Look What I Found !!!

60 mph train = 5328 feet movement per an hour / 60 seconds = 88.8 feet per a second

Buick GS length = 18.25 feet

88.8 feet per a second train movement / 18.25 feet Buick GS length = 4.87 true viewing of GS while on train moving

Actually focus time for human eye = .10 to .50 of a second

4.87 true viewing of GS while on train moving - .20 average eye focus time = 4.67 seconds of stable viewing of GS

Now the actually time will alter because if he noticed the GS 50 feet before the train actually passed it, it would add a half a second to the time.
So, all in all he had 5 seconds to see the car and within that time, raise the camera and take a picture.
I must say, that is pretty darn good!

 

I Haven't been back ......Yet, but seeing the pace TufBuicks (Ron) is hunting down cars now, I better Hurry up !!

As for getting those shots :grin: :bglasses:

I will pat myself on the back for that, but I've had a camera around my neck since I was Very young (my father was in the movie biz. post production work)....and rarely dont have a camera with me.

Camera used was a 5.2 megapixel Minolta Dimage 7HI

This shot was possible for several reasons

1) I've ridden that train for 15 years now and am very familiar with the locations leading up to that spot So i knew it was coming
2) Setting my camera to super-hi rate multiple picture mode - I think its somewheres around 5-7 shots per second
3) Setting EVERYTHING to manual mode
4) Pre-Focusing on the proper distance and testing before so Focus time was eliminated
5) Setting shutter speed to 1/500th
6) setting aperature to allow proper light at that shutter speed - again testing beforehand
....and the biggie
7) I WAS NOT looking THROUGH the camera at the time of taking the picture

The Camera was positioned at the proper angle to get the car, and held in my right hand while my left hand was used as "sighting tool" - The car was coming left to right - I made a fist with my left hand and put my thumb/forefinger against the left side of the camera body and extended my left pinky sideways POINTING THE SAME ORIENTATION and parallel to the camera lense. This gave me an ofset sighting tool ..... I would "see" it a slight amount of time before the camera lense would, allowing me the fraction of a second to press the shutter release

I then closed my right eye, and using my left eye sighted down my finger....and waited.....and FIRED !!

It all happened very quick and I actually thought I'd messed it but the first frame shot was Dead on and is the first photo I showed - the second showing the hood was the second exposure and thats all of the car I got

I mention all this because this is similar to how I take pictures at the starting line for wheels UP photo's - I don't look through the lense....the shot is already set up, and I use a sighting tool ON the NOSE of the car at the line, while the lense is parallel to this but pointing 10 feet ahead. When the Car leaves and crosses my "sight" I react and catch it 5-10 feet ahead

Hope this helps some of you take great pictures of this coming years events :TU:

 

Hey Ron,that's spoken like a true car salesman!:laugh: Hmmm...that car that Alan took a picture of looks like a Suncoupe with an added GS hood. Upon closer inspection,I don't see any fender badgesuzzled: The yellow that this car has is called Sunburst Yellow.

Hey Alan,that is a pretty neat shot! Seems to me,you guys have an awful lot of GS's on the Island that are just sitting around rotting away Seriously,as rare as these cars are,you would think that someone,somewhere would have gotten to these cars years ago(Like FRED!:eek2: )