What is that on your head???

Utah Senator Orin Hatch and (now former) Utah Senator Bob Bennett at the grand opening ceremonies of the Utah Transit Authority's Front Runner Service at the then new intermodal station on April 26, 2008.

Are you ready for winter?

UTA Gillig Advantage BRT 10014 in a snow storm, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Here is a shot I took Christmas Eve last year on a trip to Utah to get you ready for the winter season that will be coming soon.

A Utah Transit Authority bus has just left Central Station and is on its way to Murray via State Street in a blizzard. The bus is a 2010 Gillig Advantage BRT bus. The picture is taken at the intersection of 200 South and 500 West in Salt Lake City.

Front Runner Train in Salt Lake City

Front Runner Train, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

A UTA Front Runner train sits between runs at the Salt Lake City Central Station before heading north to Ogden.

Despite the gloomy weather, the picture came out well.

UTA MAX Bus on 3500 south

UTA MAX 08103 on Route 35M
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

A Utah Transit Authority Van Hool is traveling eastbound on 3500 South in West Valley City, Utah.

The sun was low enough that it did not provide harsh light and in the perfect position to light up the front of the bus.

The bus is traveling along along dedicated bus lanes that were recently opened along a short stretch of 3500 south.

Into the Weeds...

Former UP rail line in Draper, UT in B&W
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

My last picture was of a former grade crossing signal of the former Union Pacific line from Salt Lake City to Provo owned by the Utah Transit Authority.

Today's picture is from the same line just taken about a mile down the line at a former grade crossing that has been closed and now is an access point for the trail that travels along the former right of way.

I did this photo in Black and White to give a sense of abandonment. I also used a low f-stop to blur the background and make the rails the main focal point.

Utah Transit Authority NB Front Runner Train

Utah Transit Authority NB Front Runner Train
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

Ok, it has been some time since I actually posted some pictures to this blog so I will try to make up for it.

Today, we have a picture of a northbound Utah Transit Authority Front Runner train that has just left Central Station in Salt Lake and is heading toward Ogden.

The train is powered by MPI MP36 locomotive pulling a Ex-New Jersey Transit Comet I car and two Bombardier Tri-Level cars which can be found on various commuter trains from Florida to Seattle.

Ghost TRAX

Ghost TRAX
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

Last night I drove my wife and a friend to a class they are attending and decided to do some photography while I was waiting for them to get out.

As you can tell, I have been practicing my night shots for the last few weeks so I figured last night would be another great opportunity. I went to the TRAX crossing at 8680 South in Sandy which is just a block from where we used to live and took some pictures.

The lights you see in the foreground belong to my car.

UTA Gillig Advantage BRT on Route 603

UTA Gillig Advantage BRT on Route 603
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

This Saturday Photowalking Utah will be down in Orem with the opportunity to check out an outstanding photo studio plus get some lessons. They will also be walking around Downtown Provo later in the evening but my wife and I are going to the Toby Keith concert so we will miss out on that part.

This photo is of a Utah Transit Authority bus taken during the August Photowalking Utah event. It is a 2007 Gillig Advantage BRT bus on route 603 waiting at a red light at 25th and Lincoln in Ogden.

This paint scheme for UTA is only a few years old but a big improvement from the previous colors which was all white with small blue and red strips dating from the "white bus" phase of the 70's and 80's.

TRAX train at speed

TRAX train at speed
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

Yesterday, I had to take my car in for its routine maintenance at Champion Ford on 9000 South. On the way I stopped at the TRAX crossing of 8680 South just a few hundred feet from where I used to live.

I tried with my previous digital camera to do some slow shutter speed shots in order to blur the motion of the TRAX trains, but that camera's settings were not good enough to get a good picture.

Now, armed with my new Nikon SLR, I took these pictures which came out substantially better than the previous ones I tried. I think the picture does a good job of conveying the speed at which the TRAX train is traveling.

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Sometimes Pictures Surprise You

Utah Transit Authority Frontrunner Test Train
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

When I first posted this photo on Flickr, I didn't expect it to be one of the better performers. Yet in a short time it become my number one picture in the photo stream and only a couple of days ago got passed up by a picture of the inaugural Front Runner train taken at Layton.

Because the lighting was not good due to the cloud cover, I just didn't think many people would take a look at this picture but sometimes they can surprise you.

This picture was taken just north of Downtown Salt Lake City at 300 North.

Utah Senator's Orin Hatch and Bob Bennett

Utah Senator's Orin Hatch and Bob Bennett at Front Runner Ceremonies
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

Took this picture of Utah's two Senators during the grand opening ceremonies of the Utah Transit Authority's Front Runner service.

I took this from the photographers stand provided by the UTA. The platform was located on the north side of the crowd but should have been on the south side to provide better lighting.

You can see the nose of one of the UTA's new Front Runner locomotives sitting in the background.

Photowalking in Ogden

Next Saturday the Photowalking Utah group will be making a trip up to Ogden to do some photography. I joined the photowalking group previously when they visited the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah but have not been able to make another one of their outings since then.

While I have only been on one photowalking excursion, it was an enjoyable experience to meet and spend time with other photographers. It was also an excellent opportunity to learn from photographers with even more experience and new ideas.

I plan on taking Utah Transit Authority's Front Runner service arriving about an hour before the meet up time in order to get something to eat.