Railfan

After coming across this great definition of "Railfan" at http://www.reference.com/browse/trainspotter , I've discovered that I am more of a railway photographing enthusiast than a pure trainspotter. So I guess it's true... I guess I am a Railfan.

A Photographer's Journey

I’ve come across a wonderful book called Trains: a Photographer’s Journey. I thought that I was one of very few photographers who had more of an artistic view on the way I photographed trains since I couldn’t find anyone else who wasn’t a railfan when taking pictures of those machines. But with this book, I discovered Graeme Outerbridge, a photographer who journeyed the world just for the simple pleasure of traveling on trains of all types and photographing them. After flipping through the pages, I realized he had a very abstract way of representing these locomotives. His color photography on these many types of trains from Canada to Spain to Australia is quite vivid and rustic. Some of his abstract photography concentrates more on lines, colors and shapes, and others on movements. Not to think that this book is entirely abstract; there are some very crisp clear shots of trains out in the distance with all its striking beauty and sceneries.

I feel the need to write this wonderful citation from his introduction since I feel that I can relate:

“I’m not the typical train photographer, nor do I have the railfan’s exact metaphysics concerning every detail of railroading. My approach was to treat each train as a new experience and let the journey reveal hidden facts. I wanted to find a visual language to express the experience of train travel. I did my best to capture the sense of movement in my photographs, but of course the sounds of the road and the smell of diesel are missing. A train whistle in the night conjures dreams. One feels an excitement of possibilities; maybe it’s the call to adventure or the promise of escape from troubles that feel inescapable.”