Laughing Frog Images

Detroit Toledo & Ironton, MI, 1982-84

Posted on November 13, 2014November 8, 2014 by Kurt

We’ve added a new gallery to Laughing Frog Images – Detroit Toledo & Ironton in Michigan, 1982-1984.

Much like the Grand Trunk Western, the Detroit Toledo & Ironton in eastern Michigan was a natural side trip to the pursuits of the Port Huron and Detroit.

Detroit Toledo & Ironton’s Flat Rock Yard was an easy diversion off of I-75 between Toledo and Detroit. DT&I power was showing up on the GTW in Port Huron.

And, back then, in a galaxy far far away in a time long ago, as long as you checked in, stayed off of the tracks and equipment, and didn’t do anything stupid, you could take your pictures in peace.

So, it was easy.

But… easy shooting of the DT&I didn’t always mean that it was in the best light. As a matter of fact, sometimes the light was downright terrible. every once in a while, I got lucky – but it seems like high noon and clouds were the norm fo rme back then. I’ve tried to make all of the images as close to perfect as I can, but in some cases, they’re dark below the frame. Some look like they’re floating on a sea of black. I debated whether or not to include some of them – but I decided to include them, as a dark underframe on a DT&I unit is better than no DT&I unit at all. The Detroit Toledo & Ironton was disappearing during this time, and I tried to make the most of the opportunities I had.

The ultimate question that arises from this gallery is simple: which one is the correct shade of DT&I orange?

As with the GTW gallery, this gallery will likely appeal to model railroaders as well as the ferroequinologists out there.

Enjoy!

Grand Trunk Western, MI, ’82-’84

Posted on November 10, 2014November 8, 2014 by Kurt

We’ve added a new gallery to Laughing Frog Images – Grand Trunk Western in eastern Michigan, 1982-1984.

The Grand Trunk Western in eastern Michigan was a natural side trip to the pursuits of the Port Huron and Detroit from 1982 to 1984.

Their Tunnel Yard office was directly across the Pere Marquette and Grand Trunk Western mains from the PH&D office.

Everything in and out of Port Huron (PH&D, PM (as the ex-PM/C&O/Chessie System was known, and the Trunk) went by or near Tappan Tower at the West end of the yard.

The Trunk had a regular run-through freight with the Milwaukee Road, so you could see Milwaukee power in Port Huron. The assimilation of the Detroit Toledo and Ironton was taking place during this time, as was the assimilation of the Detroit and Toledo Shore Line. Assimilation meant variety, and also lament. There were ex-Rock Island GP38-2’s running around in patched Rock Island paint. There was variety…

The Tunnel Yard engine facility was wide open. Switchers and Geeps lay in wait. One of the shades of GT blue was the correct one! And, there were still some units running around in GT black.

Detroit Toledo and Ironton’s Flat Rock Yard was an easy diversion off of I-75 between Toledo and Detroit.

And, back then, in a galaxy far far away in a time long ago, as long as you checked in, stayed off of the tracks and equipment, and didn’t do anything stupid, you could take your pictures in peace.

So, it was easy.

But… the PH&D was the main attraction, and easy shooting of the Trunk didn’t always mean that everything was always in the best light. I’ve tried to make the images as close to perfect as I can, but in some cases, they’re dark below the frame. I debated whether or not to include some of them – but I decided to include them, as a dark underframe on a GTW unit is better than no GTW unit at all.

That said, I captured a reasonable representation of the GTW in eastern Michigan in that time frame. This gallery will likely appeal to model railroaders as well as the ferroequinologists out there.

Enjoy!

Port Huron & Detroit in color, 1982-84

Posted on November 2, 2014November 1, 2014 by Kurt

I discovered the Port Huron & Detroit Railroad with a forgotten cohort in July of 1982.

An Alco-powered shortline in Michigan, the Port Huron & Detroit was something new to me. Alco switchers were all but gone in Western Pennsylvania. And the folks there put up with, educated, tolerated, and supported a young railroad photographer.

I was shooting Kodachrome 64 – each slide cost me just shy of a quarter for film, postage and processing. I was making $4-5 dollars an hour through various summer enterprises. And I lived about 300 miles away. 30+ years later, I wish I’d shot more… I have too many memories of the people that made the railroad what it was, and too few pictures of them.

Back then, I was still mastering Kodachrome, let along photography in general. After working the scanner for hours, it’s been hours of cleaning, editing, and fixing. The PH&D gallery can be found on Laughing Frog Images by clicking here.

I made several trips to the Port Huron & Detroit through the end of the railroad’s time shooting black and white and color (that’s how you had to do it back then – no click of a mouse in a software program like there is these days!). In December of 1984, the Port Huron & Detroit was purchased by CSX. I still keep in touch with a couple former employees. Doesn’t seem like 30 years ago…

The Frog is working on a black and white Port Huron & Detroit gallery – hopefully it will be up before Thanksgiving.

Port Huron was also served by the Grand Trunk Western and Chessie System (former Chesapeake and Ohio, and before that, Pere Marquette). The Chessie line was still referred to as the “PM”, and had a carfloat operation to Sarnia, Ontario that I never shot… (Yes, I regret it – but the lighting was bad in the morning, and by the time the light came around, I was chasing the PH&D.) You could drive in to the Trunk’s engine facility, check in – and as long as you stayed off of the tracks and engines – and didn’t do anything stupid, all was well. Look for future blog posts and galleries from these railroads I came to know because of the PH&D.

The Port Huron & Detroit Railroad Historical Society’s Facebook Page can be found here.

Half of all profits from this gallery will be donated to the Port Huron & Detroit Historical Society.

2014 Holiday Sale!

Posted on November 2, 2014November 1, 2014 by Kurt

Laughing Frog Images is based upon two simple premises: (1) photographic art should be affordable, and (2) you should be able to get the image that you want the way that you want it.

The Frog recognizes that everyone appreciates a sale, so now through December 25th – everything at Laughing Frog Images is 10% off!

It’s the Laughing Frog Images 2014 Holiday Sale!

Nothing is excluded, and there’s no limit to your savings. Spoil yourself or get someone a unique gift from Laughing Frog Images.

Use Coupon Code LFIholidays14 to get 10% off everything at Laughing Frog Images.

Happy shopping, and Happy Holidays to you and yours from Laughing Frog Images.

Scanning Prints

Posted on October 27, 2014October 26, 2014 by Kurt

Well, if scanning prints is something you want to do, or need to do, there’s a bright side to it all. You only have one choice for equipment, and that is a flatbed document scanner.

Flatbed scanners come in a wide range of prices from a variety of manufacturers. Many come with some sort of photo editing software. Some are tailored towards folks like you, and have one-button shortcuts for scanning prints. Others offer software that will help restore old faded prints in one step.

You can get good results for around $100 or so. Prices go up from there to a top of the line Epson that will set you back around $750. Consider your objective before you set out to buy your scanner. A scanner can always do, less that its’ ultimate capability – but it can never do more.

If all you want to do is scan the family snapshots for viewing on your phone or computer, or to post on Facebook, you don’t need to spend a fortune.

If you’re looking to be able to reproduce a print that’s in focus and well exposed, you don’t need to spend a fortune, either.

Sounds pretty good so far, doesn’t it?

If your originals aren’t in focus, no scanner is going to be able to fix that.

If your original prints are underexposed (dark, muddy), a scanner might be able to help – but don’t get your hopes up. The same goes for prints that are overexposed (washed out). In either case, your best bet is to work from the original slide or negative if you have it. And, at that point, the $99 scanner is probably not your best choice.

If you’re wanting to take that 4×6 inch print, scan it, and create a great 20×30 inch print to cover that empty space on your wall – it’s not going to happen. The only way that’s going to happen in an acceptable manner is if you’ve got the original slide or negative to work from, and a scanner capable of providing output of at least 4800 dpi. Sorry if you were hoping to hear something different.

If you’re working from prints that are old, faded, torn, or wrinkled, they can probably be saved. “Saved” might be a great result, and it might not be. All it takes is decent software, a good mouse and mouse pad, and time. And patience. And time. Did I mention patience and time? I spent about 11 hours restoring and repairing a print of my Grandfather on his wedding day. I found it behind two other prints of my Grandparent’ wedding in a frame, and time wasn’t at all kind to it. I used Ulead PhotoImpact software to repair it (the software is now found in Corel’s PaintShop Pro X5 software). If you don’t believe me about having a good mouse – wait until you work on restoring your first print!

For the record, my current flatbed scanner is a HP OfficeJet 4630 all-in-one.

So, if scanning prints is your primary objective – start at your Local Camera Shop and go from there. Check the reviews on B&H, Adorama and Samy’s. And, enjoy!

We’ll wrap the scanning conversation up in one final post soon.

Scanning 35mm Slides, Part 2

Posted on October 16, 2014October 12, 2014 by Kurt

Scanning 35mm slides – Part 2.

In Part 1, we talked about scanning a lot of slides. Thousands of them.

So, what if you don’t have thousands to scan?

You’ve got more options!

For one-off scanning 35mm slides, the Frog has a PrimeFilm 7200 from B&H (information at http://www.scanace.com). The PrimeFilm 7200 uses the same software as the Powerslide 5000 – so that was a major factor the purchase of this unit. I’m very happy with this unit – it’s got 7200 dpi resolution and can pull a little more detail out of the dark areas than the Powerslide 5000. It also scans negatives – but that’s another post.

Scans using CyberView or Vuescan software can take as little as five (5) minutes if they are run without the noise reduction and cleaning functions – but I’ve come to terms with waiting a little longer for the slide to be scanned and spending a lot less time cleaning up the final product. As much as you clean your slides before scanning, and as much as you think you do – it’s more amazing what shows up at 7200 dpi than what shows up at 5000 dpi!

The rest of this post is a review from Part 1. I was going to stop here, but since we’re talking about scanning slides from two different perspectives, I figured I’d leave it be. Consider it a review or reiteration of things to consider.

As discussed in Part 1, there are flatbed scanners out there on the market that can scan up to 20 slides at a time, as well as having the capability to scan documents, negatives and photographic prints. Some of these units can produce very high quality scans – and some simply can’t. These units range in price from $100 to $800. The main makers of these scanners are Espon, Canon, and Hewlett-Packard. Check out the reviews at places like Shutterbug magazine, B&H and Adorama for more information on these units.

There are also lower resolution units that, for lack of better words, take a picture of your slide and convert it to a jpeg image. They’re not scanners in the traditional sense, but converters. They’re inexpensive and fast to use, and they have their limitations. These units can be had from $50 to $150.

What’s right for you?

Well, the first question to ask yourself is “what do I want to do with my scans?” Your answer dictates what you need. Remember, you can always downsize your image, but you can never upsize your scan…

If you want to make 20″x30″ prints – think dpi, lots of dpi – 4800 dpi or more.

If you’re wanting to make 8″x12″ prints – 2400 dpi can work.

Just want to show them on your tablet, laptop, phone or TV? a converter type unit can work for you.

There are also slide scanning services that will scan your slides at varying resolutions for varying prices. They’re an option for you if you don’t have the time or don’t want to do it yourself.

Don’t forget to consult with your local camera store along the way!

Happy deliberating!

If you’ve got questions, post them in a comment and we’ll talk…

Scanning 35mm Slides, Part 1

Posted on October 13, 2014October 12, 2014 by Kurt

As I write this, I’m scanning 35mm slides from 1982. There are a several thousand 35mm slides awaiting their turn. It’s not a fast process – it could be faster, but let’s talk about it since I was asked about it a couple of weeks ago.

If you’ve got a few hundred slides to scan, or less, that’s not so bad – we’ll talk about that situation in Part 2.

Before launching Laughing Frog Images, I did a lot of research on 35mm slide scanners and slide scanning services. My goal is archival scans – 5000 dpi (dots per inch) or better per scan, and having the original scan in a lossless format such as .dng or .tif. Anything less wouldn’t give you the ability to get the image you want the way you want it.

The easy way to get all of my slides converted would have been to send them out to a scanning service, pay them over $1.00 per slide, as well as shipping both ways, tax, etc. As you know, the Frog is a small, small enterprise – and spending $20,000+ to build the image galleries at Laughing Frog Images just wasn’t going to happen. Granted, it would have been nice, but that wasn’t going to happen.

So, it was on to Plan B, and the search for a professional quality scanner capable of batch scanning slides.

I ended up purchasing a Pacific Image Powerslide 5000 35 mm slide scanner from B&H (information at http://www.scanace.com). With this unit, I can scan one slide at a time, or trays of 50 or 100 slides. I have to admit that I’m still working out the bugs of using the 100 slide carousel tray, but there’s a tray of 50 being scanned right beside me as I write this.

I am scanning Kodachrome(R) slides at 5000 dpi with automatic noise reduction and cleaning being done in the CyberView software – it takes about 11 minutes per scan and produces a tif file of more than 300MB. I’m doing a basic crop and auto-level adjustments using ACDSee Pro 6. And I’m a very happy camper!

Scans using CyberView or Vuescan software can take as little as five (5) minutes if they are run without the noise reduction and cleaning functions – but I’ve come to terms with waiting a little longer for the slide to be scanned and spending a lot less time cleaning up the final product. As much as you clean your slides before scanning, and as much as you think you do – it’s amazing what shows up at 5000 dpi!

There aren’t a lot of other bulk-scanning options out there right now, and there may never be. It seems like the scanner market may now be what it’s going to be for the foreseeable future. The Powerslide 5000 is a dedicated slide scanner – it won’t scan negatives unless they are in slide mounts, so negatives are possible, but not without some prep work.

There are also flatbed scanners out there on the market that can scan up to 20 slides at a time, as well as having the capability to scan documents, negatives and photographic prints. Some of these units can produce very high quality scans – and some simply can’t. These units range in price from $100 to $800. The main makers of these scanners are Espon, Canon, and Hewlett-Packard. Check out the reviews at places like Shutterbug magazine, B&H and Adorama for more information on these units.

There are also lower resolution units that, for lack of better words, take a picture of your slide and convert it to a jpeg image. They’re not scanners in the traditional sense, but converters. They’re inexpensive and fast to use, and they have their limitations. These units can be had from $50 to $150.

What’s right for you?

Well, the first question to ask yourself is “what do I want to do with my scans?” Your answer dictates what you need. Remember, you can always downsize your image, but you can never upsize your scan…

If you want to make 20″x30″ prints – think dpi, lots of dpi – 4800 dpi or more.

If you’re wanting to make 8″x12″ prints – 2400 dpi can work.

Just want to show them on your tablet, laptop, phone or TV? a converter type unit can work for you.

There are also slide scanning services that will scan your slides at varying resolutions for varying prices. They’re an option for you if you don’t have the time or don’t want to do it yourself.

Don’t forget to visit your local camera store as part of the process!

Happy deliberating!

If you’ve got questions, post them in a comment and we’ll talk…

Gallery Spotlight: Fall Foliage

Posted on October 6, 2014October 5, 2014 by Kurt

Fall foliage is happening in New England, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other places I’m not… And can’t be, so…

The next best thing is putting the spotlight on the Fall Foliage Gallery at Laughing Frog Images!

This is Silver Cascade near Crawford Notch, NH.

This image used a tripod, cable release, and a polarizing filter as have been discussed here on the Frog’s Blog. The camera was a Fuji S-9000. Most of the images in this gallery at this time used this equipment.

This image looks great on a white mug, and also on a white water bottle (it’s one of the samples I have that I’m still wrestling with how to post and share)! And – for most of the regular readers, it’s cheaper than getting to New Hampshire to see fall foliage in person! (Although a trip to New England in fall to check out the fall foliage should be on everyone’s Bucket List.)

Don’t forget that Laughing Frog Images gives you over 170 ways to enjoy an image that calls out to you, and in most cases, you control the cropping and the position of the image on the media. There aren’t many photographers that give you some many choices and that degree of control. We think it’s all about the image and how you want to enjoy it.

Holiday shopping starts in less than 60 days, so start browsing and planning now! We’d like to help you shop for unique gifts this holiday season without ever setting foot in a store!

Newfoundland Railway

Posted on September 28, 2014September 21, 2014 by Kurt

While on a shore excursion out of Corner Brook, Newfoundland on a New England / Atlantic Canada cruise, we passed a small museum honoring the Newfoundland Railway. I was on a bus, and wasn’t too happy – as seeing the museum and not being able to photograph it was worse than not seeing it, not knowing it was there, and then not feeling like I missed anything. We’ve all been there for something.

As things would have it, we had some time before the ship sailed, so… It was off to the dock and to the cab line. And then, a short drive to the museum in Humbermouth, NL.

My cab driver was a native Newfoundlander, and had driven by the museum many times, but had never stopped. He walked with me as I photographed, and as we talked about life in Newfoundland, we also talked about the history we were looking at. One thing about trains is that they an often tell a story. The rails themselves tell you who made them and when, and sometimes, where as well. Castings have the manufacturer’s name, and often the date. Engines have a Builder’s Plate to tell their story. So, in about half an hour, we both learned things we didn’t know before our brief encounter.

Unfortunately, the Museum itself was closed, so my education about the Newfoundland Railway was limited to the rolling stock on display.

The Newfoundland Railway ceased operations in 1988 when the Trans-Canada Highway was completed across Newfoundland.

Here’s a link to the Newfoundland Railway Gallery on Laughing Frog Images.

If you’d like to learn more about the museum, check out the Railway Society of Newfoundland Facebook Page.

The Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador’s railway site can be found here: Railway Society of Newfoundland

Also worth checking out is the Railway Coastal Museum website. The museum itself, with excellent dioramas and displays in former Newfoundland Railway passenger cars is in St. John’s, NL.

If that’s not enough information, here’s some recommended reading: “Rails Across the Rock: A Then and Now Celebration of the Newfoundland Railway.” Pieroway, Ken. 2013 (I don’t have it in my collection yet, but it’s been well received in the reviews I’ve read.)

We saw just enough in Newfoundland to add it to my Bucket List. A few hours of shore time just didn’t do it justice.

Searching the Galleries

Posted on September 25, 2014September 21, 2014 by Kurt

Some of you may have looked at the Galleries on Laughing Frog Images, and said “wow, that’s a lot of really super / great / awesome stuff!”, but then wondered how you might find something you want (or don’t know that you want until you find it).

Some of you simply enjoy browsing the galleries and letting your mind go somewhere else for a while.

Some of you enjoy searching the galleries for something that works for you.

And, some of you want to search for specific things. This post is for you!

There’s something that’s been lurking up at the top right corner of the site. But it lurks quietly. And, you might not notice it. So, here’s a little help to make searching the galleries for that special image a little easier.

The best way to do this is with some screen shots from the site:

First, the search function is activated by clicking on the magnifying glass icon up in the top right corner.

Clicking on the icon opens up the search field. Type in what you’re looking for, and click on the icon once again.

In this example, I typed in BNSF to find some train pictures. The results page is shown below, and it tells me that there are two (2) galleries with 34 pictures in them tagged BNSF.

The search function works off of keywords that I’ve assigned to every image (at least I hope so…!). So, as long as our minds think alike, this is going to work just fine…

Seriously, I did try to be practical with the keywords to make things easier for everyone who might be searching the galleries. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated!

We hope this adds to your viewing and shopping experience on Laughing Frog Images.

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