At 10:17 AM 2/27/98 -0500, Robert Palmer wrote:

> When someone subscribes to SPORRS, we have no way of knowing who they
>are or why they subscribed.  If they had no intention of participating
>in anything from the start, then it is unreasonable for us to expect
>anything from them.  If this is the case, then you must question why
>they subscribed, but unless we could screen people (which we can't) this
>will always occur.

  ...some of us who lurk on this list and never post are here to 
learn a thing or two.  I doubt I have anything to say that any 
"serious" photographer would want to hear.  My camera is a 13-year-old 
Pentax K-1000 that I can't afford to replace on my graduate student 
salary.  I shoot Kodachrome 64 almost exclusively (got burned by 
Elite-100 a few years ago and vowed not to experiment with film 
until I can get another camera body).  I take train pictures with 
a couple of sometimes conflicting motives in mind.  One is to produce 
pleasing, well composed photographs that happen to include trains 
in them, and the other is to document the trains themselves.  I have 
to envy the "serious" photographers, the "I am NOT a railfan" types who 
can divorce themselves from any interest in trains, and who photograph them 
merely because they are challenging subject matter.  I doubt I'll ever 
get to that point.  I'll continue shoot roster shots until the day my 
shutter freezes (again).  I'll continue to feel just a bit edgy about 
setting up for a shot in a place where I can't react quickly if something 
rare or unusual happens by.  But I have a bit of serious photographer in 
me.  I try to take advantage of the circumstances to create pleasing 
images when shooting action, or even when shooting a cluster of idling
locomotives that is posed "just so."  I'm not great, but I'm learning, 
and as a subscriber to this list I've picked up ideas on how to get better.
And I'll continue to lurk as long as Mr. Cohen will let me.  I have a 
feeling I'm not alone in this. 


--  ____
____IOOI__I___________   /|        Evan Werkema       I\  
  |     O     O  O |    | |        Berkeley, CA       I | 
|_|______ATSF______|_|__| | [EMAIL PROTECTED] I |_
`-'O==O  ====  O==O`-'   O==O"""""""""""""""""""""""O==O

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