STICKY:  How to photograph a high school Senior

JWright wrote in post #14000578
... You might think "Well, we can hear the train coming." Guess again... Trains are not as loud as one may think and by the time they get into sight it's going to be too late. Once the engineers sees you on the tracks, he's not going to be able to stop in time...

Everyone should take heed. Most people think that trains are incredibly loud because they are used to watching them as they pass by. And, often a train can be heard coming at you from a safe distance.

But, when conditions are exactly right, it's possible to not even hear a train until it's almost upon you. And it isn't just when it's windy, or just when there's lots of background noise, there are a bunch of seemingly random times when trains just don't give much warning.

Personally, I feel like the political correctness of the situation is a non-issue. The most important factor is the possibility that a photographer could contribute to someone's death just to get an over-done cliché of a shot. Go ahead and risk your own life but don't screw around with someone else's.

cacawcacaw wrote in post #14000867
Everyone should take heed. Most people think that trains are incredibly loud because they are used to watching them as they pass by. And, often a train can be heard coming at you from a safe distance.

But, when conditions are exactly right, it's possible to not even hear a train until it's almost upon you. And it isn't just when it's windy, or just when there's lots of background noise, there are a bunch of seemingly random times when trains just don't give much warning.

Personally, I feel like the political correctness of the situation is a non-issue. The most important factor is the possibility that a photographer could contribute to someone's death just to get an over-done cliché of a shot. Go ahead and risk your own life but don't screw around with someone else's.

I gotta agree with the rail road police also :P
and really those shots are over done.

we got tracks here that aren't used... and parts of tracks that are physically separated from the rail system

bobbyz wrote in post #14000636
The Rail Police. Sorry couldn't help.

Way off topic - Does some one have stastics of how many folks die per yr from photogs shooting on (mostly abondened) rail road tracks?

babel_fish wrote in post #14000654
holy crap, are those rail police stuff serious?

civil liberties /flushtoilet

You can scoff and make light of it, but this is very serious stuff.

cacawcacaw wrote in post #14000867
Everyone should take heed. Most people think that trains are incredibly loud because they are used to watching them as they pass by. And, often a train can be heard coming at you from a safe distance.

But, when conditions are exactly right, it's possible to not even hear a train until it's almost upon you. And it isn't just when it's windy, or just when there's lots of background noise, there are a bunch of seemingly random times when trains just don't give much warning.

Personally, I feel like the political correctness of the situation is a non-issue. The most important factor is the possibility that a photographer could contribute to someone's death just to get an over-done cliché of a shot. Go ahead and risk your own life but don't screw around with someone else's.

Thanks. That's the best attitude to have.

Rich1971 wrote in post #13984188
I really like the picture, I just think she is too dark. Awesome background! She blends in too dark with the background. Cool shot!

I did a couple edits if I may be so bold! Just dodged the image you had...
Rich

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JWright wrote in post #14000578
I work around trains a lot as a volunteer at a railroad museum and the best advice I can give anyone about shooting on the tracks is

DON'T DO IT!!!

This makes me want to do it.

:p

So I am guessing my pictures (from a few years ago) with the train coming up behind the senior would not be good to share! lol

jmalonear wrote in post #14003390
So I am guessing my pictures (from a few years ago) with the train coming up behind the senior would not be good to share! lol

In 2006?

JACKSON — Helen Gable was taking pictures on the railroad tracks in Tupelo in 2006 when a train cut her leg nearly off as she tried to get out of the way. Gable and her husband are suing the BNSF Railway Company for nearly $6 million. ... Helen Gable says in the lawsuit that the company should have posted no-trespassing signs to keep people away from the tracks. ..."Helen Gable, while taking pictures of her niece's daughter, was exercising due care" while standing on the tracks, the lawsuit said. ..."What may have seemed a harmless photo opportunity is among the more dangerous activities any human being can engage in with a railroad," Lundsberg said.

Actually, the odds of being hit by a train are incredibly small, but how stupid would you feel...? Odds are that no one here will every be hit by a train, but why tempt fate unless the results are worth it? Every time I see a railroad tracks shot I imagine someone fresh from class who's overjoyed to see the converging lines their instructor was talking about.

babel_fish wrote in post #14000654
holy crap, are those rail police stuff serious?

civil liberties /flushtoilet

Yes, there are people that patrol railroads (usually railroad employed and they take trespassing very seriously, at least from a safety point of view. The PSA is probably a change in their stance. Usually it is an "opportunity" for them to teach people about how dangerous trains can be).

I am kind of surprised to hear about "silent trains" - I heard last night's trains and I live three miles away from them.

That being said, I know some very real abandoned railroad tracks - I know where the break is in the middle of them. It is really kind of hard to be sure they are railroad tracks because they are that overgrown. Frequently, though, many assume railroad tracks are "abandoned" because they live several miles from them and have never seen the trains that use them. If the right of way is obvious and there is only a few weeds here and there growing up in the track, it really is probably better not to use them.

Post your train pics....LOL

bedojo wrote in post #14001401
I gotta agree with the rail road police also :P
and really those shots are over done.

we got tracks here that aren't used... and parts of tracks that are physically separated from the rail system

This is such a bogus argument. Every type of shot is "over done". And for the person getting the shots, it's not over done, and likely the only one they've ever had.

USER876 wrote in post #14006065
Post your train pics....LOL

Heather!!! <3

she's now a local model that i've worked with a couple of times.

cacawcacaw wrote in post #14004300
In 2006?

lol..That one was not me

umphotography wrote in post #13998758
Pham

I like the product.

Question

Where are you hosting your photos, what are the costs to host them ? If the hosting costs are reasonable, this looks like a good solution ??

Thanks for posting this Pham

Mike,
this software is heavy with lots of options..
I am learning all it can do, there is a dedicated forum as well J
What I think is going to help me is the a la cart pricing, cropping, and package pricing system. I also like it that it has an early bird special, to force the client to order earlier than later. And it give the admin. Info on what galleries are being viewed and the count of views..
Adding photo products for sale has always been my weakness and now once I set it up and show a picture of the product , Clients have a much better understanding of what is offered and prices and i don't have to tell them, though I have the display on my product table as they walk in. I need to work on my sales methodology !


I think this senior railroad track issue has merit on both sides of the lines.
Some think it is extremely dangerous
Some think it is ok to do
But the bottom line is safety. You don’t want to put your client at risk, it is up to you and your client.
It is no different than walking on or by the street and getting hit by a car and I think CARS can sneak up on you more than trains can.. anyways just be aware of your surrounds and talk to your client about safety and level of risk is all I am saying..

Seriously, Prius's are like the Cheetahs of cars.