Matthew Malkiewicz is a full-time engineer and a self-taught photographer who love fishing and traveling, and while traveling he searches for vintage trains throughout the U.S.A.
“Lost Tracks of Time” is the name of the amazing collection depicting old trains in action.
See more of his amazing photos here
“My passion gravitates to the machines of yesteryear, fire-breathing monsters that seem to be alive whether you have your hand against the polished steel or you are two bluffs away looking across acres of prairie grass. I envision how it must have been back in the day and try to create photographs as timeless as possible to depict what I consider a vibrantly better and sadly vanished time,” Malkiewicz told Bored Panda
“I have a photo of myself watching a toy train run around the Christmas tree as a baby, it must have hooked me well. As a kid I had a model train layout on a piece of plywood in the basement, and in my teens I received my first camera which I aimed at every train I saw”
“This photo of the little boy watching the oncoming train is my favorite. A pure case of luck, being at the right place at the right time, ready with the proper equipment. This is from deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The child was the son of one of our train crew, completely unstaged and unrehearsed he steps in front of me and sits on the rail to watch the [train] runby. I feel it’s my best because of the spontaneity of it all. So many of my better shots comes from either free styling or completely winging it, feeding off the adrenaline rush of thinking quick on my feet or missing the opportunity.”
“My camera bag contains three digital setups: a Canon 5D-MkIII with 70-200mm/F4.0 zoom lens, a Canon 5D-MkII with 24-70mm/F2.8 zoom lens, and the first generation Canon EOS-1DS with 50mm/F1.4 prime lens. Because of the dirty, greasy, smoky, and often times humid conditions I subject my gear to, as well as the weather’s harsh elements, I choose never to change a lens in the field. Having the 3 combos at arm’s reach gives me so much flexibility and functionality, as well as keeping the camera’s internals clean. I am an ambient and natural light shooter only – do not own any flashes or strobes.”
“Shooting trains can be compared to hunting. Get to the location early, scout out the angles, setup, take a few test shots, and then wait. Some of the trains I chase are 100+ years old, mechanical problems do happen. Patience is key, as is persistence”
“For production, I feel only half the hobby is spent with camera in hand; the other is afterwards in front of a computer with Photoshop. The time spent processing averages an hour per frame, although I have plenty of 4-hour sessions under my belt for a single image.”
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Source: Bored Panda