The Mustang

 

    This is probably one of my favorite photos from the trip and I have to give the majority of the credit to my wife. 

    We had just gotten off the road that runs right alongside the beach and we were headed back to our hotel. We were about to cross a set of train tracks when the train-crossing lights came on.

    I pulled up to the crossing gate, and I looked to my left to see a beautiful 1966 Ford Mustang. It looked to have been lightly restored, but still the original paint. Classic set of wheels not pulling away from the look of the car. Looking back, I saw the sunet over the ocean and a wonderful scene unfurled itself. All I could think of was how amazing a photo of this scene would be. 

    My wife, who can apparently read minds, looked at me and told me to run out and shoot the photo. "You've got enough time!" she said. So I hopped out of our Bronco, snagged my camera, jumped across the median into the opposite lane and crouched to take the shot.

    One thing I didnt realize, is that Californias trains are smaller and faster than the average Phoenix, AZ trains. As I lined up my shot, I could hear the train coming up on us. I snapped the shots just as the train blew by, and just in time. I hopped back in the bronco just as the crossing gates lifted. We pulled away, proud that we had gotten the shot without holding up the traffic that had gathered due to the train. 

    Currently, I shoot on the Canon 90d. It's a decent DSLR and works flawlessly for what I do. The lens I used for this shot was Canon's EF-S 18-135mm IS Macro. My settings were: 

    ISO: 1000

    Focal Length: 20mm

    Aperature: 3.5

    Shutter: 1/25s

    

    I don't think I'll always list the settings at which I shoot my photos, but it felt necessary for this one.

    Never take the small moments you have to snap a photo for granted. Take the leap and get that shot. It may turn out better than you expect.