Quick Shot: Abstract Train

I was out hiking a section of the C&O Canal that I hadn't been previously last weekend (the canal stretches from Washington, DC through West Virginia, so there's plenty of the trail I haven't seen!). This section of the trail follows a railroad line and provides many opportunities to photograph trains. This one spot was near an aqueduct bridge and provided a clear view of the trains as they came over the bridge.

I caught this particular CSX train with a bunch of car carriers in tow. The car carriers aren't the most fascinating subjects, but I like their bright yellow color, so I decided to get creative. Using a long shutter speed, I panned the camera quickly with the train to create a "rushing" effect as the train whizzed past.

Rarely do I post abstract photos, but I thought the result of my experiment was kinda nifty. Despite the blurring from the panning motion, you can still see the train and the bright colors.