The last few years we have enjoyed a number of long-distance train rides, curtesy of Amtrak. I’ve managed to get quite a few photographs I like despite the challenges (previously described). So many in fact, that now I am looking forward to my 2015 calendar and using them there.

I first took moving photographs many years ago through car windows; probably, if not before, when we drove across country from Palo Alto to Ann Arbor. I’ve been thinking of getting back into this, and had an opportunity when we were driving back from visiting Jill’s friend Annie in Heywood. So far, trains seem to work much better.

Beforehand though, we were in the plane on the way to San Jose. Jill was in the window seat, and at one point got excited about the view. My camera was in my bag at my feet and I was able to get it out in a hurry. Planning which seat to sit in might have helped in this endeavor – since we were on Southwest we had more options than most.

Still the same issues as on the train, dirt and reflections in the windows, not to mention changing scene, composition, focus (oops, forgot that auto-focus likes the window more than the scene) plus simple issues such as keeping things out of the frame. And not having the window seat (Jill offered, but no time to switch).

But cars are probably the most difficult; on the freeway everything changes really fast.