Man stops and looks in awe at man's creation: a train moving powerfully yet gracefully with its out-of-time steam locomotive cutting through the landscape, the pounding of the air pumping at rest, the blend of steam, smoke and oil, and this mechanical music which sounds just like the rhythm of my heart.
Hours of planning, walking, climbing and descending over steep hills, sometimes trespassing to reach a better view; imagining the train hundreds of times reaching the frame - and still feeling my heart throbbing with surprise every time she reaches that point. Then, waiting. My heart is already one step forward, anticipating what is to come.
And then she comes, in all her glory and beauty, proudly dominating the scenery, generating a force that makes the earth tremble a bit beneath our feet; sometimes I feel that my camera's viewfinder is too small to 'embrace' all her grandiosity but I continue to shoot - for just a few seconds, and in my hunger for capturing this spectacle, I re-discover my love for the steam trains.
What remains after the train passes is a feeling of joy because I managed to capture what I wanted on camera, mixed with the sadness to see her now far from me and the smoke slowly fading over the branches of the trees and then into the clouds.
I am also fascinated by all the people who work preserving these trains, taking care of them, investing their time, energy and resources in keeping them alive and wandering across the hills and fields, so I try to take photos of them at work, too. An entire universe of magic and passion that I hope I am able to render through my pictures.
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The Golden Arrow (City of Wells) at Burrs Country Park in Bury, UK
Passenger on a steam train approaching Haworth, UK
No 69 of the N.C.B. travelling between Bolton Abbey and Embsay through Yorkshire Dales, UK
No 5199 approaching Corwen, Wales, UK
Final checks before departing
Engulfed in steam and morning mist
The famous Flying Scotsman at full steam
No 80072 preparing to leave Carrog Railway station in Wales
No 5199 leaving the railway station, Wales, UK
Steam Train Engineer at Llangollen train station
No 6430 on an evening break at Llangollen railway station
The Flying Scotsman catching momentum
The Flying Scotsman in the snow at Irwell Vale, UK
Probably my most favourite steam locomotive, The LMS Hughes Crab, class 2-6-0 No. 13065
Passenger on the City of Wells take a photo of the steamy tracks; I'm not the only one :)
Steam, mist, snow - and the promise of an unique journey!