This was a rough week; our family visited my ailing mother-in-law in New Jersey. We mixed in some fun when we could, including a wonderful little hike to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Those pictures will appear elsewhere in this blog in the coming weeks.
This is not a picture of a verdant green swamp. Later in the day, we stopped home to take my sister-in-law’s dog for a walk. We walked along a bike trail, just on the left side of this photo. To get to the trail, we crossed over a set of railroad tracks. I’ve always been fascinated with the converging perspective lines of roads and railroad tracks as they head out towards the horizon. It was the first (and possibly only) thing I ever learned about drawing. This particular set of tracks was especially fascinating, because, for some reason, one set of railroad ties was light, while the other was dark. The light side of the track had a helpful light-colored electrical substation, and the dark side had a matching pile of ties, a dark tree, and what I think is a large dumpster. I loved the contrast, and this became my favorite image of the week.
Railroad Tracks in White and Black
iPhone X🅂
Digital Darkroom. Obviously, I started by converting the image to black and white. I increased contrast, texture, and clarity. There were a handful of railroad ties that were lighter than I wanted them, so I finished up by using a brush to darken them.
WIRR stands for Weekly Image Rich Ruh. This regular feature on Das Has von Ruh will show and describe my favorite photo created during this weekly period. My weeks start on Mondays, as does the WIRR. I’m hoping to include commentary on the story, the setting, the specs, or the sentiments, depending on the circumstances.
Das Haus von Ruh 