Shooting Trains

Today I met with 20 or so people from my photography group at Belle Isle for a relaxed morning of shooting. Belle Isle is a fairly large island in the James River that is part of the local park system. In the past it was home to a Native American fishing village, a Civil War prison camp and munitions factory, a granite quarry, and even a hydroelectric plant. Many structures are still standing (in various states of ruin) and provide excellent opportunities for photography. This is actually one of my most frequent shooting locations and has been the subject of a few blips in the past. I was really hoping to find new perspectives on this old subject.

As soon as we crossed the bridge the group dispersed into various directions. Shooting with a group is always enjoyable for the social aspect, but it is frustrating to turn around and realize that everyone is getting the same shots. At the same time, this forces you to seek out different angles and different ways of composing the obligatory scenes.

It was interesting to "lead" people around. I tended to be one of the first ones to leave one place and head to another because I knew what was ahead of us. Halfway down the trail I would turn around and see one or two people following me, and by the time we got there we'd have a group of five or six. I didn't mind because I always enjoy sharing any knowledge I may have.

Towards the end of the trip I decided to hop a fence and check out the graffiti on some of the train cars sitting on the tracks on the far shore. This proved surprisingly popular and soon we had five photogs spread out along the trains. All, in all this was an enjoyable day.

f/5, 1/320sec, ISO 400
70-210mm lens @ 135mm
ambient light