The Trackside Photographer is focused on the places, people and stories that define the railroad landscape.
Join the other talented photographers and writers who are a part of The Trackside Photographer. We publish a new article on the second and fourth Thursday of each month about the places, the people and the stories that make up the railroad landscape. We would love to hear from you in 2022. We make every effort to present your work in an attractive and professional format, and we have a growing audience of railfans and photographers—folks just like you, who enjoy the stories and visual richness of railroading.
The best way to get an idea of the kinds of material we are looking for is simply to browse through the articles we have published in the past. A good way to do this is to visit the Arrivals page, where we list each article with a very brief description, but we are always open to ideas that are different and off-the-beaten-path
- Weekly Article – We publish a new article on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, and are looking for submissions of text and photographs about any aspect of the railroad environment. Articles are typically 250 to 1500 words, but there are no restrictions on length or number of photographs.
- Trackside Gallery – We welcome submission of single photographs for inclusion in the Trackside Gallery. Pictures should be accompanied by a brief caption with the location, date photo was taken and any other pertinent information.
-
All submissions should include the location and approximate date the photographs were taken (just the year is fine). The more information the better. Notes on the history of the site, personal stories related to the site, and information about the current or former railroad operators are welcome.
-
By submitting, you affirm that you hold the copyright to the photographs and documents submitted, and you grant The Trackside Photographer the non- exclusive and limited right to use the material submitted.
-
The Trackside Photographer is non- commercial, produces no income, accepts no advertising and is entirely free to the public. Unfortunately, we are not able to compensate you for your work.
-
Photos must be high quality .jpgs or .tiffs. Photographs that accompany weekly articles must be at least 960 pixels on the long side. Photographs for the Trackside Gallery should be a minimum of 1500 pixels on the long side.
-
We will be happy to publish a link to your website, flickr, etc along with your article or photo..
-
Electronic submissions are preferred and may be submitted by email to editor@thetracksidephotographer.com
-
If you have numerous or very large files you may use Dropbox instead of email. (It is not necessary for you to have a Dropbox account.) Email for instructions. However you submit your work, please include an email address where we may reach you.
In General:
People are part of the railroad scene as well, and we would be pleased to publish portraits of railroaders at work, along with their story.
We encourage submissions from all over the world–wherever the tracks run. Submissions are not limited to North America.
It is usually OK if your submission has been published elsewhere, as long as you own the copyright and have not granted another publisher exclusive rights. As mentioned in the guidelines above (#5), The Trackside Photographer does not ask for exclusivity when we publish your work.
We make every effort to prevent your work from being used without your permission. Our readers cannot select or copy text, right-click to copy/save images, or click on an image to open in a separate window. There is probably no fool-proof protection against a persistent and sophisticated hacker, but these steps greatly reduce the risks.
Revised January 5, 2022