photographing invisible trains
What all started with a bribe to get a family photo, turned into a fun creative project inspired by The Polar Express. It went something like this: “Hey, Gage, buddy, can we take one last photo with you and your awesome family?
“Nope.”
Round two: “Hey, Gage, best buddy, have you ever seen an invisible train… you know, like a ghost train?”
“Nope,” he said, again.
I improv’d with Gage for twenty minutes about why invisible trains are electric, are rarely seen during the day, and generally float above the tracks. He wanted proof, so I showed him this image on my old school iPhone: 
He was impressed, and agreed to help me take this year’s family holiday photo (click HERE to see the rest):
My part of the deal: photograph a ghost train within the next week and show him. I backed myself into a corner, the special place where creativity is born, so I could impress an imaginative 5-year old and get the shot I wanted. I reach deep and many times improvise with my existing tools and abilities. Pixar animators do this daily. As do surgeons. And MacGruber MacGyver.
Dare I say I was able to photograph invisible trains? Five lessons learned:
1. They move very fast and are difficult to photograph. Canon shooters generally struggle with this.
2. They are distant cousins to snipes, which I learned all about my first year at Boy Scout summer camp.
3. The rules of light and physics break down. Light reacts differently on each day, in each location, on each canvas. One of my favorite painters, Paul Cezzane, documented this well in his paintings. As did Dali.
4. To see them, you have to believe. A good does of imagination helps, along with a trusty tripod and proper lighting.
5. Invisible trains rarely can be seen during in the day. It takes a really good photographer to capture one. Visiting train museums, like the Arizona Railway Museum (featured below) in Chandler, AZ or the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO increases your chances. Booking a family portrait session with me almost guarantees an original kern-photo invisible train poster could hang in your kids room. Contact me to learn more.
Hope you like these, Gage:
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