Train travel & Photography (Page 3): There has been discussion here of using polarizing filters on board railroad passenger cars.. Remember that windows in railroad cars in the US are...

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

There has been discussion here of using polarizing filters on board railroad passenger cars.. Remember that windows in railroad cars in the US are required to be resistant to both bullets and rocks. as a result, most windows are not glazes with glass, but with Plexiglas or other acrylic material. These materials are not polarization-friendly, so be sure to test before trying critically important shots. Also...I would be very surprised if you find any vestibule doors open or even available. The high-level cars board through track-level doors into the lower deck and do not have vestibule door at all. The last time I rode on Amtrak, riding or tarrying in the vestibules was not allowed at all.

aggiedad Loc: Corona, ca

I am a retired Amtrak employee. The windows are certainly not optical glass. On cross country trips I made, I tried opening the windows in vestibule doors to get some shots, however onboard folks made short work of that endeavor due to safety rules.
I found my efforts were not really satisfactory, similar to shooting out of tour bus windows. That being said, the most enjoyable part of my trips was visiting with the variety of other passengers.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

aggiedad wrote:

I am a retired Amtrak employee. The windows are certainly not optical glass. On cross country trips I made, I tried opening the windows in vestibule doors to get some shots, however onboard folks made short work of that endeavor due to safety rules.
I found my efforts were not really satisfactory, similar to shooting out of tour bus windows. That being said, the most enjoyable part of my trips was visiting with the variety of other passengers.

I guess the best you can do is place the front of the lens right up against the window and hope for the best. Fast shutter speed of course, to cancel out the vibration effect. If the window is not clear it will reduce the contrast of the shot, but that's easy to correct in post. It can also decrease sharpness.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

A rubber Lens hood, right on the surface of the Window will assist in not having any reflections interfere with you image capture. Try and have no interior lights on if you are in private bedroom. Use higher Shutter-Speed, maybe use Shutter Priority to pick your Shutter speed. Use a 35mm or 50mm 1.8 lens.

RichinSeattle

wham121736 wrote:

Use a polarizer to cut down reflections from Windows.

Bad advice. Many windows/windshields are themselves polarized (e.g. airliner windows). A polarizing filter will interfere with the windows polarization and make a mess of the picture.

Xanadu Loc: Clay County FL

Did Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff. Best shots were taken from open platforms between cars NOT through the windows. Enjoy your trip.

Photocraig

BJW wrote:

I’ve learned from shooting ice hockey through glass 3 tricks that seem to minimize reflections: 1) wear black clothes (2) use as wide an aperture as possible, (3) point your lens as close to the glass as possible.
I use a Tamron 70-200 f 2.8 in shutter priority.
I wonder whether a ND filter would help.

Have fun!

Take a small spray bottle of Windex and a cloth or papper towel(s) to clean the glass. I shot some captive rescue animals through glass from a distance with no problem. I wore dark clothes and was in teh shade.

Have fun on the trip.
C

GusPanella Loc: Naperville, Illinois

I took the 93 mile bus ride into Mt. Denali in Alaska. I did a lot of shooting through the windows in between stops. One additional trick to add to all the existing advice.... bring a moist towelettes and a dry piece of paper towel to clean the window... Bonus points if you can clean the inside and outside. Every little bit helps.

I found shooting hockey I would loose 1-2 stops. Bus windows seem to be about 1/2 stop.... I am not sure about train windows.

Joe51 Loc: Connecticut

SafariGuy wrote:

My wife and I are heading out of Chicago to La Junta, Colorado on the Southwest Chief on an 18 hour train ride. We’ll be chasing a setting sun as we head west...in theory it sounds like it could a fun trip with Photo opps...unfortunately, from the observation car a person needs to be shooting through windows and train cars are constantly moving. Any suggestions on how to best minimize the obvious challenges?

1) Keep the front end of your lens as close to the glass as possible. It will minimize reflections.
2) Keep your shutter speed as fast as possible to avoid the jitters, even if it means upping your ISO a quite a bit.
3) Try putting using continuous shutter release mode. If the first shot has an obstacle in it - like a telephone poll or billboard - the 2nd or 3rd shot may not.

Have a great trip.

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

I recently got a Ultimate Lens Hood, but have not used it, yet.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jsdesigns/the-ultimate-lens-hood.
Excellent concept, very flexible and doesn't require the camera to touch the window (inches to spare!). Fits up to a fairly large lens. It is black, thus blocks reflections from the window! When traveling on the Alaska Railroad, February of 2017, I practically lived in the vestibule between the cars... with the window(s) open! Yes, it was COLD, but worth it! Most important when taking photos from a moving vehicle is taking the shot looking forward or backwards, of course not always possible, but preferred to minimize blur. Fast shutter speed, and like Joe51 said, try to avoid objects close to side of the train track. I posted a few on August 15, 2018: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-548319-1.html , #1 and #6 were thru the window, but most thru the window were unacceptable. With the Amtrack train, sounds like what you need.

helenhoward Loc: Bullhead City, AZ

None of the American trains I've ridden, and since my late husband was a train nut, I've been on all of them and none have open vestibules you can shoot from. One of the very best that does Is the Copper Canyon Train in northern Mexico. Heading from west to east from Las Mochis to Creel there are plenty of opportunities for great scenics and traveling down the dirt road to the bottom of Copper Canyon, longer and deeper than the Grand Canyon is amazing.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Rich1939 wrote:

Is that viable? There have been no updates in a year.

It’s linked to at B&H in bpulv’s post so it is apparently available now.

Stan

Halkeye Loc: Sandiego, CA.

Look at Amtrak route guide for good shooting spots and best place to sit for viewing. I spend a lot of time on train web sites to see what is coming ahead so not to miss A shot. I will be going at the end of July from SanDiego to Michigan on Amtrak, round trip and made A travel folder of what to look for.

Halkeye Loc: Sandiego, CA.

Look at Amtrak route guide for good shooting spots and best place to sit for viewing. I spend a lot of time on train web sites to see what is coming ahead so not to miss A shot. I will be going at the end of July from SanDiego to Michigan on Amtrak, round trip and made A travel folder of what to look for.

pauldh Loc: Melbourne, Australia

This device may help taking photographs through windows

https://www.techspot.com/news/75712-clever-accessory-helps-photographers-shoot-through-glass-without.html