Did you get trackside with your camera in 2023? Did you capture something rare, interesting, or scenic? If so, you might consider sharing your photos with your fellow readers in our annual “Along the Rails” year in review. This special photo gallery will appear in our March 2024 issue.
The rules are simple — any photo of any rail subject can be submitted, as long as it was taken in 2023. Each photographer can submit up to three photos for consideration. No prints, no slides. Digital photos can be submitted via our FTP server as TIFs or uncompressed JPGs. Images should be at 300 d.p.i. and measure at a minimum of 10 inches across the long dimension (3,000 pixels across). Photos can be adjusted for color and contrast, but should not be otherwise enhanced (i.e., don’t add or subtract any features to the photos). Send us the entire image and leave the cropping to us. Please include a Word or TXT document that keys captions to your photos. The easier it is to properly match your material, the better your chances are of getting selected.
For upload instructions, please contact Associate Editor Justin Franz at justin@railfan.com and we will send the login for our FTP server. Please note, the FTP server we use for Along the Rails is different than what we use for feature submissions, and every year we find a few photos on the wrong FTP server long after the deadline has passed. You will also need to fill out a release form before we can use your photos, and emailing me first will ensure all the paperwork is done. Do not email your photo submissions, they will be deleted without consideration.
The deadline for submissions is January 16, 2024.
We will likely be selecting a parting shot and possibly a cover from the submissions, so be sure to include a few verticals for consideration. We look forward to seeing your best work!