I can't believe I am doing this, but I have to defend North Texas! In March, I will have lived in the flat lands of the greater Dallas area for 10 years. I spent the first 26 years of my life in New Joisey.
Pat, the position I have to take is you must work the turf. Yep, no mountains here. Barely a hill in most cases. But we do have some great scenery within an hour or two of DFW -- Arbuckles "Mtns" in Oklahoma, Brazos River area on the old Santa Fe, and I could keep going with some of my other favorite spots. Just have a good variety on lenses. Sure you just have to turn around and walk a short distance for a new shot in the Tehachapis (and have the train volume to boot). I like the challenge here in north Texas. Sure it takes a lot of driving, but that's part of the fun too. Kudos to Danny. Stretch your imagination and come up with something. Personally, really you don't have to stetch too far in these parts. On a related note, an old bud from back east (Scott Snell) and I have a philosophy. There are three elements needed for "The Shot." 1. The Train, 2. The Scene, and 3. The Weather (proper lighting). The past week's weather not withstanding, Texas has many, many more sunny days per month (most months) than any year in New Jersey. [BTW Pat, I would agree that that shot at the Lake Lewisville spillway is one of the few (and best shot) on KCS Alliance Subdivision between Denton and Wylie, TX. I drove into this spot in October and got stuck in the mud -- didn't get the shot, but was lucky enough to get a $175 towing bill - my wife came with the check book - talk about personal challenges. Fortunately, I walked in the following Saturday and got the shot!] That's all for now. Rich Wallace Flower Mound, TX -----Original Message----- From: Patrick and Carrie Lenahan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tuesday, January 06, 1998 11:06 PM Subject: Re: SPORRS: Personal Challenges-My Thoughts >Danny Johnson wrote: > >> A good photograph, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, regardless of >> where and how you take it. I wish I could drive for an hour or two to >> locations like Abo Canyon, Cajon, Tehachapi, etc., but I can't. I have to >> settle for the local stuff and stretch my imagination to the breaking point. >> Sometimes you have to play with the hand you're dealt. >> >> Best Regards, >> >> Danny Johnson >> -> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects >> -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs > >Empathy from the (relatively speaking for me, a Kansas City native) >scenic wasteland of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Some okay urban >shots here, but mostly a background of suburban war zone (I'll publish >my architectural manifesto on the value of a properly designed >environment, including the benefits of strict zoning laws and community >design reviews at some other time). For literally thousands of square >miles, the scenes trackside are of generally unpleasing clutter which >generally do not contribute positively to a photograph about the >railroad machine in the American landscape. Except, that all that >clutter is the American landscape (God help us). So, I too play the >hand I'm dealt. One of the things I've found is great to look for here >(thank you Mike Repp) are things on sticks. It seems particular >especially to these southern states like Texas and Arkansas - you rarely >find it in Kansas. But I find myself trying to work these elements >(example - boat on a stick. Pickup truck on a stick. U-Haul on a >stick. Giant fiberglass chicken on a stick. Basically, I'm talking >about a variation on the billboard advertising theme) into the shots as >they convey a great deal about the new landscape in North Texas which >has surrounded the previously-existing railroads. The flip side is the >opportunity to seek out the last vestiges of the landscape that was. >New Year's Day was spent mostly dodging clouds, but also exploring the >Kansas City Southern from Farmersville to Metro Jucntion (near Denton, >Texas). One of my only shots of the day (for which the sun came out >momentarily) was of KCS train 221 running east across the border between >Lewisville and Plano. The line crossed a creek on a wood and steel >trestle in front of the Lewisville Reservoir Dam - and through one of >the last open fields in the area (it was all country a few years ago). >Once I finally found an access point off of the busy, under construction >4-lane highway, drove across fields of six-foot high prairie grass and >then hiked further in, setting up the shot with bare winter tree in >foreground, waving windy prairie grass in middleground, and train on >high trestle in background, with three minutes to spare. The shot for >me was made by the presence of the dam in the rearmost background - the >foreshadow of the fate awaiting the scene. Already, a new service >station is occupying the southeast corner of the site. > >Whether the hand you are dealt is mountain pass or gurgling stream, >nearly-virgin prairie or pig-on-a-stick - the composition will tell a >story. > >Geez, it's getting late. This is all starting to sound pretty hokey.. >Good night all. > >Patrick Lenahan >Dallas, Texas >-> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects >-> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs -> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs
