Ken began his lifelong passion for railroads in 1960 at the age of five while spending his summers in Sweetwater, Texas riding Trains at the Santa Fe yard. Taking a photography course at age 12 allowed him to start capturing the railroad’s people, operations, equipment, and character for historical purposes.
Since that time his photography has appeared in many different railroad magazines, books and calendars. He also authored the books “Dallas Then and Now” in 2014 and “Train Stations Then and Now” in 2017 along with doing the principal photography for the Houston, San Antonio, Austin and “Texas Then and Now” books. He has also produced several other photo books of his work that were written as internal publications for different railroad companies.
Today Ken works as a full-time photographer in the railroad industry. In 2019 alone he documented several major railroad engineering projects; the startup of the DFW TEXRail commuter service; the operation of Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” steam locomotive across south Texas; the CSX Santa Train as celebrity Marty Stuart’s personal photographer; and BNSF’s Holiday Express across the Pacific Northwest. Ken is also an HO scale model railroader and locomotive horn collector.
CLINIC #1 of 2 - Identifying and Collecting Diesel Locomotive Horns
As railroads transitioned from steam to diesel, a locomotive’s “voice” by necessity changed from a steam-powered whistle to an air-powered horn. Driven by the public’s nostalgia for the sound of a steam whistle along with individual railroad’s desire for a signature sound of their own, locomotive horns developed from a single note to as many as five note chords. This clinic will offer “hands on” examples of locomotive horns and how they work along with identifying different models so you can correctly program the proper CV’s for your DCC locomotives.
CLINIC #2 of 2 - Prototype Photography, The Way the Pros Do It
Photography is a very personal expression of how an individual combines composition with technical skill to express themselves and showcase their work in a graphic format. The program will outline key questions a person should ask themselves to help formulate photographic goals and plans to accomplish them. Discussion will include prototype versus model photography; tips on submitting for publication; what level of equipment do I need; enhancing your work using software; and methods to catalog, store, and ultimately sell or donate your collection.
|
|
