Railfanning Photography Tutorial
The Ten Commandments of Railroad Photography© 2002 James P. Wisman. So you want to become a great railroad photographer? Well, photographing still objects is an art form in itself, but taking pictures of a speeding train is especially challenging. This tutorial is specifically designed for the casual railroad enthusiast who would like to take better pictures of engines and trains. If you enjoy photographing trains or engines, apply the following principles while railfanning to improve your chance of taking quality railroad photographs. These are the principles that experience has taught me, after numerous years of photographing trains: 1 - Principle of ThirdsWhen I first began photographing trains, I went to the bookstore to see if I could find a photography book that would help me take better pictures. After browsing through several, I noticed that they all seemed to mention the so-called ‘principle of thirds’. This is a simple, yet counter-intuitive, concept that basically states that the most impressive pictures do not have the subject in the center of the frame. Imagine drawing a tic-tac-toe grid on your photo and positioning the subject (typically the lead engine, or the cab of the lead engine) on one of the grid lines. This is certainly something that I never would have thought of myself, but open up a train magazine and see for yourself how true it is! 2 - One shot approaching, One shot leaving For a beginner, the first instinct is to take as many shots of a passing train as possible and hope that at least one will be a winner. This was certainly true in my case. However, after a while I realized that when a train is moving more than 15 mph, you really only have time to get one good shot of the train approaching and one good shot of it leaving. And definitely don’t try to get a shot of each engine in the consist. Leave ‘engine roster’ shots for well-lit, non-moving engines. 3 - When approaching, the leading engine is the subject of the photo Now this may be obvious, but it is really only stated to provide contrast for the next principle: 4 - When leaving, the trailing engine is the subject of the photo It took me a while to realize this, but when the train is leaving (i.e. moving away from the camera), you should NOT be thinking about getting a good shot of the lead unit. First of all, you just got a good shot of it approaching your camera! Secondly, it is moving away from you and is getting smaller every second. Thirdly, the engine/car closest to the camera will be many times larger in the frame than the lead unit. Your eyes will draw toward the larger object, not the small and distant object. Thus, the trailing engine is the subject of the photo. Make sure to frame it properly in your camera lens, according to the Principle of Thirds. The worst thing to do is to zoom in on the distant engine and frame it in the center, while clipping the trailing unit off the frame. 5 - Trackside distance.There is no need to be ‘close to the track’ when photographing a moving train. 5 yards is okay for a slow moving train, but keep at least 10 yards from the track for a high speed train. Your pictures will not suffer and, most importantly, you will not put your life in jeopardy! In fact, being a safe distance away from the train provides a better angle of the entire engine consist. You should also experiment with greater distances as well, especially if you want to get the entire train in your shot.6 - Use a Scanner.Nothing can improve your chances of taking stunning railroad photos than actually having a train to photograph! By using a scanner and listening in on railroad communications, you will have a much better idea of where and when a train is likely to appear. And it is much more fun and productive than waiting around for something to appear. If you have already spotted a train, make a mental note of the road number of the lead unit. This number will be used in communications to identify the train.All railroad related communications occur in the range of 160 to 161 MHz. If your scanner has a ‘limit search’ feature, set the lower limit to 160 and the upper limit to 161. After a while, you will find the important frequencies in your area. If you do not have a limit search, search the internet for your local frequencies and program them into your scanner.7 - Watch those Signals The indication of a railroad signal indicates whether something is coming or not. When you see that red light change to yellow, you know a train will be coming soon. When the yellow changes to green, you had better get your camera out and get in position for taking some photos. When possible, park your car or ‘hang-out’ in a location where you can see what the signal indication is.8 - It is better to be inside a curve than outside.It’s just a plain fact of geometry. Taking a picture from inside a curve makes it easier to photograph all the engines. You will be lucky to see more than two engines when you stand on the outside of a curve. When possible, park your car or ‘hang-out’ inside a curve.9 - Mental/Physical Preparedness.Often when railfanning, a train will appear out of nowhere and catch you off guard. You must keep your camera on your body at all times and practice getting in it turned on and ready to shoot as quickly as possible, much like a gunslinger in the wild-west. 10 – Your life is more precious than a photo! Trains equal death. Don’t get near them unless authorized to do so. Use common sense. Don’t be stupid. Be respectful of railroad property and personnel. Above all, be safe! Oh yeah, one more thing; try not to foam at the mouth when you see that rare engine coming around the bend…
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