QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
■ What’s your camera gear of choice?
I am a Nikon Man with the latest D6, D5 and D850 full frame cameras in the bag, along with a host of Nikon lenses to suit each job that
I go on.
■ How old were you when you started taking railway photographs?
There is photographic evidence of me when I was five years old, holding a camera on a photographic charter on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. One of the photographs I took under supervision of my father was of No. 4920 Dumbleton Hall leaving Toddington, which was taken at the age of five, but I submitted and subsequently won a photographic competition in the under-18 category when I was just seven!
■ What are your top three favourite locations for steam?
I don’t particularly have a favourite location as such, as I am always looking for something different each time I take a photograph. However, an incline or gradient such as The Lickey or the Stroud Valley play host to numerous vantage points for any steam locomotives attacking the hills, resulting in lots of steam and whistles!
■ What’s your preferred time of the year for steam photography?
From late September through to March is the best time. You cannot beat photographing a steam engine working hard along the line on a cold crisp morning with a frost on the ground and the sun making an appearance. During the summer you will not see much – if any – steam out of the front of the locomotive, so the summer time is diesel weather, unless you’re undertaking an evening shoot.
■ Briefly outline what advice you can offer a would-be steam photographer?
Plan your photograph, look at the weather and work out where the engine is likely to work hard so you capture the exhaust out of the chimney. The wind direction is also very important, as there is nothing worse than standing on the side the smoke blows down on, resulting in the exhaust hiding the full locomotive and length of the train.
Endeavor to be at a location where you are not standing with a community of photographers. Why would you want the same photographs as everyone else? Put your creative mind to the test and come up with something completely different, use props if necessary, and check your surroundings to frame your photograph, such as a beautiful tree.