Dan Hadley wrote: > A photographer friend of mine reccomended that I read a recent article in > National Geographic magazine by a fellow named Jim Brandenburg. He's a > professional photographer who specializes in nature. He came up with an > interesting challenge for himself which resulted in a remarkable series of > photos that should be of interest to all railroad photographers. There's not > a single train in any of the shots but it's the challenge that I think is > important. > > Jim Brandenburg's goal was to go into the north woods of Minnisota and spend > 90 days from the Autumnal Equinox to the Winter Solstice taking nature > shots. The only hitch to this goal was that the rules he set for himself > allowed him to take only one shot per day. He spent most of this time > walking through the woods trying to find that one special shot to represent > each day. All 90 photographs are published in the November 97 issue of > National Geographic. They are absolutely stunning. Remember, these aren't > the pick out of hundreds of shots, these photos are it. In many cases he'd > see a shot but wanted the light to be just right. He'd return the next day > but it still was not what he wanted. After returning to a scene after > several visits he'd get exactly what it was that he had envisioned. One > other days he'd be surprised by a wolf chasing prey and instantly turn to > grab an action shot of the chase. On one day late in the time frame after > he'd gotten most of the easy shots and passed up several other shots > throughout the day, time was gaining on him and he still hadn't taken a > photo. He spotted a leaf floating on a pond of black water and snapped the > shot. He expected to be disappointed but got what was one of the better > photos.
In a more railroad-related format, check out the book, written by Henry Abrams, of photographs by pioneer O. Winston Link called "The Last Steam Railroad in America". Written with both railfans and artists in mind, the book not only beautifully displays Link's amazing photographs of the last of N&W steam in the 1950s, but also chronicles what went into the making of the photographs - and what Link's intent was in making them. Not only was one shot per night his approximate goal - usually, it was the best he could do, given the capabilities of his camera, the need to set up between 20 and 30 flash bulbs to adequately illuminate the scene in the very particular way it was intended, the need to compose the shot in his viewfinder (usually in the dark) and the need to freeze a 250,000 pound hunk of steel moving 60 miles per hour with his shutter. The book reproduces some of his notebook pages which describe the planning of each shot (as opposed to recording the taking of the pictures) - sketch layout of the scene, placement of camera, lights, props, etc. (yes frequently posed his shots and rarely used available light). All in all, an inspiring book which is sure to get some of the creative thought processes going - and which does a great job at getting one to really think about the work - and rewards - of making a really great photograph. FWIW. Patrick Lenahan Dallas, Texas -> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs
