RAILWAY PHOTOGRAPHY
There are many elements to consider when shooting trains. Three railway experts share their tips on how to capture the perfect shot
Michael Topham
Michael is a full-time cricket groundsman and freelance wedding photographer from Tonbridge, Kent. In his spare time, he enjoys the challenge of capturing striking railway images. His photographs can often be found gracing the pages of steam railway magazines and railway touring company brochures. He’s online at www.michaeltopham.co.uk or on Instagram @michaeltophamphotography
Railway photography is a pastime passed down from my father, and one I took up from a very young age. We’d spend hours travelling to railways the length and breadth of the country in search of the winning combination of steam and sunshine. I still fondly remember capturing my first respectable image of a freight steam loco emerging through the mist on a glorious sunny winter morning in Hampshire. Since then, my passion for attempting to shoot the finest and most unique steam railway images has grown; however I’m still yet to trump the magnificent sight of a double-headed steam train crossing Ribblehead Viaduct at sunset, which to this day remains my favourite shot I’ve taken in 25 years of photographing trains.
Think outside the box
While there are instances when I like to shoot a front three-quarter shot with the sun over my shoulder to maximise the amount of light on the front and side of the train, I try to think more creatively when it comes to lighting and composition. Early morning and late evening creates great opportunities to capture striking silhouettes. The key to photographing the best railway silhouettes is to shoot from distance, often with a telephoto lens, and not so close that you struggle to keep the entire train in the frame or the locomotive appears distorted. Bridges, viaducts, trees and embankments will all help to give your railway silhouette context and can make them much more dramatic, as illustrated in this example taken at the renowned Ribblehead Viaduct on the picturesque Settle-Carlisle railway.
Learn your locations
Anyone can rock up at a preserved railway and take an ordinary photograph of a steam train simmering in a station, but to capture the type of shot that stands out from others you’ll want to do some homework first. Study an Ordnance Survey map for footpaths that run close to the railway as well as possible foot crossings from where you may find an excellent vantage point at a safe distance to the track. An uphill gradient also means the steam locomotive has to emit steam to its cylinders, in turn creating better steam effects from the chimney. You’ll find that some locations work better at different times of the year. In summer you may find tree foliage ruins the composition whereas in winter you get a clearer, unobstructed view. Building up know
