An exhibition featuring 54 photographs, comprising the winners and highly commended entries, from this year’s International Trainspotting Photographic Competition.
Now in its third year, the international competition celebrates the railway industry and the Museum’s extensive rail and steam collection.
It offers cash prizes across six categories including Steam trains; Diesel electric or electric trains or trams; Railway infrastructure; Trainspotting; People in railway; and Mobile phone; along with an overall winner.
This year’s competition attracted over 3,600 entries from around the world. From casual observers to passionate railway photographers, the impressive range of entries showcased a variety of styles and interests.
From documenting steam locomotives in motion to works that explore the social experience of train travel, each photograph tells a unique story about a country’s place in time and its people.
The exhibition also features a display of cameras and miniature model trains from the Museum’s collection; the magnificent model trains representing locomotives, carriages and wagons of the New South Wales Railways.
OVERALL WINNER
Long ride home by Tim Martin, © All rights reserved
‘Train travel in China is absolutely beautiful, and seeing the reflection of this young man in the window while he gazed out upon the distant mountains portrayed the beauty of what he was seeing.’
Winner of the Diesel electric or electric trains or trams category
Early morning stack train, Nipton, California by Louis Capwell, © All rights reserved
‘My mind immediately went to monochrome when I got to the tracks on this morning – the gradient of the mountains and desert, and long morning shadows really struck me. Backlighting the train, while highlighting the glass insulators to the left of the tracks, helped balance the image between the sharpness of shadow and glint of early morning sun.’
Winner of the Railway infrastructure, including architecture and design category
The fog drifters by Monika Goretzki, © All rights reserved
‘While waiting for the train in Pisa on a chilly winter afternoon, a heavy fog drifted down the platform dimming the lamp light. With the fading sun lingered in the background, the atmosphere was surreal and transported me into another dimension. I wanted to remember this moment forever’
Winner of the Mobile phone category
Untitled by Jgor Cavallina, © All rights reserved
‘Early morning in Central Station, Sydney. Everyone is rushing to their destinations and don’t pay much attention to what and who is around. Everyone is just a dark silhouette on a blurry background.’
Winner of the People in railway and tram environments category
In the carriage window by Evgeny Frank, License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
‘My inspiration comes from traveling; I always see something endless in the faces of people who are going somewhere. I took many pictures at the train stations, but then i found a frame for them – carriage windows. I have a series of pictures in those frames, some with reflections, some without.’
Winner of the Trainspotting category
The herd mentality by Adrian Roberts, © All rights reserved
‘A train photograph is often improved when taken from an elevated position above track level, but such vantage points are scarce in a desert landscape. At first the herd split up and went their separate ways, but realising the hopelessness of their situation, marched like zombies towards the same small hill.’
Winner of the Steam category
Zig Zag by Niki Bañados, © All rights reserved
‘The movement and the noise! Steam, trees, sunlight, people, and the tracks winding away: all flitting in and out of my senses. This double exposure was made to capture it.’
Supported by Canon Australia and Train Hobby Publications