Railway Photography

Railway Photography

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Railway Photography

The Hokkaido Shinkansen connecting Aomori and Hokkaido in Japan is scheduled to open in March, 2016. This is an exciting news to not only tourists, but also rail fans. While scenic views can be enjoyed along the railway line, to take beautiful railway photos both timing and skills matter. This article will walk you through several common shooting techniques in railway photography.

Shoot from Above to Capture the Entire Scenery

Railway is a broad subject, so we need to have a better understanding of the scenery along the railway line, such as how the scenery changes in different seasons and is there any special attractions like sakura, red leaves or rice fields at a certain section. It is recommended that we go to a higher point such as a hillock or flyover nearby to capture the train and its surrounding environment from a bird’s eye view. We can either make the train the subject of the photo or as an element that complements the landscape. Make sure that your composition includes fore-, middle- and background to achieve a stronger sense of depth. Also pay attention to the shutter speed if you need to freeze a passing train. In general, a shutter speed of 1/500s or faster can ensure a sharp capture, but the figure may vary depending on the actual speed of the train.
Taken from a higher point, this photo captured the entire scenery along the railway line while offered an excellent sunset backdrop to the ancient steam train.

Title: 《雪地游龍》 Club Canon Member: Sam
EOS 5DEF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM • 1/320s • f/10 • ISO 400
This photo shows a vivid contrast in colors. The train running on the mountain is a nice touch to accentuate the magnificent snow mountain scenery.

Title: 《登上仙景的列車》 Club Canon Member: Joe Leung
EOS 5D Mark IIEF 50mm f/1.4 USM • 1/400s • f/9 • ISO 200

Use of Geometrical Forms and Lines in Composition

Apart from the train, architecture including railway tracks, bridges and stations that feature different geometrical shapes and patterns also make good photographic subjects. All you need is a pair of acute eyes to find out the hidden lines, shapes, arrangement and colors in these architecture. By carefully adjusting the angle and framing the shot, abstract photos can be created out of these tangible objects. We can also use railway tracks as the leading lines in the composition to draw the viewer’s eye into the image.
The symmetrical composition played an important part in creating this geometrical photo. A black and white photo style helped accentuate the railway lines.

Title: 《鐵道》 Club Canon Member: Chung Li
EOS 5D Mark IIEF 50mm f/1.4 USM • 1/30s • f/2.8 • ISO 800
This is a good example of photo with leading lines which lead the eyes of the viewers with lines and vanishing point.

Title: 《Metro in Washington DC》 Club Canon Member: Sam
EOS 450DEF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS • 1/25s • f/3.5 • ISO 800

Capture the People and Ambience at the Station

Railway is a form of transportation. This suggests that passengers are good photographic subjects too. The fact that different types of people come and go at the train station makes it an interesting place. People are in different moods when they are waiting for the train to come – some seem anxious while some look deep in thought. When taking photos of this kind, in addition to paying attention to the actions of people around you, framing the shot with a proper use of space is also important. A crowded station can help capture the vibe of the bustling city, while a spacious station with only a few passengers can create photos with a mood of loneliness.
This photo shows a mood of loneliness by capturing a girl’s thinking face using the strong compression effect of a telephoto lens on a desolate station.

Title: 《京都月台上的女孩》 Club Canon Member: Toni
EOS 5D Mark IIIEF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM • 1/800s • f/2.8 • ISO 800
The use of wide-angle lens created a sense of space in the photo, making the effect of the leading lines of overhead power line, railway line and railings more apparent and resulted in a stronger sense of emptiness.

Title: 《我與寂靜的車站》 Club Canon Member: MUG
EOS 5D Mark IIIEF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM • 1/80s • f/2.8 • ISO 5000
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