Union Pacific 5514 Locomotive in Smithville, Texas

NEO "Matte noir" filter

Snapped this locomotive sitting on the tracks in Smithville, Texas.

Equipment: Fujifilm X-T5 camera. Fuji16-80 lens.

Added "forest stream" NEO filter

Original.  Added "Dirty Look" preset filter in NEO.

Original. Added some contrast to the skies.

This is a composite pic.  Using Luminar NEO I added some dark clouds and changed the lighting to match.  

Original unedited.

Composite. Added NEO wispy clouds.

Last Train to Denver.

Another composite.  This last picture was purely for fun.  Found a Rocky Mountains picture (stock) to replace the original sky. NEO has a great option for this sort of thing.   

If I had to do it over...

--Would get more perpendicular to the engine for a better full-side angle. 

--Use my wide angle 10-24 lens (didn't have it at the time).

--Use a tripod, use a ND filter, and open up the aperture.

--Makes me wish I had a fisheye lens...Up close with that engine may have produced some great close-up in-your-face engine pics. 

-The upside is I believe engines stop there periodically, so I may get a second chance.  One more reason to always have my camera with me. 

Christmas is Better with Grandbabies.

 

It's official, I am entering my first Christmas season as an amateur photographer and a first-time grandfather.  So far I've done two family-requested photo shoots and a third is coming.   My youngest daughter, Makenzie, gave birth in October to a healthy baby boy, Rowan.  We picked an evening about an hour before sunset to walk the square of their little hometown of Smithville, Texas and look for interesting backdrops for family pictures.  I used my Fujifilm X-T5 with a Viltrox 27mm lens.  I stayed in auto-mode--I'm still nervous to go fully manual, but I can tell I'm getting more confident, that will come in time.  

Here's a selection of photos:

NEO Preset filter

NEO Preset filter

NEO Preset

Downtown Smithville, Texas on a Friday Night. 6-2-2023

 

Cropped out the foreground and a little from the right side to follow the sidewalk line.
Darkend the sky just enough to give more of a night shot.
Added a little contrast and warmth to set the mood.

Original

Took a Friday evening to hang out with Bradley and Makenzie in Smithville, Texas.  They took me to a favorite spot of theirs, the Wine Bar (subject of picture).  Enjoyed a great New York style bacon, chicken, ranch pizza.  Around 8:00 pm we left and I noticed the dusk lighting was perfect for pictures, so I took this shot.  I didn't want to bug the gentleman sitting outside so I stayed back for the picture. 

If I could RETAKE this photo I would ask for his permission and get in close (less cropping and more detail/information to work with).