The handbook of the perfect railway-photographer

The recent situation of alarm that all the European states are trying because of the very famous terroristic facts have caused and continue to cause a greater difficulty in the conduction also of the more banal things. To make a photography of a bit different subject from the normal interests cause immediately curiosity and agitation. Of this are very aware railway raifans, that are lately spending their energies in fronting more and more frequent episodes of intolerance in railway matterns. Moreover, in Italy Trenitalia has let out a circular in June 2005 which tries to rule the video and photographic question with greater restriction of how much it was not before. It must be specified that the new circular is - at least by now - only a normative inner to the Trenitalia group, therefore is not published or rendered public, it cannot therefore be known from who is not introducted to the working ambience of railroads. The endorsements that this norm tell about is limited to an economic charge that goes from 3,33 to 10,00 Euro, even if in no point of this new circular is cleared who has the authority to take such sum from a whichever free citizen. Nor the Railroad Police or the Carabinieri, why - by other explanations had in merit - the official organs of police don't know of this new normative yet. We also must say that - except rare cases - railwaymen in the comparisons of railfans are up to now involved much good, going very beyond what it would be the duties of their job. Evidently an acknowledgment, not in official way, about a sure image-effect taken from the work lend from those thousands of people who photograph, who study, who safeguard all that is history and present time of our railroads is functioning. If this was left only to institutional task of Trenitalia - except, also here, rare exceptions - it would go to end as  is unde the eyes of all those who understand something of.... Therefore, welome to the railfans! But.....there is a but! It's undoubt that if between us we don't clear some concepts, which are the right ways for relate with the world of the trains, we would risk to selfdamaged us for the stupid work of some "junk of the track". To be railfans does not mean doing what i want in a station. It does not mean to disturb persons while they are working. It does not mean even create danger situations for the own curiosity. It does not mean getting  evil for the own unconsciousness. Here therefore that comes natural trying to clear some basic points on "corrected behavior" to hold when is time to make the "tourists of the track". These few councils don't want to be the Verb, but they are simply dictates from a bit of experience and mainly are directed to those people  who are starting with this flashing railway-photographic passion.

Taking photographies in a station

You are entering in someone's house. The excuse that in truth is a public place does not resist, less than you have get a whichever railway-ticket, than authorize you to remain some to the inside. Since we don't like to spend money in tickets just to take a look on the platforms, we must have a care eye. If the station is a larger one and crowded you will not have problems and you will be able to take pictures without nobody comes to disturb you. If the station is small or is little enlivened then you will be much visible. It's convenient in this case to introduce yourself immediately to the Dirigente Movimento to ask what to make. To introduce yourself in U.M. means in the order to knock to the door, to ask permission, if the Leader is to the telephone to wait for he has ended, healthy clearly specifying that you are a railfan, to ask the courtesy to take some photo to the trains passing by or pausing. The answer that you will obtain will be in positive kind, maybe one will deal to you with bore, but your scope is to make photo and the rest does not interest to you. If the Leader is an exquisite person like many I have met, he will begin an interesting dialogue with you that could carry to some important favors: to know of the passage of some freight trains, to know timetables of shunting and connections, etc... Always respecting the iter upper here, beyond introducing you, you could already ask information on freights and timetables. If you will have made it gently, you will obtain advantage sure. If moreover you have need of positioning in particular way in order to make the photo that interest you (not on the sidewalk, in the opposite side of the yard, on the flat loader of the Warehouse, etc...) ask also this always well, explaining that from there the photo is better, the light is more adapted, etc... In many cases also having obtained the permission to this, it's better to wear a high visibility vest - that one in the car goes also well - so that now your presence is also clear is to who is aboard the train and obviously does not know of your agreements with the Leader. This action of wearing the vest to high visibility is a English, American and German practical and is always a lot appreciated: finally you do not have null to hide, let them see you well, therefore! If the station has been disabled but attended it means that you could not be there: it is a railway area not opened to the public. To ask is therefore of obligation. If the station instead is unattended, the only line to follow is that one of the common sense, without exaggerating of the possibility to place yourself where better you want. Every other way is not nice and could carry to disagreeable situations.

Taking photographies in a Depot

To enter in a locomotives depot is always the dream of every railfan, but from always is also the place more closed to the normal public. If you are not in possession of the regular authorization - and with the divisions of the FS knowing who is demanded is an enterprise - the only hope is the goodness of mind of the responsible to which one is absolutely obligates to ask. In some systems a front desk exists, in others the access seems free. In any case you must introduce yourself and explain the own demand to the first person who introduces itself to us. You must always ask for being able to speak with a Responsible, a Head Depot or a Head Yard. You will be addressed towards the office of this person, to which you will introduce yourself as you were doing as written above. Therefore same tact and same courtesy, explaining that the photos that you want to make are for your personal use, for hobby and not for professional use. If you are enough clever you can - at the right moment - show some your acquaintance in matter (name groups of locos to which you want to make photo, point out to arguments about turns, reparations, technique, etc...), so that your interlocutor understands that you are a true railfan one and not a journalist, medium badly informed on the argument. If the answer was negative, there are no "but" and no "if" that can hold: the territory is forbidden and the only your possibility is to exit with the tail between the legs. If the answer was positive the only recommendation is to walk around in the depot with absolute calm, without abrupt movements, race, releases... all movements that can cause a useless agitation in the workshop and machine staff. Take an eye to was of visit and to the great amount of oil on the ground! At the moment to exit - as however it would to be done also when abandon a station where we took photos - is an optimal thing to pass again from the man who which has granted the visit in order to thank him. In many cases it's useful to ask address and name to even send some prints of the made photos, a lot appreciated gift from every category of railwayman.

Taking photographies along the line

It's the much easiest one. If you lain in waiting for in a field, along a road, on a hill the problems are not. The ground on which rested your paraphernalia is not of Trenitalia and you can relatively make what you want. Maybe the owner of the ground will step in to ask what you devil are doing. Also here, it's enough to explain the situation and all resolves in a hurry. If you are with a car, it's an optimal thing to park so as not to occupy the practicability on that land and even to be forced to move the car just while your preferred train passes. Absolutely, garbage of every kind has not to be abandoned on that land, above all what can connect the presence of a photographer to the soil of the place. Memory years ago in the USA that one of the beautifulst photographic places of the North America had become off limit because of the much soil that some American railfans left on the place, causing the anger of the owner of the land. Him built metallic fence around its land,  rendering impossible every other photography to be made.... There are however some localities where rather than to converse it's necessary to run, but this depends only from the level of ignorance or culture that the person who we have of forehead demonstrates. You could have problems if a field or hill where you wait for and  your perspective take in some military plant, therefore attention to choose perspectives and points. In many cases - seen the general alarm of which we were spoken to the beginning - some "brave citizens" will feel theirselves threatened from the presence of one or more standing persons in a field with some photographic things in hand, like you were terrorist on a mission. The consequence is a sure phone call to the Police officers or the nearer Police. To the police the attitude that always works is the calm: show without fear documents and explain what been making. Sure, having with you a copy of a magazine or some photo made in other occasions always helps. You will find agents quite obliging, they begin with you a calm argument on some photographic matter and maybe also on the trains! If instead your photographic necessity imposes you to be near to the railroad in full line, you always remember yourselves to maintain however a sure distance of emergency. Considered the air movements and - unfortunately - the water of drainage of the cabinets aboard! Here more than elsewhere is much positive the use of the high visibility vest, than between the other things it will make you appearing to the eyes of the "brave citizens" of which over like persons assigned to the railroad, even laborers. Finally it is - to the approaching of the train - to show always well in distance that you keep in hand a camera, if as for example the picture that you must take is to the tail of a train that arrives to you in backlighting. 

Others notes

Finally remember that the support or monofoot can be used only in case of photo along the line. In station or Depots without authorization you will be sure subject of disturbing. Online general enough that you always remember yourselves that what for we it is a passion or a hobby, for who it has to that to make every day with the trains is a job. Held E' to follow of the rules and risks to its if it allows to make to smash regulations to anyone is not of the atmosphere. Therefore all that that I have been able to photograph in the arc of these 17 years is alone thanks to who me has permission, although several the episodes to the excess that never do not have however it makes you to desistere: to make photo the trains is the beautifulst passion and being involved and it allows you to travel and to know very many various places and various persons who never you would probably not have imagined, beyond carrying to house many beautiful memories of your preferred subjects.