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Description
Amtrak California Zephyr heading to Grand Junction Colorado from Chicago the day before, October 12, 2022.

The best thing about traveling by train is that I can relax and look at the scenery and not have to worry about driving.

But from a photography standpoint, there are a number of challenges. First off, you can't roll the window down. I needed to put the camera lens against the window to avoid having a reflection, and then you have to also deal with tinted windows and dirt. Getting a good focus is a problem because of the movement, and objects in the foreground will always be blurry. And the biggest issue is that you only get one chance. If you didn't get the shot you wanted, the train just keeps on moving down the line.

Description
Amtrak California Zephyr heading to Grand Junction Colorado from Chicago the day before, October 12, 2022.

The best thing about traveling by train is that I can relax and look at the scenery and not have to worry about driving.

But from a photography standpoint, there are a number of challenges. First off, you can't roll the window down. I needed to put the camera lens against the window to avoid having a reflection, and then you have to also deal with tinted windows and dirt. Getting a good focus is a problem because of the movement, and objects in the foreground will always be blurry. And the biggest issue is that you only get one chance. If you didn't get the shot you wanted, the train just keeps on moving down the line.