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The Best I Can Do
Right before sunrise, a BNSF intermodal curves along the Needles Sub as it approaches Siberia. I climbed this hill with a somewhat different shot in mind, and as I walked past this composition the thought came into my head that if a train showed up before the sun rose, this shot was probably the best I could do. I couldn't see any trains coming out of Amboy, so unless one was hiding at Bagdad which I couldn't see, there were no trains out there. I continued up the hill, but 30 seconds later I was shocked to see a train appear, coming out of Bagdad. I returned to the prior composition and bagged the shot. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I'd taken one of my all time favorite photos.
This photo feels somewhat transformational to me and my approach to photography. It was a result of a completely spontaneous overnight train trip. In recent years, I could always talk myself out of going trackside. Rather than my normal square peg in a round hole approach to photography I was flexible and honest with myself, choosing this shot (which I had previously not known existed) over other shots I've dreamed to for this area that honestly just don't work. But this one does. The most transformational thing may be that I'm finally feeling a little motivation and excitement about photographing trains locally again. If this photograph is an omen of things to come, 2025 could have a lot of great shots in it
The Best I Can Do
Right before sunrise, a BNSF intermodal curves along the Needles Sub as it approaches Siberia. I climbed this hill with a somewhat different shot in mind, and as I walked past this composition the thought came into my head that if a train showed up before the sun rose, this shot was probably the best I could do. I couldn't see any trains coming out of Amboy, so unless one was hiding at Bagdad which I couldn't see, there were no trains out there. I continued up the hill, but 30 seconds later I was shocked to see a train appear, coming out of Bagdad. I returned to the prior composition and bagged the shot. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I'd taken one of my all time favorite photos.
This photo feels somewhat transformational to me and my approach to photography. It was a result of a completely spontaneous overnight train trip. In recent years, I could always talk myself out of going trackside. Rather than my normal square peg in a round hole approach to photography I was flexible and honest with myself, choosing this shot (which I had previously not known existed) over other shots I've dreamed to for this area that honestly just don't work. But this one does. The most transformational thing may be that I'm finally feeling a little motivation and excitement about photographing trains locally again. If this photograph is an omen of things to come, 2025 could have a lot of great shots in it