Guidelines for Photographing Grain Elevators
Grain
elevator pictures for the BNSF Internet site are selected based
on the following:
Photo shows personality and totality of facility - size, construction, location, age, and environment.
Photo shows rail infrastructure - the track condition, length, location, loading equipment. Pictures of the elevator viewed from the track side are preferred over the pictures from the street entrance, showing the office and the storage silos and tanks in the background.
Photo has good composition and exposure, sharp and well lighted. Landscape (horizontal) orientated pictures are preferred over "portrait" styled shots. See photographic tips below.
We accept color digital or 35mm images. The 35mm prints should be 4x6 inches or larger. Digital images should be in .jpg low compression format with a resolution width of 600-2400 pixels and a density of 72-300 dpi.
We re-size all images to our web page standard of 600x400 pixel maximum.
Photographic Tips:
Use quality 35mm or digital equipment with focusing lenses for sharp images and correct exposure. Disposable cameras and other inexpensive equipment will not produce clear, sharp images with good contrast and color.
The best shots are taken on sunny, clear days -to- partly cloudy days, in the mid-morning or afternoon, with the sun behind you about 50-70 degrees above the horizon. Avoid early morning or late evening to take pictures.
Photos taken in Spring, Summer or Fall are best. Avoid shooting when the ground is covered with snow. Snow covered scenes often results in under exposed pictures, and a narrow range of color in the image.
Stalk the elevator. Walk around it, view it from many different locations, taking shots as you go. Remember, we prefer the rail side of the facility.
Documentary style pictures are best for us. Don't shoot the "Art" style pictures such as the elevator silhouetted against a beautiful harvest red sunset.
Don't shoot into the sunlight. If you must, set the camera exposure for the shaded areas of the structure, rather than the sky. Also, when shooting the north side of a structure, try doing it from an angle, i.e. from the Northeast in the morning, from the Northwest in the afternoon.
If you have a wide angle or telephoto lenses, use them to compose the elevator portrait. These work will when you can't get back far enough or you can't get up close to the facility.
Keep your camera level to the horizon! Try to keep those tall elevator silos from looking like they are about to fall over to the right or to the left. When using wide angle lenses avoid pointing the camera upwards which also causes distortion.
Avoid objects like telephone poles and wires in the direct line of view.