The story behind the (soggy) shot –  Waiting for a Train

We’d spent an extremely wet but still brilliant week in Glenfinnan recently and I’d still got a hankering to shoot The Jacobite over the viaduct of Harry Potter fame even though I’ve done it before – it is a great sight even to people like me who aren’t particularly train enthusiasts.

It was about a half hours walk from our cottage to either side of the viaduct. The first time we went up it was actually dry and quite sunny, but, and it’s a big but when you’ve got a certain shot in your head, the locomotive was at the front of the train but was facing backwards. Now there was probably a very good reason for this, at least I hope there was, since for the next three times I walked up (with progressively less of our party for company although I don’t understand why people don’t want to spend a considerable amount of time in pouring rain waiting for a train😉), the locomotive was still facing backwards.

So… the final morning! I togged up in waterproof jacket and overtrousers (again) and enthused about walking to the viaduct. Everyone muttered something about urgent stuff they had to do. Ok, just me then!  Another trudge up the hillside and then standing in pouring rain for a good twenty minutes or so. It may have been longer, certainly felt like it. The train was late anyway. On the plus side there were a lot of happy, chatty people with whom to pass the time. You see! It’s not just me who’s keen/daft* (*delete as applicable 😉).

Finally we heard the train, then watched it through the rain as it made it’s way over the viaduct.  And the best thing ever? The locomotive was facing forwards!  

And the morals of this story are…

1. It can rain in Scotland, a lot! Take full waterproofs!
2. If you have a shot in your head, keep going until you get it
3. If you want to get enthused about photography and to take better pictures talk to me

There are more details here

Antony