5th year anniversary of Rich Yourstone's groundbreaking article

[bbussey]

Agreed.  I look at it (in addition to being masterful work) as an inspiration, something to strive for. 

When the bar is set higher, that's a good thing.  It shows everyone what is possible in N scale.

[Sokramiketes]

I didn't know this hobby was a race or best of...

crap...

[Ian MacMillan]

crap...

Well you can strive to be the best, but I didn't know there was an end or a trophy ceremony

[Dave V]

Well you can strive to be the best, but I didn't know there was an end or a trophy ceremony

There is.  I won.   ;D

[DKS]

Agreed.  I look at it (in addition to being masterful work) as an inspiration, something to strive for. 

When the bar is set higher, that's a good thing.  It shows everyone what is possible in N scale.

Exactly. Rich has been a tremendous inspiration for me, and while I doubt I'll achieve his level of realism, his work (and that of others) has moved me to strive harder to improve my modeling.

[pnolan48]

Rich Yourstone's article(s) deserve every accolade we can come up with. It changed my viewpoint about model photography. Indeed, it humbled me and made me try much harder. I may never get to his level, but I'll keep trying.

[tom mann]

Rich's weathering article is the reason why I do weathering almost exclusively.  He showed us that weathering could be a hobby by itself-good insight for those who can't or don't want a layout due to space or other restrictions.  A medium storage bin fits a lifetime of weathering supplies and n scale projects.

His photography article is great too, but not as life changing for me.

[Sokramiketes]

There is.  I won.   ;D

(Shhh... I told them we've already got one)

[AlkemScaleModels]

He (or she) who dies with the most toys wins, right? ??? ??? ??? ???

[Virginia Atlantic]

I didn't know this hobby was a race or best of...

/chuckle.

The Hobby is (like any hobby) what the hobbyist wants it to be.  For me, yes, the desire to be "one of the best" was a strong drive.  

No fault that it isn't for others, I'm never going to judge the motivations of others for what they do for fun my old friend.  Not everyone sees hobbies a s competitions, implied or otherwise.  I do.

For me, being second best at best (and in truth quite a bit worse than that) was simply part of what drove me out of the hobby.  One factor, thats all.  It's a testement to how utterly brilliant Rich's work was that it could have that effect on me tbh.  His images are still the best I've ever seen, as close as model railroading gets to "art" as it can in my view.

/shrug.  Not sure why that opinion would bother or offend anyone tbh.  Only person it effected was me, after all.

[ryourstone]

Wow thanks guys!

A little behind the scenes trivia - I remember Kirk stopped by when I had the RDC shot mocked up. He was more than a little shocked to see it was just bare foam with some ballasted track and vehicles/buildings scattered about  ;D  Since the layout was still in such an early stage of construction I just cut a piece of foam out to sink the camera low enough (this was before I discovered front-facing mirrors)

Warfish you're waaay more creative and imaginative than I could ever be... run with your strengths. Or learn some patience... It took me 30 years to learn that, and it wasn't until year 28 that I had the "A ha" moment where I could deliver on anything close to what I envisioned in my head. Besides if you can see where you're limitations are, you know where to apply your efforts.

Here's a close up of the PA1 in the MRG cover shot to illustrate how much of this is illusion. I think the only details I added where a Z coupler, air hose, and photshopped headlight. Camera angle, depth, weathering, lighting, and background are most of the effect:

[Sokramiketes]

Wow thanks guys!

A little behind the scenes trivia - I remember Kirk stopped by when I had the RDC shot mocked up. He was more than a little shocked to see it was just bare foam with some ballasted track and vehicles/buildings scattered about  ;D 

I still like to pretend these are completed layouts.  I was scarred when Bob Kosic showed me his Union Station set-up years ago... smoke and mirrors.  I think you're the first since the Kosic brothers to really, truely, nail the prototype feel in a shot.

[DKS]

I think you're the first since the Kosic brothers to really, truely, nail the prototype feel in a shot.

That sums it up. There's a lot of great modeling being done out there, but very few also have the eye for composition and the knowhow to capture it.

I stitched this together from the article PDF and I just stare at it.



My favorite, though, is the one with the CNJ F3 on a curve headed toward the camera with a string of old boxcars in tow. Can't find a copy of that image anywhere (I think we used to feature it in the old RW header set).

[Ryan87]

My favorite, though, is the one with the CNJ F3 on a curve headed toward the camera with a string of old boxcars in tow. Can't find a copy of that image anywhere (I think we used to feature it in the old RW header set).

I showed that picture to Jim Six when he was planning the Michigan branch trying to convince him to switch scales... (didn't work tho  )

[GaryHinshaw]

To drive the point home, here are a few proto shots from roughly the same spacetime coordinates Rich was modeling:





It's uncanny how well the prototype atmosphere has been captured.

-gfh

P.S. I know we're not supposed to embed RailPictures, but I made an exception in this case.