The Art of Railroad Photography: Techniques for Taking Dynamic Trackside Pictures [Hardcover]

Gary J. Benson (Author), Michael Emmerich (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 148 pages
• Publisher: Kalmbach Publishing Company; 1St Edition edition (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890241333
• ISBN-13: 978-0890241332
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,467,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning from the pros, May 13, 2000

By 

Roger Gilbert - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Railroad Photography: Techniques for Taking Dynamic Trackside Pictures (Hardcover)

I found the advice in this book was exactly what I needed to fill in the gaps. Not only are the photographs beautiful, but they are something that you can actually learn from just by studying them. Gary also includes the settings on his camera next to each photo. Almost all aspects of photography are covered in various degrees with emphasis on the railroading aspect. Tricks of the trade are also included and I particularly like the way Gary shoots "trainscapes" landscapes with trains and railroading in them. I highly recommend this book

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Instructive and colorful., October 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Railroad Photography: Techniques for Taking Dynamic Trackside Pictures (Hardcover)

"The Art of Railroad Photography" is an instructive and colorful volume.

Aimmed at those who love both trains and train photography, Gary J. Benson's work fills a definite void for rail fans.

Benson is quite adept at explaining photographic matters, regardless of how technical they are. He covers everything from camera equipment and accessories to natural lighting and the 20 best spots to photograph trains.

The book has more than 130 color photos, and they are from every corner of the country. Also, they cover many major and minor lines.

Most of the pictures here are first-rate. Indeed, some are nothing short of superb. Such photographic jewels as the telephoto shot of Santa Fe No.981; the below-angle shot of an Amtrak AEM7 crossing the Susquehanna River in Maryland; and the cover picture of five GP60Ms in heavy wet snow are marvels of color, composition, and craftsmanship.

And Benson is careful to note all his shooting data beneath every photo!

Don't miss this fine book.

3.0 out of 5 stars Outdated, January 7, 2012

By 

Dusty Cross-ties (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Railroad Photography: Techniques for Taking Dynamic Trackside Pictures (Hardcover)

This book was written in 1993 and a lot has changed since then in both railfanning (the ready availability of information via the internet, security concerns, and ATCS) and photography (affordable digital cameras mean you don't have to worry about taking lots of pictures and today's high quality sensors are capable of stopping action even in marginal light). I went through the first 60 pages or so without learning much of anything that was still useful because the book focuses on what was available at the time: film cameras and library/magazine research. Likewise, I found nearly all of the discussion about photo techniques was too general to be useful to me--I've read a couple books about general photography and Benson's lesson is railroad-specific in only a few places. I also have to say that I am less impressed with Benson's photography than the other reviewers, though I will say that the photos he selected do illustrate the principals he enumerates and they have inspired me to seek a greater variety in my photos. Overall, I'd say the book may still be worthwhile for beginners if you can get it at a good price, but that experienced photographers should seek something more up-to-date.