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Night Shift
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Night Shift

by Kent Staubus

Gallery: POP PhotosPosted November 27, 2012313 views3 comments
The weekend before Thanksgiving I drove out to Hettinger, ND, a small town in the extreme southwest corner of North Dakota. It was South Dakota rifle/deer season. I love to take photos there, but my days were spent looking for deer. That left nights free for photography. I often photo at night--I like the quiet drama and the simplicity. Here, I captured a BNSF engineer as he was beginning his shift at the depot. A grain train nearly two miles long sits on the tracks to the right, noisily idling in the dark. This is a scene that's been playing out at this location for over 130 years. Originally shot in color, which was nasty from the sodium vapor lights.


Kent in SD

Nikon D5100,
Nikon 17-50mm f2.8
ISO 400, f4

Comments

3 comments
Comment posted by Harley Goldman on November 27, 2012 at 9:42 AM
I like this one. With the lone guy, it gives the image a fine sense of isolation.

A two mile long train?? Holy moly. It would suck to come across that at a crossing. You could take a nice nap while it went by.
Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on November 28, 2012 at 1:18 PM
Excellent comp and moment captured. Looks like a shot that could have come from Life magazine.
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments
Comment posted by David Chauvin on November 30, 2012 at 9:33 AM
This has so many stories to tell. I especially like the way the guy is looking down, maybe to check the time,,,,got to keep the trains on schedule. The barely visible buildings in the bg add another layer of depth. :cool:
Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments