OUR APPRENTICE says…

We had planned our afternoon so that we would be in the right place to get a silhouette shot as the sun began to set. The key to a successful silhouette, said Phil, is to find a place where you can be below the train, so that you can look up at the train and have a clear view through the wheels against the sky. It was important, therefore, to get down as low as possible so that no foliage intruded to ruin the shape of the silhouette. Phil said that we had to set the exposure for the sky alone before the scheduled GWR No. 2857 came down the track – that way, none of the cloudscape in the background would appear burnt out.

Get down low

As you have an accurate timetable to go by, you can ensure you get to the location for your next train in plenty of time to look for the best viewpoint. For this silhouette shot, it was necessary to get down low, so as to ensure that there would be clear sky between the wheels of the engine and carriages.