in-front of me, and I'll walk up and get some shots of monikers, but it's rare.
Obviously in any area there are sidings where freights park for extended periods, I know a few spots, but as I get older, and older, do I really want to leave my car parked on the side of the road and walk 2 miles to capture some little details I might normally miss? I'd love to, but it's just not practical for me at this time, any many other people do it better than I could. Retirement is getting closer every day, maybe then, when my weekdays are free. :-)
======================
During the Covid lockdown, I was working from home, and I was getting out benching like 2 & 3 times a month. Back at work, I'm lucky to have the energy to get out once a month. Every time I do manage to get out, I come home and my batteries feel re-charged. It's been so f-ing hot here in SoCal though, I can't wait for cooler weather and some clouds in the sky.
As always, thanks to the writers!
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
I don't know if anyone ever reads my descriptions, but I write them anyway, so there!!
Was out today (August 20th 2021) on a forced vacation day, from 9:30AM til' almost 4PM. 80F today but it felt like 100F. This is a very active line and I probably flicked 20 freights today. 750+ flicks. By the time I get rid of a few duplicates, and bad ones, I'm guessing it'll be about 700 +/-. 700 to straighten, fix any color issues, upload, and also ID the writers. It's lots of time and as you can imagine, it's a lot of work, but so far it's been fun. I'm trying to not rush myself to post before I'm ready. I already have the flicks, and they're timeless. So getting them posted ASAP!!!!!! is not really my concern. Duh..
Had an interesting interaction with a guy while out there. Guy with backpack had walked back and forth across the tracks a few times. The lat time I saw him he was on the other side of a set, about 100 yards away. Next thing you know he's coming closer..... Closer..... And I'm like WTF? I'm way out here minding my own business. He walks within' like 10 ft. of me and I say "How ya' doin'?" he says something, and then says "Trains?" and I say "Yep." and he says "Oh.." and walks away. I think he was feelin' me out, as there's a small population of people who's homes are shall I say, mobile. I've talked to a few of them, and have never had a bad interaction, I just don't like people walkin' up on me when I'm trying to get away from the rest of the world out by the tracks. I go out there to get away from people, not to interact.
======================
I follow some other amazing photographers on flickr, but for this I will talk about the ones who flick the freights. There are a few that I really love. Some it's because of the great locations they shoot at, and others it's the amazing little details they manage to capture. For me (right now) I don't have the luxury of walking the lines and seeing pieces static. 99.999% of my flicks the freight is rolling by at 10-50 mph and sometimes I don't really even know what I have until I get home, dump the memory cards and go through the photos. Because of this, most of my flicks are just straight on shots and documenting what I saw and where. I saw this freight here, on this date, here's what was on it, and i captured it. Buffed or scraped next week, well I have it on "film" for future generations (sounds corny, I know). There are times when a freight will stop in-front of me, and I'll walk up and get some shots of monikers, but it's rare.
Obviously in any area there are sidings where freights park for extended periods, I know a few spots, but as I get older, and older, do I really want to leave my car parked on the side of the road and walk 2 miles to capture some little details I might normally miss? I'd love to, but it's just not practical for me at this time, any many other people do it better than I could. Retirement is getting closer every day, maybe then, when my weekdays are free. :-)
======================
During the Covid lockdown, I was working from home, and I was getting out benching like 2 & 3 times a month. Back at work, I'm lucky to have the energy to get out once a month. Every time I do manage to get out, I come home and my batteries feel re-charged. It's been so f-ing hot here in SoCal though, I can't wait for cooler weather and some clouds in the sky.
As always, thanks to the writers!
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Windy today. Decided to not go out in the desert and be pelted by dust all day. Drove out to the Santa Fe Depot again in San Bernardino. Ended being windblown all day, just no dust. First thing I see as I get to the depot is someone I kinda' know. PasadenaSub Colin. Kid who's running a nice YouTube channel filming freights, and Metrolink videos. You should check out his channel at: www.youtube.com/c/PasadenaSubColin Also check out my man JonanJello photographing and filming freight graffiti on THE daily! 352 videos and counting!! www.youtube.com/user/jonanjello
Shot today's photos on a few lenses I ended up switching lenses between two cameras. My normal lens for freights is the Fujifilm 23mm f/2, but being so close to the tracks at the depot I mostly used the 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8. It's hard to use anything else that close and capture the pieces straight on. Most of these shots I'm between 10-25 or so feet away from the train. Much closer than I normally shoot when I'm out on a hike. Still getting used to shooting this close. The cars roll by much faster when your this close!
Cameras: Fujifilm X-Pro3 & Fujifilm X-E3
Lenses: 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8, Fujifilm 16mm F/2.8 & Fujifilm 23mm F/2
For video slideshows...
I think it will be a while before I go out to this spot again. It's a great spot, every time I've gone, 2-3x, there's always been other "Train people" there. That's not the issue. The way the tracks are laid out, if I want to be able to flick graff on all of the tracks, not facing the sun, it's going to be a lot of running.
I don't know how many of you follow me and also bench, but if you do, you'll understand that there's great spots, there's good spots, and then there's dificult spots. All of them can have lots of action, but some spots are WAY better than others for getting flicks. This is one of those spots where it's super chill, other train people there, but getting flicks of graff is difficult for me. We get a lot of stackers, and if shooting with the sun, the tracks are progressively lower.... Hard to explain, but this is a great spot, just not easy. I'll visit again in the coming months and see if I can get it to work for me, but as it is right now, I like to go there, I don't like to get flicks there.
Fun Story: I drove down in-between the tracks today for the first time. Everything was fine. Most people stop to watch the trains from the access road above. Probably 25ft. higher and 50ft. from the closest track. Whatever.
I'm there for maybe an hour at this point, lots of cars and trucks coming and going. One stops, some small SUV thing. Father/Son. Son about 12-14yrs. I'm about 40 yards away, but down the hill from them, and I can clearly hear everything they are talking about. Father seems very supportive of the son's interest in trains. Cool ! First train (for them) starts down the tracks and I hear a train whistle, but it's not from a train, it's from the kid. He's got one of those wooden train whistles and he starts blowing it when he sees the train.
Gave me a smile. I could clearly her the kid talking about the UP, and then the BNSF, etc etc.. Kid seemed to know his stuff. We had one NS train come through and he spotted it from a mile away. The kid filmed every train that came through while they were there, and the father was telling him something about his intro's on YouTube, so I'm sure he's a YouTuber. I really wanted to go up and talk to them before they left and see if they were from around here or not. If not, I have some fun spots they might want to check, but they left before I could.
Getting ready to leave after only a couple hours and I can see there's some graff on one of the small train bridges. Decided to check it out before leaving. F-ing cool spot. Lots of writer's monikers, and quite a few larger pieces. Had a lot of fun trudging through the weeds, and the small stream to catch some flicks of all the goodies under and around the bridges. If I go back there, it will be to check out the bridge graff.
As always, Had fun, and saw some cool pieces.
Thanks to all of the writers. Stay safe out there, both writers, and fellow benchers.
To see my freight graffiti videos click here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOdGrtyTsyWVhLVHkwY0_-iu8P...
Went out to the "new" spot again today.Left earlier, but still got there a little late, but I'm learning my way around shooting into the sun...
Lots of weird shit went down today, but most of it is boring, so I'm not going to go into it unless you want to hear about the foamer that almost hit me me in his car at 50MPH TWICE!!! Blue Honda driver, I'm going to find out who you are!
Pretty chill spot, but most of my spots I'm the only one there. This spot, down the road there were a bunch of railfans / foamers, and other people that come out here to try out their Jeeps and trucks in the dirt so they can tell their co-workers on Monday that they went "Off Roading" over the weekend. Totally fine, but lots more traffic than I'm used to. I'm very much used to the occasional homeless person, hiker, fellow bencher etc, but "normal" people freak me out a little. They want to stop and talk, they have questions for you, etc. I don't want it, and I don't like it when I'm trying to get away. Not that I REALLY mind it, I'm just being bitchy.
Uploading on a Tuesday night, drinking Guinness, Cheech & Chong's: Next Movie on TV, Headphones on (Grado Labs), playing Minor Threat through an Altoids tin headphone amplifier at 11. Life's Good!!!!!!
Hope you guys are having fun peeping my flicks.
Stay safe out there guys/girls. Look both ways! If you see it, flick it!!
If you like my flicks at least leave a little comment.
To see my freight graffiti videos click here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOdGrtyTsyWVhLVHkwY0_-iu8P...
Inside of a vintage 50's school desk. More than likely this desk was manufactured by the Arlington Seating Company, Arlington Height's, IL. Model 101 was open on both sides. This one is open on the left side. It is being painted Rustoleum's Harbor Blue.
Vintage 1950's Kiddie School Desk purchased at an estate sale in 2008 for a cousin's daughter when she was 1 year old. In the process of restoration. It will be given to the child on Thanksgiving
Strobist Info:
My brother needed a headshot to use as he applies for jobs as he completes his PhD in economics. We were going for something "academic," but really just had my apartment kitchen table to work with. We smeared chalk all over some black seamless to simulate a chalkboard, found a few miscellaneous books to make him look smart (the bottom one my wife grabbed -- it's our wedding album), and sat him at the table. Our mom's reaction to this shot -- "I hate the way he's holding his glasses!" Dad liked it though. Here's the lighting:
Key light: Camera right, cheap monolight through 16" gridded beauty dish (spray-painted with flat white Rustoleum)
Fill: Behind camera, a bit to camera-left, cheap monolight bounced into Photek Softlighter umbrella, without the diffuser, with the gold disc, maybe two stops below the key light
Background: SB-26 on in SU4 mode, through a Honl grid with a 1/4 blue gel, pretty low power (I think I had this on a stand, up pretty high, pulled in just out frame to camera right. I wanted it centered on the floor behind the subject, but it just couldn't see the other lights from there and wouldn't trigger.)
The original metal steering wheel was sanded, cleaned and sprayed with gloss white Rustoleum paint. I wanted to use the original chrome bezel that positions the wheel at 35 degrees instead of the Teleflex 20 degree mount but did not have time to make this. Since no mounting bracket exist to hold a teleflex helm at 35 degrees, I designed one that would hold the helm under the console. I made several prototypes and finally got one that worked. Now I have to fabricate and weld up. I will have by spring 2004 because I don’t really like the teleflex plastic bezel. I sprayed chrome to make it look like chrome. I want to get the boat back to original as much as I can. Because the original steering wheel cap nut is too big to hold down to the wheel to the helm shaft, I made a fake cap nut to cover the real teleflex nut that holds the wheel to the helm shaft. I made a mold of the original cap nut and cast it with a white liquid material from Smooth On. With a rotary tool, I routed out the interior of the casting so it would sit over the teleflex helm nut. I sprayed chrome, applied adhesive and installed. The Teleflex cable used was 9’ long.
Long session today (9:30AM - 5:30PM) at my least favorite spot to flick graffiti, but one of my favorite spots for the amount of traffic this spot gets. There's also a crossing here, so lots of horn action! The engineers also know "railfans" come out here so sometimes they get a little creative with the honking.
Grand total of flicks taken, 803, total being posted, 616.
Right out of the gate I fucked up big time. First train I saw go by as I arrived was an Amtrak. Got down to the spot and immediately I hear the horns coming from behind the hill. Get the camera out, lens cap off and 30 seconds later and what do I see, autoracks, and lots of them. Sweet! I get in position, and they're coming by quick. I'm just barely framing them up and snapping the flicks. Saw my first Ichabod E2E car, Green/Black. Woah dude!! Cool. (my inner SoCal surfer came out). and then it's gone.
Sat down and looked through photos on little 3 in. screen on back of camera, not good. I zoom in, but I can't tell if photos are sharp or not. Lighting seems ok, but can't tell if sharp. Go to take a quick snap of a little tag on a fence post and camera will not focus. WTH?? Camera was switched into manual focus mode from a project I was working on days previously. ARRRGH!! So out of like 30-40 autoracks, they're all blurry.
Still posting 3 of them, just to document, but I will call them out as bad photos. I was so pissed that I almost went back to the car. Glad I didn't. Throughout the day I caught some really nice pieces from some of my favorite writers. I didn't give up, and came home with gold, as you'll see going through this latest set.
FYI I managed to catch up with some of the day's last autoracks and got shots of them in way better light. So 8-10 pieces shot today have doubles that were shot in two different locations.
Also ended up meeting up with (YouTube) Railroad Fans of the Cajon Pass. He was just down the road from where I was and came down for a bit. He even brought that vicious dog "Buddy" with him. Glad I survived the encounter.
If you want to see some of these cars rolling, here's the videos he shot while I was there. If you look close or not so close in one vid, you might see me in action down the line. Anyway......
As always, thanks to the writers, fellow benchers, old, and new friends, Stay safe out there!!!
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Long session today (9:30AM - 5:30PM) at my least favorite spot to flick graffiti, but one of my favorite spots for the amount of traffic this spot gets. There's also a crossing here, so lots of horn action! The engineers also know "railfans" come out here so sometimes they get a little creative with the honking.
Grand total of flicks taken, 803, total being posted, 616.
Right out of the gate I fucked up big time. First train I saw go by as I arrived was an Amtrak. Got down to the spot and immediately I hear the horns coming from behind the hill. Get the camera out, lens cap off and 30 seconds later and what do I see, autoracks, and lots of them. Sweet! I get in position, and they're coming by quick. I'm just barely framing them up and snapping the flicks. Saw my first Ichabod E2E car, Green/Black. Woah dude!! Cool. (my inner SoCal surfer came out). and then it's gone.
Sat down and looked through photos on little 3 in. screen on back of camera, not good. I zoom in, but I can't tell if photos are sharp or not. Lighting seems ok, but can't tell if sharp. Go to take a quick snap of a little tag on a fence post and camera will not focus. WTH?? Camera was switched into manual focus mode from a project I was working on days previously. ARRRGH!! So out of like 30-40 autoracks, they're all blurry.
Still posting 3 of them, just to document, but I will call them out as bad photos. I was so pissed that I almost went back to the car. Glad I didn't. Throughout the day I caught some really nice pieces from some of my favorite writers. I didn't give up, and came home with gold, as you'll see going through this latest set.
FYI I managed to catch up with some of the day's last autoracks and got shots of them in way better light. So 8-10 pieces shot today have doubles that were shot in two different locations.
Also ended up meeting up with (YouTube) Railroad Fans of the Cajon Pass. He was just down the road from where I was and came down for a bit. He even brought that vicious dog "Buddy" with him. Glad I survived the encounter.
If you want to see some of these cars rolling, here's the videos he shot while I was there. If you look close or not so close in one vid, you might see me in action down the line. Anyway......
As always, thanks to the writers, fellow benchers, old, and new friends, Stay safe out there!!!
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Went out on Saturday to get flicks at a local graffiti spot, and came home feeling like I wasted my time out there. Got in a nice hike, thought I was going to be eaten by coyotes, but it was just one coyote and he didn't want to eat me. Maybe next time. So... Drove out to another spot Sunday where trains are coming/going all day long. Kinda' Pulled up as the first freight was almost gone, then I waited.... and waited.... Next freight seemed to take forever. Then it was like an hour until the next one. So three hours, and 2-1/2 freights. Not the worst thing in the world, but I was hoping for some more action than that. Caught a couple of cool pieces, wasn't at work, and wasn't cooped up at home, so all good!!
Seriously. If all you have to do is drive for a little while, park, and have art delivered to you while you sit in the comfort of your car. This could be considered by many as the perfect benching spot.
Most places I hike out to. It's hot, it's sandy, it's dusty, there's a chance of snakes, spiders, coyotes, and more importantly, there's a chance of sketchy people. The older I get, the more I try to avoid sketchy people, so this might actually be my perfect spot if it wasn't for the lack of a scenic backdrop, and tons of car traffic.
As always, thanks to the writers! Stay safe out there writers, and fellow benchers!
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
San Bernardino Santa Fe / BNSF Yard with Keith of "Railroad Fans of the Cajon Pass" @cajonpassrailroadfans @railfanscajonpass
Overcast, and weather reports said it was going to rain, but let's be real, I live in Southern California, and rain isn't something we see on a regular basis.
Met up with Keith at 9AM out in front of the depot. The plan was to take him on a little tour of the museum there, as it's only open on Saturdays between 10am-3pm. Walking across the parking lot towards the museum, there were a whole lot more cars than usual. Well, they were having their railroad swap meet deal. Dozens of folding tables full of model trains, and all kind of other train related stuff. Cool.
After a half hour of looking at all the cool model trains and the museum, we finally got out trackside to watch the real trains. We were out there for a few hours, saw a lot of great trains. A few autoracks rolling through and I'm sure Keith was catching some cool video of the freights and the Metrolinks' for his YouTube.
About 3PM? it started sprinkling a little bit, and then it started coming down pretty hard. On the platform there's a couple little covered benches with gutters, etc. We hunkered down, and the rain let up pretty quick, and then it started again, then stopped and started. This went on for the rest of the time we were there.
Overall, pretty fun day. Caught a lot of great pieces rolling by and got to hang out with Keith for the day (Sans Buddy).
Honestly, I prefer to be out there by myself, but it's a nice change to be out there with someone else to talk shop with and share stories.
As always, thanks to the writers for giving me something to go out and hunt. *Man Hugs* & Thanks to the Santa Fe Depot for being cool with people hanging out and catching freights on "film".
Rust-Oleum presented their kitchen cabinet and countertop transformation kits during a media event in New Orleans, LA.
www.charlesandhudson.com/archives/2011/02/rust-oleum_targ...
One last side of the road benching day before the rains. I'll most likely be stuck in the house for the next few days because of the virus, and because of the rain.
Waited about 20 minutes for these trains to stop sitting around and get moving. They'll sit 1/2 to 1/4 mile down the tracks with lights on, but stopped. Then the real BRIGHT lights come on and they move. Seems like forever when waiting, but getting good shots. Priceless!
I did manage to get out yesterday after my time working at home to grab some shots of a few great pieces, and a few not so great. But who the fuck am I to judge? People are out there getting up and I'm just documenting what I see. Stay safe out there friends/family.
I know other people post super close up shots of the pieces on the trains, but I feel like a little bit of context is necessary, just like in my 1:1 macro shots. I'm an old dog, and I can't learn new tricks. Sorry.
To see the rest of this album of freight graffiti go here: www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/albums/72157708879870433
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Long session today (9:30AM - 5:30PM) at my least favorite spot to flick graffiti, but one of my favorite spots for the amount of traffic this spot gets. There's also a crossing here, so lots of horn action! The engineers also know "railfans" come out here so sometimes they get a little creative with the honking.
Grand total of flicks taken, 803, total being posted, 616.
Right out of the gate I fucked up big time. First train I saw go by as I arrived was an Amtrak. Got down to the spot and immediately I hear the horns coming from behind the hill. Get the camera out, lens cap off and 30 seconds later and what do I see, autoracks, and lots of them. Sweet! I get in position, and they're coming by quick. I'm just barely framing them up and snapping the flicks. Saw my first Ichabod E2E car, Green/Black. Woah dude!! Cool. (my inner SoCal surfer came out). and then it's gone.
Sat down and looked through photos on little 3 in. screen on back of camera, not good. I zoom in, but I can't tell if photos are sharp or not. Lighting seems ok, but can't tell if sharp. Go to take a quick snap of a little tag on a fence post and camera will not focus. WTH?? Camera was switched into manual focus mode from a project I was working on days previously. ARRRGH!! So out of like 30-40 autoracks, they're all blurry.
Still posting 3 of them, just to document, but I will call them out as bad photos. I was so pissed that I almost went back to the car. Glad I didn't. Throughout the day I caught some really nice pieces from some of my favorite writers. I didn't give up, and came home with gold, as you'll see going through this latest set.
FYI I managed to catch up with some of the day's last autoracks and got shots of them in way better light. So 8-10 pieces shot today have doubles that were shot in two different locations.
Also ended up meeting up with (YouTube) Railroad Fans of the Cajon Pass. He was just down the road from where I was and came down for a bit. He even brought that vicious dog "Buddy" with him. Glad I survived the encounter.
If you want to see some of these cars rolling, here's the videos he shot while I was there. If you look close or not so close in one vid, you might see me in action down the line. Anyway......
As always, thanks to the writers, fellow benchers, old, and new friends, Stay safe out there!!!
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Long session today (9:30AM - 5:30PM) at my least favorite spot to flick graffiti, but one of my favorite spots for the amount of traffic this spot gets. There's also a crossing here, so lots of horn action! The engineers also know "railfans" come out here so sometimes they get a little creative with the honking.
Grand total of flicks taken, 803, total being posted, 616.
Right out of the gate I fucked up big time. First train I saw go by as I arrived was an Amtrak. Got down to the spot and immediately I hear the horns coming from behind the hill. Get the camera out, lens cap off and 30 seconds later and what do I see, autoracks, and lots of them. Sweet! I get in position, and they're coming by quick. I'm just barely framing them up and snapping the flicks. Saw my first Ichabod E2E car, Green/Black. Woah dude!! Cool. (my inner SoCal surfer came out). and then it's gone.
Sat down and looked through photos on little 3 in. screen on back of camera, not good. I zoom in, but I can't tell if photos are sharp or not. Lighting seems ok, but can't tell if sharp. Go to take a quick snap of a little tag on a fence post and camera will not focus. WTH?? Camera was switched into manual focus mode from a project I was working on days previously. ARRRGH!! So out of like 30-40 autoracks, they're all blurry.
Still posting 3 of them, just to document, but I will call them out as bad photos. I was so pissed that I almost went back to the car. Glad I didn't. Throughout the day I caught some really nice pieces from some of my favorite writers. I didn't give up, and came home with gold, as you'll see going through this latest set.
FYI I managed to catch up with some of the day's last autoracks and got shots of them in way better light. So 8-10 pieces shot today have doubles that were shot in two different locations.
Also ended up meeting up with (YouTube) Railroad Fans of the Cajon Pass. He was just down the road from where I was and came down for a bit. He even brought that vicious dog "Buddy" with him. Glad I survived the encounter.
If you want to see some of these cars rolling, here's the videos he shot while I was there. If you look close or not so close in one vid, you might see me in action down the line. Anyway......
As always, thanks to the writers, fellow benchers, old, and new friends, Stay safe out there!!!
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
This is the last of 3 generations of cans that included screw on actuators. This is a late 50's version.
AMT 1968 Galaxie XL GT Fastback 1/25th scale painted dark hunter green out of the can by rustoleum. I sanded the primer before painting and wet sanded this and painted an additional coat.
www.amazon.com/Happy-Birthday-Sidney-Paul-Maddams/dp/1410...
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Windy today. Decided to not go out in the desert and be pelted by dust all day. Drove out to the Santa Fe Depot again in San Bernardino. Ended being windblown all day, just no dust. First thing I see as I get to the depot is someone I kinda' know. PasadenaSub Colin. Kid who's running a nice YouTube channel filming freights, and Metrolink videos. You should check out his channel at: www.youtube.com/c/PasadenaSubColin Also check out my man JonanJello photographing and filming freight graffiti on THE daily! 352 videos and counting!! www.youtube.com/user/jonanjello
Shot today's photos on a few lenses I ended up switching lenses between two cameras. My normal lens for freights is the Fujifilm 23mm f/2, but being so close to the tracks at the depot I mostly used the 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8. It's hard to use anything else that close and capture the pieces straight on. Most of these shots I'm between 10-25 or so feet away from the train. Much closer than I normally shoot when I'm out on a hike. Still getting used to shooting this close. The cars roll by much faster when your this close!
Cameras: Fujifilm X-Pro3 & Fujifilm X-E3
Lenses: 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8, Fujifilm 16mm F/2.8 & Fujifilm 23mm F/2
For video slideshows...
Rust-Oleum presented their kitchen cabinet and countertop transformation kits during a media event in New Orleans, LA.
www.charlesandhudson.com/archives/2011/02/rust-oleum_targ...
Restoration is moving along. Rustoleum Harbor Blue was sprayed today.
Manufactured by the Arlington Seating Company, Arlington Height's, Illinois. Model 101 was open on both sides. This one is opens on the left side.
Vintage 1950's Kiddie School Desk purchased at an estate sale in 2008 for a cousin's daughter when she was 1 year old. In the process of restoration now. It will be given to the child on Thanksgiving.
We don't really use this really long wall in our narrow kitchen. I decided to turn it into a chalkboard, using Rust-oleum Chalkboard paint, hopefully turning it into a place to be creative, jot things down, and tap into some unused space.
Also to note here is that the overcrowded table in the foreground (what used to be my desk) is now gone and replaced with our actual eating table.
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Today started out early. I went out to a spot that's not too far away but takes some effort to get out to. This really is a great area, and one of my favorite places to be. For just hiking around, or for benching. It's an amazing place. It's almost surreal how big and crazy the rocks and landscape are here.
Arrived at 9 AM, and after a short hike out to the tracks, the trains started rolling by. One after another, it was a super busy day. I've never seen so many autoracks during a session. Autoracks, at least for me are like rare birds, but today, they just kept coming! Caught pieces I hadn't seen before from some of my favorite writers, and that always makes for a great day out. Weather was great, I'm guessing 80F, but the wind.... The wind kept things pretty cool out. Almost cold, but not quite. Just about
perfect.
I saw a deer!! I've never seen anything larger than a lizard when out here. While waiting for the next train I looked over and saw something kinda' hopping over a double set of tracks about 75 ft. from me. At first I thought it was either some kinda dog, or a coyote, but it was big. I looked over at my bag, in case it ran towards me and I needed to grab it and run, and looked back to see it hop over the tracks, down an embankment about 15 ft. high, onto the access road which is about 20 ft. wide and with two
hops it was gone into the bushes. Really cool !!
Ended up leaving at around 4:30 PM, so a little over 7 hours. With longer days, and the way the sun travels here, it's almost better to show up later. There's a time around noon where no matter which side of the tracks your on, the lighting on the trains sucks. But hey, I'm out, away from society, seeing nature, seeing trains, graff, getting exercise, fresh air, and just plain getting away from my regular life..
Some people do yoga, some people meditate, some go to therapy. This is how I wipe away my daily life a couple times a month for a few hours.
Just wanted to throw in, I know every piece I flick isn't a banger, but I'm documenting graff. Today's toy, may be tomorrows king. And I'll have proof that he or she also was once a toy! Solid Gold!! :-)
As ALWAYS, thanks to the writers!
Writers, fellow benchers, and railfans, stay safe out there!!
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Instagram: @soilentseven
As usual, I'll be back in a few days to start going through and tagging my flicks with the the writer's names that I can figure out.
================
Oh, also as I'm finishing up editing photos from last weekend, heading into this weekend, I'm watching "Martha a picture story" Documentary about Martha Cooper, one of the OG's in documenting graff with high quality flicks years ago. One of the original authors of the Subway Art book. If you can swing renting it online to watch, or picking up a Blu Ray from Vinegar Syndrome, do so, it's a great film. vinegarsyndrome.com/products/martha-a-picture-story-utopia/
Rust-Oleum presented their kitchen cabinet and countertop transformation kits during a media event in New Orleans, LA.
www.charlesandhudson.com/archives/2011/02/rust-oleum_targ...
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Out for the day at the Mormon Rocks in the Cajon Pass. Tons of trains, and nice weather for the first time in a LONG time. It was almost cold.
I also shot a time lapse video of the trains going by while I was out there, you can see it here: youtu.be/T2D8sNH_Oos
Had Fun! And that's what it's about.
Took care of the seats in the cockpit too.
Pro Tip: The topcoat isn't bad, but the Rustoleum Boat Primer is BRUTAL!!! Be sure to keep the doors windows open and use a respirator for paint!!!
[Sorry I haven't posted in a while, spent a lot of time working on the book]
I had a weird, disappointing, and ultimately good time out trackside today.
Got to my spot about 10:00 AM or so, then 20 minutes or so to hike out to my spot. Immediately the freights started coming. One after the next for a little while.
After a few freights, I texted my friend @railfanscajonpass that I was out there. This is a friend who benches 5-6 days a week, so I figured he was probably out somewhere close. He was, he pulled up like 20 minutes later and we hung out for an hour or two, and then he was off to hit up another spot.
After a while it seemed like the freights slowed down and I had some time before the next one. I hiked over I would guess 1/4 mile to a bridge spot that always has new graff. That spot also has one throw up that I always shoot because everyone who comes through there signs it. White outline and the black fill has probably 100 smaller (in size) names written in the fill. Every time I come up here there's new names. I've been flicking this for a couple years now. This time however, someone buffed and went over the entire piece and a piece next to it. What the hell ?!
Look, I'm not even a writer, but damn. Even I know that this wasn't right...
========
Later, I was at a different spot, and two dudes were acting super sketchy really close to where I was, which weirded me out enough that I hiked further down the tracks and this lead to something, I found another good view to catch the freights from. A little something different you might notice in today's photos. Turns out one guy was painting under the trestle, and the other guy kept coming up by me as a lookout. Whatever... I get out there to be away from people. So, I did. And found a new spot!
Caught a lot of great pieces today, got to hang out with my friend, and didn't get bit by any rattlesnakes! In the end, it was a good day.
========
Pick up a copy of my book if you can. Every little bit helps me out.
SoCal Freight Benching: Graffiti on Freight Trains - Vol.1
www.amazon.com/SoCal-Freight-Benching-Graffiti-Trains/dp/...
I think it will be a while before I go out to this spot again. It's a great spot, every time I've gone, 2-3x, there's always been other "Train people" there. That's not the issue. The way the tracks are laid out, if I want to be able to flick graff on all of the tracks, not facing the sun, it's going to be a lot of running.
I don't know how many of you follow me and also bench, but if you do, you'll understand that there's great spots, there's good spots, and then there's difficult spots. All of them can have lots of action, but some spots are WAY better than others for getting flicks. This is one of those spots where it's super chill, other train people there, but getting flicks of graff is difficult for me. We get a lot of stackers, and if shooting with the sun, the tracks are progressively lower.... Hard to explain, but this is a great spot, just not easy. I'll visit again in the coming months and see if I can get it to work for me, but as it is right now, I like to go there, I don't like to get flicks there.
Fun Story: I drove down in-between the tracks today for the first time. Everything was fine. Most people stop to watch the trains from the access road above. Probably 25ft. higher and 50ft. from the closest track. Whatever.
I'm there for maybe an hour at this point, lots of cars and trucks coming and going. One stops, some small SUV thing. Father/Son. Son about 12-14yrs. I'm about 40 yards away, but down the hill from them, and I can clearly hear everything they are talking about. Father seems very supportive of the son's interest in trains. Cool ! First train (for them) starts down the tracks and I hear a train whistle, but it's not from a train, it's from the kid. He's got one of those wooden train whistles and he starts blowing it when he sees the train.
Gave me a smile. I could clearly her the kid talking about the UP, and then the BNSF, etc etc.. Kid seemed to know his stuff. We had one NS train come through and he spotted it from a mile away. The kid filmed every train that came through while they were there, and the father was telling him something about his intro's on YouTube, so I'm sure he's a YouTuber. I really wanted to go up and talk to them before they left and see if they were from around here or not. If not, I have some fun spots they might want to check, but they left before I could.
Getting ready to leave after only a couple hours and I can see there's some graff on one of the small train bridges. Decided to check it out before leaving. F-ing cool spot. Lots of writer's monikers, and quite a few larger pieces. Had a lot of fun trudging through the weeds, and the small stream to catch some flicks of all the goodies under and around the bridges. If I go back there, it will be to check out the bridge graff.
As always, Had fun, and saw some cool pieces.
Thanks to all of the writers. Stay safe out there, both writers, and fellow benchers.
To see my freight graffiti videos click here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOdGrtyTsyWVhLVHkwY0_-iu8P...
AMT 1968 Galaxie XL GT Fastback 1/25th scale painted dark hunter green out of the can by rustoleum. I sanded the primer before painting and wet sanded this and painted an additional coat.
www.amazon.com/Happy-Birthday-Sidney-Paul-Maddams/dp/1410...
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
It's been over a month since I've been out benching. Damn, I've missed being out by the tracks. Went out to my local yard and benched for 5 hours. 20+ freights rolled through while I was there. Missed a few others
because they had one parked on a closer track for a couple hours. Born and raised in Southern California, but the heat kills me, I swear I shoulda' been raised in Colorado, or some other cooler state. Weather was OK. Hot (90+f), but there was a breeze. If it gets any hotter here, I'm going to be going out maybe once a month for the next few months.. Benching naked is frowned upon around here, and I don't want to get my
bits sun-burned.
Fujifilm X-E3 with 23mm F/2.0 lens & Fujifim X-Pro3 and 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens.
Hope you guys/girls enjoy checking the flicks as much as I enjoyed being out there spotting them!! I saw a lot of great pieces, and a lot of not so great pieces, but I was happy to be out there.
As always, thanks to all the writers ! Stay safe out there !
=====================
To see the rest of my freight graffiti flicks click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/siamesepuppy/collections/7215771678...
For freight graffiti slideshows hit up my YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Arrived at my spot around 10:30AM, left at 6:10PM.
A little over 80F. and a light breeze. Perfect weather for hanging out for a few hours. There were a couple cars there, but I didn't see any people besides one guy who kept getting in/out of his Jeep. Okay, whatever.
10 minutes after getting there I heard the first train coming around the bend, and what a train it was, couple engines, and 78 autoracks in a row! What a way to start of my day.
15-20 minutes after I got to the spot, I messaged my friend Keith @railfanscajonpass that I was out there, he said he was on his way, he got there an hour or so later. By that time I'd already flicked 7-8 trains. One of the busiest days I've had in a long time. They just kept coming up and down the hill. I had planned to hike up the hill to look for a couple other spots to shoot from, but the trains just kept coming.
There's also some great under the bridges graff out at this spot, and I just didn't have time to hike over to it and flick it. There's also a spot close by that the RR stores ties, track, and equipment, I wanted to get some shots of that, again, no time.
Anyway, RRfans,(Keith) & Buddy hung out for another 5-6 hours until the sun dipped behind the mountains at about 6:00pm, and it was starting to get dark. Spent the day waiting, and listening for the engines chugging up the hill, or the horns blaring in the distance so we could finally jump up and do what we were both there to do. Him to film the trains and give his commentary, and me to get my flicks. He's a good dude to hang out with, good conversation, talk about life, problems, trains, etc.. Time just goes by so quick until the next train and we both get to work.
Saw lots of trucks, motorcycles, and loads of Jeeps drive through to go out exploring the local trails only to leave within' 20 minutes or so. There's miles and miles of trails out there, but it seems people get bored fast...
Had a great time, saw pieces from some of my favorite writers, and some writers I talk to occasionally.
It was a great day, and day I really needed personally, I've had a rough last few weeks, and I haven't been trackside in over a month. It was great to get out to the familiar sounds and smells of being out there next to the trains.
Backgrounds at this location are kind of boring, but the amount of freights and great pieces that come through here is crazy.
================
If you can, pick up a copy of my first photo book: SoCal Freight Benching: Graffiti on Freight Trains - Vol.1 Here: smile.amazon.com/SoCal-Freight-Benching-Graffiti-Trains/d...
Every little bit helps. Thanks!!
Today started out early. I went out to a spot that's not too far away but takes some effort to get out to. This really is a great area, and one of my favorite places to be. For just hiking around, or for benching. It's an amazing place. It's almost surreal how big and crazy the rocks and landscape are here.
Arrived at 9 AM, and after a short hike out to the tracks, the trains started rolling by. One after another, it was a super busy day. I've never seen so many autoracks during a session. Autoracks, at least for me are like rare birds, but today, they just kept coming! Caught pieces I hadn't seen before from some of my favorite writers, and that always makes for a great day out. Weather was great, I'm guessing 80F, but the wind.... The wind kept things pretty cool out. Almost cold, but not quite. Just about
perfect.
I saw a deer!! I've never seen anything larger than a lizard when out here. While waiting for the next train I looked over and saw something kinda' hopping over a double set of tracks about 75 ft. from me. At first I thought it was either some kinda dog, or a coyote, but it was big. I looked over at my bag, in case it ran towards me and I needed to grab it and run, and looked back to see it hop over the tracks, down an embankment about 15 ft. high, onto the access road which is about 20 ft. wide and with two
hops it was gone into the bushes. Really cool !!
Ended up leaving at around 4:30 PM, so a little over 7 hours. With longer days, and the way the sun travels here, it's almost better to show up later. There's a time around noon where no matter which side of the tracks your on, the lighting on the trains sucks. But hey, I'm out, away from society, seeing nature, seeing trains, graff, getting exercise, fresh air, and just plain getting away from my regular life..
Some people do yoga, some people meditate, some go to therapy. This is how I wipe away my daily life a couple times a month for a few hours.
Just wanted to throw in, I know every piece I flick isn't a banger, but I'm documenting graff. Today's toy, may be tomorrows king. And I'll have proof that he or she also was once a toy! Solid Gold!! :-)
As ALWAYS, thanks to the writers!
Writers, fellow benchers, and railfans, stay safe out there!!
For freight graffiti slideshows/videos hit up my YouTube here: www.youtube.com/SilenceSeven
Instagram: @soilentseven
As usual, I'll be back in a few days to start going through and tagging my flicks with the the writer's names that I can figure out.
================
Oh, also as I'm finishing up editing photos from last weekend, heading into this weekend, I'm watching "Martha a picture story" Documentary about Martha Cooper, one of the OG's in documenting graff with high quality flicks years ago. One of the original authors of the Subway Art book. If you can swing renting it online to watch, or picking up a Blu Ray from Vinegar Syndrome, do so, it's a great film. vinegarsyndrome.com/products/martha-a-picture-story-utopia/
Lots of stackers (Again), some grainers, and a few boxes, but also some great pieces.
Anybody ready my descriptions? I always wonder..
Finally got out of the house around noon after wavering between going out, or staying in..., to drive out to one of the local yards to shoot some freights, and finally get to check out their railroad museum. Blue skies, a little wind (7MPH) and I'm guessing like 70F. Perfect day. Sorry for anyone back East who are going through extreme cold weather. The museum was really great, and I'll have to go back and spend a bit more time looking around, and maybe taking some photos/video so you guys can check it out too. Only stayed for a couple hours today.
This yard I only have a platform that's about 15 ft. wide. The first track, the trains run about 6 in. from the edge of the track, so in order for me to catch a whole car, including autoracks, is to use a super wide angle lens. I've been using this crazy wide, $140, 7Artisans 7.5mm "Fisheye" lens when I go here. Sometimes I correct the fisheye look, sometimes I don't. I did a bit of correction on today's photos. Just cropping, straightening, and lens correction. No color. Lens is fun to use, but that fisheye!!!!!!!
They're not perfect, and you'll still see distortion... Still, caught some great pieces, and had fun, and isn't that what it's all about. Getting out of the house, away from work and seeing some great art rolling by. Any day you can go out and see some art makes your life better. Get out and bench!!! Don't just look at photos online. Go out to your local tracks/yards, and hang out for a few hours. See the cars up-close, feel them in your feet, smell the brake dust in the air, and hear how loud they actually are when you're not in your car with the windows rolled up waiting to cross at the RR crossing.
Towards the end of my visit, about 25 foamers showed up like really quickly to shoot what I found out was a "Special" train rolling through today. Something to do with next week's Super Bowl. You'll see the photos in this set, it's the three 25th Anniversary engines, stickers and all, along with 10-15 silver luxury people cars. Why three engines for only 10 or so cars?? I Dunno. I have video of this line I'll upload at some point. It really was quite amazing seeing this roll through. Like 3 minutes after it was gone, there was nobody left at the rails but PasadenaSub Colin ( www.youtube.com/c/pasadenasubcolin ) and myself..
Thanks to all of the writers. Stay safe out there, both writers, and fellow benchers.
To see my freight graffiti videos click here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOdGrtyTsyWVhLVHkwY0_-iu8P...