Great New DVD/Blu-ray Release!
SHORTLINE & REGIONAL RAILROADS Featuring Four Great Railroads
SOUTH DAKOTA
RAPID CITY PIERRE & EASTERN RR ELLIS & EASTERN RAILROAD DAKOTA & IOWA RAILROAD DAKOTA SOUTHERN RAILROAD
See switching, locals and road freights on scenic ex GN, Milw Rd and C&NW rail lines. Plus loads of vintage diesel power and train action Hot Spot of Sioux Falls. Rail footage era 1992, 2002 and 2016.
116 Minutes • Widescreen Narration On/Off Options Color • Rail Map Included
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER! DVD Widescreen
BLU-RAY Widescreen $2895 Wisconsin residents add 5.5% sales tax
Reg. $29.95 Exp. 4/30/17
PLUS SHIPPING: USA 1 TITLE $6 • 2 TITLES $8 • 3+ FREE CANADA 1 TITLE $10.50 • 2 TITLES $16.50 • 3+ $9.50
Former Lehigh Valley GP38-2 7318 leads a Delaware & Hudson trackage rights train over Conrail on former Lehigh Valley trackage at Palmerton, Pa., in May 1976. JIM BOYD PHOTO
P.O. BOX 217 • ALTOONA, WI 54720 • 715-833-8899
www.pletsexpress.com PLETS EXPRESS
A new DVD from A&R Productions Action at Ayer: Guilford & MBTA
Ayer, Massachusetts, was an important junction town on the old Boston & Maine. It still is today for Guilford Rail System and MBTA. One hour and 40 minites.
goldenspikeent2014_Layout 1 5/5/2014 1:38 PM Page 1 Model AY-1 • $30 plus free shipping!
ONLINE
ClassicRailroadVideos.com PHONE (800) 246-5898 MAIL PO Box 492, Kensington, CT 06037
into the “in crowd.” Maybe you should just go home and watch MTV. “Being there” didn’t work. As one who spent a decade as a contributor long before becoming an editor, I know how you feel. But there’s nothing to be discouraged about. When it comes to getting your photos published, you have to “be there” trackside at the right place and time, and you have to hit the editor at the right time with just the right subject. That’s a lot harder to do, because even he can’t tell you in advance what is needed. And a lot of damned fine photos will never see printer’s ink. It’s not because they were bad or unworthy; it’s usually just that the timing was wrong. I recently received a beautiful vertical photo of N&W 611 crossing a little bridge in perfect light, surrounded by West Virginia hills. That would have been a cover shot if I’d had it at the right time, when we had a feature going on the 611. But we’ve got nothing on the 611 in the works right now, and that perfect cover photo will be a reject because we have no need for it now. There is an “in crowd” here, but
it’s open to anyone willing to join. The regular contributors are regular contributors because they get out there and hustle. They supply me with good quality slides or b&w’s while the news is still hot, and they include enough data on the story so that I don’t have to get bogged down in researching or verifying their material. And I’ll give a new name a chance over an old one if the material is equal — the “regulars” see their name in print enough to be able to live with that. Of course, if somebody makes a special, pre-arranged effort, I’ll make sure their work is published, even if somebody else should happen in the meantime to bang
64 JANUARY 2017 •
RAILFAN.COM
in a lucky shot. Some of the choices being made by magazine editors — and that includes all of ’em, not just me — can be pretty arbitrary. A photo might make it into PHOTO LINE simply because its a diesel shot with a narrow crop that faces left or is a strong, square image that will anchor the corner of a layout. It could also be because it is a simply stunning image that struck the editor’s fancy and served as a keystone for a photo layout. The point is that “good enough” has little to do with your skill as a photographer, for the resulting photo has to “be there” with the right subject, image, and shape at the right time. When it comes to shooting photos for publication, the work at trackside and the work in the darkroom are only the first moves in the game. If you really want to get your photos published, you have to be like Captain Kirk in The Wrath of Khan — if you can’t win by the rules, you change the game. Instead of blindly submitting photos, try for feature articles. It’s more work and no guarantee of success, but the odds and rewards of winning are higher. If you have an idea for an article, contact us and we can discuss it. I won’t give a guaranteed commitment to an unknown author, but I’ll be glad to discuss your idea. That’s how the pros do it. [Note: This still holds true today. —S.B.] There are all sorts of places in the railroad world worthy of photos or features, and whether you just want pictures for your own scrapbook or the cover of a national magazine, first you gotta “be there.” —JIM BOYD
This CAMERA BAG column originally appeared in the November 1985 issue of RAILFAN & RAILROAD.
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