Is it just me or have others experienced what I’m going through here on the FEC… finding a good urban locale that’s photoworthy? It seems to me that no matter where I go there’s always too much ‘junk’ that clutters the scene. By junk, I mean things like utility poles/wires, signs and billboards… not necessarily refuse, per se.
I like urban settings with exception to all these annoyances and it seems, as I view local photos from the 70s and 80s, there’s a lot more along the railroad than there used to be. I can’t imagine that the rest of Urban America is much different.
Does anybody here know of any photoworthy places in town where trains can be photographed? What photography challenges do you face when shooting trains in your town or vicinity? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting bored of the usual mountain, valley, river, desert and plains backdrops as breath taking as they are.
I know there is a nice stretch coming out of Jacksonville where you can follow alongside the rails for quite a while, but I am guessing you know this. I can sympathise with the lack of space to photograph sometimes, I live in a very congested area. Sometimes working a well placed item into a scene works though.
I know what you mean! I rarely photograph in urban settings because of this. If you look at my photos, they almost all appear as if they are taken in the middle of nowhere, even if they’re a mile from the city centre.
It’s worse than that, most of them are sunlit from the other side in the middle of the day. Ugh!
Oh, and the problem with western Canadian railway photography: TOURISTS EVERYWHERE!
I have the same issues… but it’s a matter of knowing where to go, I guess.
And, as far as other “junk” being in the scene, it all depends on what it is. Local structures, even billboards and utility poles can lend “mood” to a photograph.
I try different angles, you know, from bridges, elevated side streets, or areas where the tracks are above grade. It’s all in how you look at things.
The following are shots I took around the suburbs here, and the “scenery” adds something to the photo. It’s the look I go for.
I shot each of those, trying to evoke a feeling, or something about railroading… give the photo a feel. I shot them at: Congress Park, Brookfield, IL. Elmhurst, IL. and Joliet Union Station, in Joliet. The additional structures, buildings and bridges add character and environment in my opinions. But, since art is subjective not everyone would feel that way.
Someone who is interested only in the technical minutiae of the locomotives might find the surround environment irritating. The same goes for your rolling stock guys too. On the other hand someone who finds trains, as well as their environment interesting may like them.
Like I said, it’s all subjective and each takes away from the image what they want… And, that’s fine with me.
It’s really tough, Ted. I have the same issue in much of Los Angeles. Even more of the ROW is fenced in my chainlink fences. So many of the great shots taken in downtown LA areas can never be recreated as they have been locked behind fences and junkyards.
It takes a heck of a lot of work and a wide angle lens to get stuff. The sad news is that I believe it’s only going to get worse.
I think I should clarify what I mean by junk… I mean clutter. An example would be countless utility poles and wires criss-crossing in all directions… things in excess which offer distraction from the subject and scenery. A few signs and poles here and there is fine and, for the most part, unavoidable. But I’ve noticed their numbers have increased substantially in the last 20 years or so.
I remember until about five years ago, old telegraph lines running along the CSX (ex-SCL) r/w. They would be acceptable, if not favorable, but they don’t exist down here anymore. They’ve been replaced with high-tension transmission lines suspended from huge concrete poles, telephone and t.v. cable lines on wood poles and buried fibre optic lines with those all-too-conspicuous plastic vertical markers. This is the kind of “junk” I’m referring to.
The “clutter” of which you complain is part of the urban scene. I have a preference for scenic shots near a steel mill, oil refinery or chemical plant WITH the associated clutter of high-tension wires, pipeline markers, etc.
The challenge becomes how to best incorporate said clutter into the picture. Or to seek ways to camoflage/soften it.
During my recent foray to Greenfield Village I found a decent spot for a picture, but there was a single power pole in the background. By backing up a few steps I was able to use a hanging branch to somewhat shield it. You can still see it in the shot, but it’s not as obvious. I don’t have that file handy or I’d post it. Later…
You’re right about that. Sometimes, I will admit, I have to move around a given location, just to find the right composition. Half the battle in taking a good photo is composition. Having a camera like mine, where I can zoom in and out at will, without changing lenses works, because if there is something at the edge of the picture I can’t remove by changing position, then zooming the lens a couple of clicks helps without ruining the look I was after. Sometimes, I have to go with a different shot altogether because the one I planned didn’t work out due to some sort of scenery distraction. (i.e, a flourescent orange pipeline marker for example)
I also have to agree with Erie Lackawanna as well. There are a couple of areas I used to frequent that have been fenced off in recent years, with more to come, from what I hear. So, some of my best shots won’ be recreated either… but, that is how it goes…
In other cases, if the distraction is small enough, I just leave it in, and then clone it out with GIMP 2.6 or Paint.net, my two photo editing programs. Cloning is difficult, because if not done right, it can be pretty obvious, and then spoil the photo. Cloning out larger areas is more problematic. I also crop if what I wish to take out is close to the edge, and doesn’t take away from the photo.
What I find annoying is you’ll find a great angle from an overpass that has a sidewalk, but the chain-link fence they had to install to keep dopes from jumpin’ off or throwing things prevents a good picture. The 44th Ave. overpass in Minneapolis that spans Northtown Yard is a nice exception. Dayton’s Bluff in St. Paul was a great spot (famous I’d say) but CP has that restricted now. If you have a telephoto lens you can get some decent shots from on top of the bluffs in the city park there (just don’t do it at night).
Here are a couple of shots, taken through a chain link fence. I have to agree, they are a problem and limit angles. What’s worse is a slatted wooden fence, or, a trellis-like semi privacy fence, where the wood slats criss cross. On a chain link fence, I can at least get my lens through the fence.
Shot in Wheaton, IL, from the pedestrian overpass.
Taken from the Ogden Ave overpass in LaGrange, IL.
Both bridges have chain link fencing protecting users from falling off.
Fences are problematic, but there are ways to get that good shot. My lens is narrow enough for fitting through chain-link fences (I will note, it is done very carefully) I am not sure, however about the lenses on the SLR type digital cameras. If it doesn’t fit, then definitely, chain link fences are going to hinder taking photos.
I try to improvise as much as I can to find a usable angle, so long as said improvisations keep me out of harm’s way, and off railroad proptery.
Tim’s photos are a good example of using the surrounding scenery, whatever it may be, to “frame” the trains in the shot. Some of the most interesting shots can involve only portions of a train… I took a shot at Steamtown that a friend of mine was actually a little envious of, and he is a professional at photography. I got the steam engine moving along the tracks from the perspective of being between two buildings. The walls dominate the scene but the sight of the engine in the middle of this at the far end worked out better than I realised. Some of the best pictures are spontaneous.
TF1221 - I’ve taken “grab shots” that ended up better than anything I’d planned…
A chain-link fence (minus the slats) shouldn’t be a problem for an SLR as long as you can get the front of the lens right up to the fence and centered in an opening. The field of view of most lenses is such that you’ll never see the wire.
A lot of those chain links now have very tight weaves. You need a tiny point-and-shoot lens to shoot through them.
One of my all time favorite spots back in NJ, Collins Curve in Waldwick, was a classic railfan spot for decades. Look up old shots of the Erie and Erie Lackawanna, and you will find it.
There is now a tight weave fence there and, the city and railroad don’t do any trimming of foliage so there’s just no shot. (Before anyone gets angry that I bemoan this, please understand that I accept that the reality of urban life requires the fence and I don’t believe that the city or railroad owe it to me trim foilage for my sight lines… I’m just saying I’m sad that the shot is gone).
If I could bemoan the loss of one place to shoot, it would be Bryn Mawr along the joint UP/CP trackage at the western edge of O’Hare International airport. It was a great spot for MILW and C&NW train watching in the 70’s and 80’s, and that continued up until about 2005. I saw the American Freedom Train there in 1976, as it went by on it’s way to Proviso Yard, (or was it Bensenville?? I don’t totally remember) Due to security concerns, access to the area was literally sealed off with locked gates and fences about 2006 or so, and it is heavily patrolled by both Elk Grove Village P.D. and the airport security. Trespassing there results in arrest, from what I hear, no 2 ways about it. Obviously security concerns dictated the closing of this area. Like EL, I am not saying we are still “owed” this place, I am just sad it’s gone.
Anyway, speaking of lenses through the chain link fence, mine is narrow enough to fit through there, but I have to be very careful when zooming, as the lens assembly extends about 9 or 10" out from the body of the camera when zoomed all the way.
