In the summer of 1999, I was standing on the footbridge at Kildare station where I focused on Irish Rail 225 leading Mark3 carriages as it approached at speed.
My first Nikon N90S was loaded with Ilford HP5 and fitted with an old Tokina 400mm fixed focal length telephoto.
The train was common; my photograph was unusual. Working with extreme telephoto compression, I’ve framed the train in the arch of road-bridge, which has the effect of accentuating the pattern of the crossovers east of the bridge.
I recall the piercing Doppler squashed screech of 225’s horn as it neared the platforms, warning passengers to stand back.
The memory of that sound and the following rush of air as the train raced past puts me back in that place in time nearly 20 years gone. I know too well how I was feeling at the time. Strange how one photograph of a train can summon such memories and feelings.
Tracking the Light Posts Daily.
Some of the “photographs” that persisted for a long time in my memory are the ones I didn’t take, either because of running out of film, making a mess of the shot, not being prepared in time, or, when we entered the electric age, flat batts.
For many years, these “images” were were much more sharply recalled than most of my actual slides and prints, even the very best.
I wonder whether other “Trackers of the Light” have had similar experiences?
Michael Walsh