Seattle bound

One of the challenges in taking train pictures is keeping things interesting when dealing with the same limited subject matter. There are only a limited number of trains, and most of the time their appearance doesn't change. Hard to tell one day's trains from the next.

My approach is to look for different locations, angles, and perspectives. This shot is a good example. This train, Amtrak's Coast Starlight bound for Seattle, always stops in Eugene about lunchtime. If I go to the station I can count on the same scene, almost every day. That does get boring after awhile. So, I've moved down the tracks a few blocks, to catch the train leaving downtown. In the background is Grain Millers, whose towering concrete silos make for a good scenic prop. I've zoomed in really tight, shortening the perspective to make it appear that the train and silos are much closer than they really are. This perspective gives me another bonus, cutting out most of the trash and graffiti littering the trackside right of way.