Haystacks

You may be wondering what haystacks have to do with railroads and photography. I am going to get to that, but first let me explain how I think that looking at a wide variety of art and artists can bring new ideas and spark creativity in our own work. As photographers, we often become mildly obsessed with the latest gear and techniques that promise to “level up” our photography.

There is nothing wrong with gear and technique. They are essential to our craft, but they are only part of the picture. As we educate ourselves about the craft of photography, we must not neglect to train our eyes. We can do that not only by studying the work of other photographers, but also by looking at and learning from all the visual arts. Stepping outside the world of railroad photography, our visual sensibility is enhanced when we see the world through the eyes of artists working in different media. I love to look at and study the work of the great railroad photographers, but I also explore and learn from the work of “non-railroad” photographers and other visual artists. Learning to see is a lifelong journey.