Some shots you get are meticulously planned, and some are just plain old luck! This one definitely falls into the latter category. For the first time ever, a steam special I wanted to shoot was early. I was early too, but not early enough - I literally raced from the car to the bridge as I could see the train through the trees, and couldn't do any more with the camera settings as I ran than throw it to Aperture priority and f8, and hope for the best. I normally get into position ages before the train gets there, and carefully set the camera up in full manual mode. The end result was that I could only get the train after it passed, and that the exposure was too low, and I got motion blur on the train.
Initially I thought I'd just have to bin all my shots, but when I got home I realised I actually liked the shot, so here it is :)
This is RPSI steam locomotive No.186 working the Kilkenny to Dublin leg of the Province of Leinster Rail Tour on the 10th of September 2011.
(Best viewed large on black - hit the 'L' key or click on the photo) 