With a precious few days holiday in NZ, I got up hours before sunrise and drove back into the hills in the hope of getting a shot of the weekly swap-out of Otira-based banker locos - catching them on a train as they travel to Christchurch for servicing (a westbound train brings out a fresh set of three). I thought I had the day and the train correct, but you can imagine my disappointment as the day began to lighten and I drove into pea-soup fog in the mountains. I pressed on in the hope it might clear at higher altitudes. No luck. What to do, what to do... After exploring a few 'mood' possibilities I struck it lucky and found hoar frost conditions beside the Waimak river - where the fog freezes to the trees. I set up the tripod and waited, and waited and hoped I hadn't missed the train. Dead still, dead calm, dead cold, and dead quiet except for the endless flow of the river. I stomped around to keep warm, checked the camera, checked the composition, did some weeding, and waited some more in the cold. Eventually a faint rumble in the distance signals a train several miles away to the west. The noise builds for a few minutes before a sudden increase in volume reveals the train's position as it rolls across the Waimakariri river bridge. Less than a minute away now. But will it have 2 locos or 5?! Camera on. Will the fog thin enough to see the train? Lens cap off. Have I set the camera correctly? (for those that still remember the pre-histogram days- this was the last roll of slide film I shot before switching to digital a few weeks later!) A final focus check as the headlight comes into view. Yes! Five locos! One shot, and miraculously, one kill. Dave Turner argues about patience, perfecting the craft, persistence and practice. I say sometimes its all about being there and getting lucky.
Landscape photography is difficult due to the challenge of combining good light and good scenery. Good railroad photography enters another level of complexity since it requires the first two while there is a train in view.
