Martyn Tattam

For this issue’s 10 Pictures, we are treated to some stunning photography of preserved steam and diesel traction from the lens of Railways Illustrated regular contributor Martyn Tattam.

Martyn’s earliest memory which established his love of all things to do with railways comes from when he was aged about four and was taken to an open day at Tyseley Locomotive Works. Steam locomotives, including GWR 4-6-0 ‘King’ 6024 King Edward I and Southern 0-6-0 ‘Terrier’ No. 10 Sutton, were in use on Tyseley’s demonstration running line, and this early experience of preserved steam left a lasting impression on the young Martyn.

Having travelled the length and breadth of the country to discover steam and diesel locomotives in action, quite a few trips included visits to railways during holidays in North Wales and then regular trips to Dawlish as he entered his teenage years.

With a growing interest in photography, when he reached the age of 16, Martyn got his first ‘proper’ camera – a Canon SLR, which included a kit lens. This lens was used for one of the photographs which he has chosen in this 10 Pictures selection. Since then, Martyn’s love of photography has grown, as have his abilities. As he honed his skills, he started to visit heritage railway events that were relatively local to him, often going on his own. However, as he started to become a regular face at the lineside, he started to meet other like-minded enthusiasts and photographers and socialised with them, learning from them as time has gone on.

Martyn says he has gone through various phases in relation to his photography and what his aims are. In the earlier years, he mainly took pictures of visiting locomotives at the events he attended without really thinking about composition or location; those early years were mainly about taking pictures for fun.

In more recent years – the second phase, as he describes it – Martyn has explored much more of the surroundings for his photographs. He says it is not just about adding buildings or infrastructure, but also about exploring locations situated well away from station environments and trying to capture locomotives in action out in the countryside. Career-wise, Martyn entered the teaching profession and at about the same time also joined the photographic charter circuit, attending railway photo charters at weekends, in the evenings and during school holidays. These charters helped him further hone his craft, and he would spend time speaking to some of the present-day master craftsmen of the railway photography world, seeking advice and constructive criticism as he strived to emulate the work of his contemporaries. These conversations saw Martyn decide to change his opinion on what he believes makes for the perfect photograph. He wanted to add his own twist, and this could be achieved by shooting a different angle, speaking to locomotive crews and volunteers to arrange workings at locations where you wouldn’t normally see a locomotive working particularly hard, or even heading away from the crowd at charters and choosing a different spot. He says that he still mainly takes his photographs for fun, but his aim now is to capture something that looks as natural or timeless as possible, even if it is not taken at a gala or on a charter.

His advice is that if you plan and do your research beforehand, it can be beneficial, as the criteria can be different depending on what you are planning on taking an image of. Considerations such as weather conditions, the angle of the sun and shadows, planning the surroundings you intend the use and the locomotive and coaching stock combinations all make a difference.

Martyn’s 10 Pictures submission is a tribute to those who have helped him along the way: those photographers who have pushed his ability to the fullest, the heritage railway volunteers who have helped create some once-in-a-lifetime photographs and, most of all, his family – his long suffering fiancé and especially his father, David Tattam, who first gave him the railway bug. Without these people, Martyn says that none of the photographs featured would have been possible. These are Martyn Tattam’s 10 Pictures.