Published on 19th July 2023
The advent of camera poles has taken railway photography to new heights, allowing photographers to lift their cameras to lofty heights without the need for their own feet to leave the ground.
This new technology linking the SLR camera via a cable (or wifi/ Bluetooth) to an enhanced tablet screen at ground floor level. Camera poles have ben providing some new viewpoints for railway photographers particularly where normal access to photographic locations is limited, or lineside vegetation has reached the point that a traditional ground level image can’t be taken.
Adam Snow
is one of the local photographers and Taunton Trains contributor who has invested in a camera pole using is as part of his photography equipment.
On the 19th July we met up to illustrate the difference a camera pole can make to a single shot. Standing in the same spot we chose the evening 2C87 18:00 Cardiff Central – Penzance service operated by a GWR ‘Castle’ HST set. The location was Longforth Farm, where the open field offers a good period of low evening sunlight in which to capture southbound services, and is near to the site of the newly proposed Wellington Station. The shot on the left is the traditional ground level image, taken on a 105mm lens looking into the curve of heading south, while the shot on the right was taken from the pole (approx 7m high) using a 50mm prime lens, showing the additional vista which can be gained, the view from 7m vertical elevation shows just how much more of the scene can be included using this method. While a pole can’t be used in every situation there is no doubting they provide an useful tool to photographers.
