ABOUT
Hello and welcome to my Zenfolio site, originally my photograph site had it's origins in the erstwhile Fotopic era, I began displaying on Fotopic back in the winter of 2005 after quite a bit of encouragement from other enthusiasts. The parent company of Fotopic (Snappy Designs) went into liquidation in March 2011 which brought the 63 month old story of www.jamespower.fotopic.net to an abrupt end.
Determined to carry on hosting my photo's online I set about looking for another web host, and in April 2011 I discovered Zenfolio, I had already tried Flickr, Smugmug and Weebly and couldn't get on with them at all, although Flickr does seem to be the popular alternative to Fotopic.
A vast majority of my railway photo's are from the Midlands, with me being local to the West Coast Mainline, Midland Mainline, the Chiltern Mainline and the North-East - South-West axis there is always something to see :), on top of that I am also local to several freight terminals such as Hams Hall, Birch Coppice, Bedworth, Kingsbury and D.I.R.F.T (some of these also double up as excellent lorry photography as well especially Hams Hall and D.I.R.F.T), this isn't a gallery full of full sun shots, although some do appear I tend to think more of this site being an archive of workings which I have been fortunate enough to photograph whether it's a run-of-the-mill freight or a one-off move.
My attitude to railway photography is quite simple, I don't take it seriously and I do it because I want to enjoy it, I'm not one to travel the length and breadth of the country to get one particular working to look credible in the eyes of others. Generally if I travel further afield it's usually to have several hours at a given location to see what appears, and with RealTimeTrains and the gen groups that I am part of this makes it more easier to decide whether or not to go to a particular place. Also I never chase trains from one location to the next, I select my location and get it there and that's it, no point going after it as it's still the same train, just a different back drop :).
Most often, I won't travel far for anything, usually 45-minute driving time (stretched to an hour if the missus allows lol), although this is easily achievable in the area as I have the MML, ECML and the Chiltern Mainline as well at the main North East - South-West mainline between Derby and Birmingham. My nearest lineside location is Elmesthorpe which is between Hinckley and Narborough and from time to time we get something nice turn up :)
My truck photo's are also Midlands-based, again being criss-crossed by the motorway network with the M1, M5, M6, M40 and M42 as well as various A roads and industrial estates such as Bermuda Park and Hams Hall (they get a bit funny with you at Magna Park so the A5 is a much safer bet :)), you get the added bonus of many long-distance hauliers such as D. Stevens of Wick, and P & C Hamilton (both Scottish) as well as more local hauliers (Bartlett's and A & S Taylor) plus the usual favourites of Eddie Stobart and Jack Richards & Son.
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Now that's the boring stuff out the way lol, I would like to include a few pointers :).
MY EQUIPMENT
In April 2018, I upgraded to using a Nikon D500 DSLR camera which will be used for all photo's that feature on this site, and where possible shot on RAW too. The lenses used are:
AF-P Nikkor 10-20mm f4.5-5.6
AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm f4.5-6.3
AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm f3.5-5.6
AF-S Nikkor 35mm f1.8
AF-S Nikkor 50mm f1.8
Sigma 24-70mm f2.8
TRESPASS
Under no circumstances has trespass been involved to obtain any of the images on this site, all photo's have been taken from a public vantage point. In the event of service stations and truck stops, permission has been granted to visit the site along with any haulage yards etc, likewise on bridges, I have always ensured that I have never posed a risk to myself or other road users.
COURTESY
This more applies to lorries, rather than the trains, not everyone likes being in someone's photograph, in the event of a vehicle being parked up with the driver present, it doesn't hurt to ask the driver if it is OK to photograph the vehicle, it saves any misunderstandings :).
BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE
If you see anything suspicious on or around the railway, the British Transport Police (BTP) can be contacted on 0800 405040. Help us rail enthusiasts by getting a better name and help catch cable thieves and vandals.
COPYRIGHT
I retain copyright to ALL photo's on this site, any photo's provided by a third party will have their copyright acknowledged accordingly.
LAST BUT NO MEANS LEAST...
I would just like to say a huge Thank You to the various gen providers, especially on the railway side of things who post information regarding workings, many of these images would not be possible without the "gen" and as such is always much appreciated.