Day in North America Layout Photo Contest

[Mileswestern]

After seeing some spectacular shots for Railroads Illustrated "Day in North America" Photography Compilation, I was wondering if any of my fellow modelers would be interested in making our own version in scale. Basically it would be a document of the current state of railroading on your layout, versus the current state of railroading on today's mainlines and branchlines.

Guidelines:

Photo MUST be taken before March 1st.

There are three different catagories, all awarded for creativity.

-Morning/Evening shots
-Daytime Shots
-Unusual Circumstance (Unusual Special Load? Derailment? Grade-Crossing Accident? Intense Weather? Scenes from Layout construction worthy of note?)

Furthermore, we'd appreciate a variety of activities as the subjects of the photographs. Think of O. Winston Link and how he incorporated normal people into his subjects, telling as much a story with them as with the magnificent last gasp of steam on the Norfolk & Western. Ideas for subjects would include:

-Switching
-Mainline Action
-A personal scene from memory recreated in miniature
-A scene recreated from an old photograph
-The life of a railroad employee
-A quiet moment in nature disrupted by the train
-Spectacular Scenery with the train rolling through it.

Also remember that some of the most intriguing railroad photographs don't even have railroad equipment in them, if you can make an engaging photograph telling a railroad related story without the trains being front and center, that's just as good.

Go for creative shots, we've all seen shots of the classic 3/4 'wedge' style taken of our trains, go for realistic trackside angles or creative and unusual closeups or time-lapse shots.

Final tips to help your photograph stand out:
Make sure that if you intend to go with a polished, finished modeling scene that your scenery and details are placed and complete. We'd prefer to see weathered equipment not shiny plastic toys in the photographs, and make the subject as engaging as you can.

This contest is open to ALL scales from T (1:450) to 18" gauge 3/12" scale. Let's see those photographs!

To join the contest send me an e-mail by following this link: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.weatheringman.com/Contact_Us.html">http://www.weatheringman.com/Contact_Us.html</a><!-- m --> You can also post your photos in this thread from now until March 2nd, and I'll post them up on the website with all the other entries.

All photos will be posted by March 4th, 2010 as a post on INTERACTING WITH MINIATURE RAILROADING: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://modelrailroading.wordpress.com/">http://modelrailroading.wordpress.com/</a><!-- m --> my website, voting will begin for all of you the same day and YOU choose the winner via poll. The Staff here will also choose their favorites and post the winners up here.