What is Creative Railroad Photography?

A photographer reflects on the path railroad photography has taken and where it's headed
By Scott Lothes
Published: Thursday, May 21, 2009
Milwaukee RoadMilwaukee Road Hiawatha passenger train near Lake Forest, Ill., c. 1940 is a classic three-quarter-wedge shot. Photo by: Lucius Beebe
Railroad photography seems to fall into two categories: standard and creative. When I say "standard," I mean the front-lit, three-quarter view promoted by Lucius Beebe, who introduced the U.S. to the idea of using railroads as a subject for its photos ["The Last Edwardian Gentleman," Trains, January 2000]. "Creative" (or its derogatory alter-ego, "artsy") is left by too many photographers to mean everything else, which becomes a problem. Flip through the pages of Trains magazine or peruse railroad photography Web sites: the diverse photography cannot be lumped into these two groups.

The term "creative" is overused and misused, which hampers meaningful dialogue about contemporary railroad photography. This standard/creative dichotomy wrongly implies that standard photos cannot be creative, and perhaps even more dangerously, that all other types of photos are creative.

Coast Starlight
CascadesA very late-running Coast Starlight heads north between Eugene and Albany, Ore., on July 12, 2008, in a sunset composition that's as formulaic as Beebe's wedge (top). Just a few minutes earlier near the same location, a Cascades-service regional train speeds south. A tighter composition emphasizes the graphic qualities of lead F59 No. 469. Photo by: Scott Lothes
Digital photography enabled photographers to take numerous images, experimenting with different lenses and settings. Beebe's wedge shot is no longer the only standard. Nearly as common now are the glint shots, the silhouettes at sunrise and sunset, the blurred pans and pacing shots, and the headlights glowing and streaking through the night. These photos are often beautiful, sometimes stunning, but that alone does not make them creative. At their most basic, each of these styles is just as formulaic as Beebe's wedge: a proven equation for producing consistently dramatic photos of railroading.

There's nothing wrong with consistently producing dramatic photos of railroading. But I do think we need to drop the catch-all terms and acknowledge that not all dramatic photography is creative, and that not all creative photography is dramatic. We need to be open minded about pictures. We need to welcome photographic diversity.

Railroad photographers of the early 21st century have a wealth of tools and techniques at their disposal. All of the styles that I mentioned above, including the three-quarter wedge, can still be used to make creative railroad photographs. The crux is to find new and innovative ways of applying the techniques, abandoning the established formulas down to the last detail.

NunThis photo of a nun walking outside Chicago Union Station in 1964 was created using a telephoto lens. Photo by: John Gruber
We can also consult other schools of photography for ideas and inspiration. Center for Railroad Photography & Art President John Gruber broke new ground in the 1960s by applying telephoto lenses to railroad photography, a technique he adapted from photos he saw in newspapers.

Renowned photographer David Plowden's later work along railroads tended more towards carefully composed still lifes, a genre of which most railroad photographers have barely scratched the surface.

There are even creative applications for roster photographs; just consider the works of the German husband-wife team of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who make industrial portraits interesting and exciting.

Chicago & North WesternHere is another example of creative railroad photography. These Chicago & North Western tracks with a farm backdrop are west of Mechanicsville, Iowa, circa 1970. Photo by: David Plowden, © 2009, all rights reserved
Freed from the bridle of our outdated terminology, the possibilities are endless. Let's not take pictures that are stultified. Let's work to develop our craft innovatively, artistically, and creatively.

Trains contributor Scott Lothes is a writer and photographer in Corvallis, Ore. He is project director for the Center for Railroad Photography and Art.
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