tive running gear if you could come back later or earlier in the day when the sun is lower? If you enjoy using back or side lighting or want to create a silhouette effect, you will need to be on the “dark side” of the tracks. The main point is to think about the details of using the best light according to your goals, not some “standard” rule.
Envision
The above is easy with a stationary locomo- tive. But with an oncoming train, you must envision what the final composition will look like before the train arrives. Will a back- ground tree or power pole look like it is “grow- ing” out of the top of the train when it gets into position for your photo, and can you take a different position to obscure that distrac- tion? Will a dark shadow fall on the face of the locomotive just as it gets in position for your photo? If shooting at a crossing, is it pos- sible a vehicle can pull up and stop at the last minute, obscuring what you thought would be a clear view of the train? Are there any bridges, switch stands, block
signals, grade crossing gates, work equip- ment, depots, or other railroad structures nearby that could be included in the compo- sition to add additional interest to your pho- to? If lineside trees or buildings are blocking a clear view of the train, can they be used to “frame” your subject, by switching to a wide angle lens to include overhanging tree branch- es in the top foreground? Can the shot be com- posed so the lead locomotive is seen between the edges of two foreground buildings, or in a rail yard between two foreground locomotives? How will the stretched distortion of a wide an- gle, or the “smashed” distortion of a telephoto, help or degrade the look you are after?
Knocking Your Socks Off
For good variety in a railfan photo presenta- tion or article, or for something different and eye-catching for wall display, or a “knock your socks off” image to enter in a photography contest, the answer is to shoot varied compo- sitions that break from the norm. Yet all the automatic features in the world
cannot choose a good composition. Get in the habit of approaching each new photo location — or old locations — with an open eye for all the compositional possibilities. This will often include walking around before the train ar- rives, trying various compositions and lenses to find what works best. All compositions do not have to be tightly framed, front lit, 3
/4
or side views, or even of
an on-coming train. Think about what else you can do to get a good photo. Will taking a shot when the train is still some distance down the track show more of its environment to add interest to an image show or magazine submission? Will using back lighting for a sil- houette effect, or the dramatic compression of a big telephoto, yield an especially eye-catch- ing image in this location? What will a pho- tograph from a high point beside the tracks, such as from a hill or pedestrian walkway on an overpass, look like? After you have taken your normal 3
/4 -wedge view as the train ap-
proaches, what will a shot look like by turning around and shooting the locomotives going away? A sequence of shots as the train ap- proaches, passes, and goes away will spice up any digital or slide show presentation. Also do not neglect the middle of the train. Mid-train helpers are an obvious target, but if none are in the train, look for interesting freight cars. All these variations may not turn out, but then again, you may be pleasantly surprised! If you want to capture an image that looks
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like it was taken in the 1940s or earlier on a steam tourist railroad but find there are mod- ern signs or automobiles or people or unau- thentic passenger cars in the scene, think how you can compose your photos to better “create” a scene from the past. Can you use lineside foliage or embankments or shoot from a near head-on position to hide unauthentic passen- ger cars or modern surroundings? Is it possi- ble to arrive early before the first run of the day to photograph just the locomotive while it is being serviced in the rail yard, to take ad- vantage of water tanks and coaling or sanding stations as backgrounds, or enginemen oiling around? (See the August 2013 CAMERA BAG for more on these techniques.)
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From the lens of Gary Grahl. See Philadelphia PCC’s during the colorful 1970’ and 1980’s on Routes 6, 15, 23, 53, 56, and 60.
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This high angle from a small hill beside the road allowed a nice view of the many locomotives and two loaded and two empty coal trains on August 16, 2007, waiting in the UP’s often congested Phippsburg, Colo., yard, a busy crew change point on the UP’s Craig Branch off the Moffat Line.
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