Head-on shots

When pictures of a moving train are taken from the centerline of the track what are some techniques that will prevent you or your equipment from being hit?

Are you referring to the so-called "suicide shot" where the camera is placed between the rails, or a head-on telephoto shot?

If you're attempting the former, as long as your equipment doesn't stick up above the top of the railhead, it shouldn't be hit by any part of the train. You may want to try to affix the equipment to a tie, though, so the vibration doesn't jostle it too much. As for keeping yourself from being hit by the train -- it goes without saying, get out the way well before the train arrives. Keep in mind, however, that almost anywhere you go, it is not possible to set up camera equipment between the rails without illegally trespassing on the railroad's property.

As for the latter, the best way to get a shot that looks as if it was taken from the center of the track is to shoot at a curve, looking into the straight section of the track. Unless you want to include the curve in the picture, you'll need a long lens, probably in the 200-400 mm range. However, it is possible with lenses in that range to shoot from trackside on straight track and still get a very head-on shot. You will, though, still need to be fairly close to the track, so remember to step back before the train passes.

pcdude9190 wrote:When pictures of a moving train are taken from the centerline of the track what are some techniques that will prevent you or your equipment from being hit?

Removing yourself from between the tracks before the train arrives.

Thanks, the curve method seems good.

What about the when the train is/will be moving away from you?

The curve technique works just as well when the train is going away, as does shooting from trackside with a telephoto lens. Under no circumstances is it advisable to stand between the rails to take a picture.

Having participated in the setup of a high speed approaching train shot for the movie industry, I can reveal to you their secret. They put a big mirror in the middle of the tracks, angled 45 degrees to the track centerline, and the camera off to the side at a 90 degree angle. The camera is operated by remote control so nobody is standing near it when the locomotive shatters the mirror. It really isn't very exciting watching it from a distance, but the resulting footage is quite impressive. The image is flipped side for side in printing to correct the reversal which the mirror puts in the image.

The train wreck in the movie "The Fugitive" is quite spectacular. Some of the wrecked equipment is still at the GSMRR in western North Carolina. The DVD version has an extra feature that described how the movie crew set up the you-only-get-one-chance-to-shoot-it scene. Very interesting to learn how it was done.

read somewhere back in the days of steam, someone wanted to film the steam engine, and there were plans for running two engines on parallel tracks until the engineer came by with an oil can, squirted the rails and wheels and they got their shot of a stationary steamengine running wide open... BTW be careful if u use the curve method with multiple tracks, very difficult to tell on which track comes the approaching train..

... BTW be careful if u use the curve method with multiple tracks, very difficult to tell on which track comes the approaching train..

not as silly as it sounds.. with two (4)tracks not too much of a problem but with 4 -6 lines and a sharp curve...surprise!!! Look west on Sunrise HY, (Laurelton) where the LIRR crosses over CIP when a train approaches..

One could use a 500mm or greater lenght lens to safely shoot a train from between the rails.



While this shot was not made from between the rails I was able to finish my photography and move my tripod before the adjacent crossing gates lowered.

500mm mirror lenses are available extremely cheap these days. These lenses are relatively slow, but in the right situation and with a tripod they can work optical wonders.

Yeh, about ten million years ago when I wuz in High School I tried that at a track meet.. Head on shot , here they come. Only the track was cinders, I slipped and fell trying to get out of the way and got demolished by about 1/3 of the runners... Sometimes however, god does smile on an idiot....... it was the girls track team.. Ed K2LCK

I stand at a 45 Degree angle to the tracks and get my head on shots + 1/4 of the side of the engion(s).

One could use a 500mm or greater lenght lens to safely shoot a train from between the rails.

There is no such thing as "safely shooting a train from between the rails." You CAN, however, make it APPEAR as if you have done so using the 500mm lens at a curve as mentioned above. Photographing trains from the middle of the rails is a prize example of how to get every camera toting railfan in the country the GTFOH!!

I cheat with my head-on shots. I just wait until the crew parks their engine, or stand on a bridge!! HA!

Movies of trains stopping at a precise location, such as the "girl tied to the tracks", are filmed with the camera upside down, and the train quickly pulling away. When the finished film is "flipped", it shows a train coming to a screaching halt, but with the smoke going into the stack, instead of coming out. Also, you might see other giveaways, such as backward engine numbers. Next time you watch Buster Keaton's "The General", Keep a sharp lookout for these things.