Had a bad day? Know someone who has?

...from a photographer's notebook

Detail from "He's Had a Bad Day"         ©Steve Ember

Has it been one of those days? You feel like the system's derailing your best efforts?

I know, I tend to anthropomorphize certain favorite machines, but…

Clearly, this CSX GP-40-2 has had a bad day…slow orders…sidelined for every @%&# priority freight…all he wants to do is get home after a long day.

My guess is 6468 has spent some time on those CSX divisions up in New Jersey or New York and maybe picked up some “attitude.”

So he puts on his best DeNiro or Bruce Willis snarl, and bellows out “Hey, derail THIS!”

Not to make light of the derailer…these devices are intended to divert runaway trains (or angry locomotives...). Oh, there I go again; but editing this image, from an Ektachrome I shot last winter, well, if you know me, it just cried out for “special treatment.”

By the way, if you’d like to cheer up someone who’s had a bad day, as I played around with this, I decided to whomp up a new Photo Note Card. It's called “He’s Had a Bad Day.” As all of my new designs are custom printed to order, you may order it blank inside, or you may customize it with your own message. For ordering information, please contact me via the e-mail address in the right column. And if you'd like to see my angry locomotive in higher definition, follow this link.

Image + Design ©2012/2013 Steve Ember

And now, everybody sing along!

A Hamburg Dreamscape...

...from a photographer's notebook

Bahnhof bei Nacht, a Hamburg Dreamscape                                                                   ©2011 Steve Embe

I wrote last time about the strong connection between my "Birthday Week" and trains. And I suppose there must have been some serendipitous cosmic connection, as Monday's intake night for the Art League Gallery's December All Media Show just happened to fall on my birthday and I had set out Bahnhof bei Nacht, a Hamburg Dreamscape well back in November as a December entry, without taking note of December's intake dates.

So, a nice little birthday "gift" was learning Tuesday that this little collaboration with the Digital Genie, whom I summon out of her bottle from time to time, usually late at night, to peruse my images with me on the computer and play, was selected for inclusion in the December exhibit.

The original photograph from which this "dreamscape" was made was taken in 2010. I had just arrived at the impressive Hamburg Hauptbahnhof after traveling most of the day from Chur in Switzerland. Long trip, even on comfortable SBB and ICE fast trains. Tired? Scampering to my hotel? Not a chance in a photo motif rich place like this! And the couple on the platform? Well, guess I was just living right that evening...

I had, last year, posted the "literal" version of this "Bahnhof Augenblick" on my pages on Foto-Community as I selected images from that very special first visit to the vibrant city of Hamburg, but I felt it might be fun to "mess with it" a bit...and Genie, who must love trains too, agreed.

Hope you like...

And if you are reading this locally, I hope you can stop by the Gallery for the Artists Reception Thursday evening, December 13 and help me celebrate an "extended" birthday-with-trains. The Art League Gallery is on the first floor of the Torpedo Factory Arts Center, at the corner of King and Union Streets in Old Town Alexandria.  Phone: 703-683-1780. 

If you can't make it Thursday, the show will be up through December.

Oh, and two bits of news if you like this image...It and its "literal" version are available in my series of custom printed Photo Note Cards. More information? Be in touch.

©2012 Steve Ember