The Center for Railroad Photography & Art‘s annual conference visits Indianapolis from April 24 to 26, featuring yet another great lineup of railroad image makers to headline one of the hobby’s marquee events. Festivities kick off on Friday evening with a ride aboard the Nickel Plate Express in nearby Noblesville, which will feature appetizers, drinks, and a photo runby at the halfway point. Then on Saturday and Sunday, the event moves to a beautiful new conference space at the Indiana History Center in Indianapolis. For more information and to register for the event, visit the conference page on CRP&A’s website. The event is filling up quickly, so register today. In the meantime, enjoy a preview of Conversations 2026 courtesy of CRP&A and Railfan & Railroad…
Darryl Bond: Five Passes – Better Living Through Rail Photography
Darryl Bond will share five life lessons he learned while photographing trains from five mountain passes in California, New Zealand, China, Switzerland, and Chile. In his presentation, “Five Passes: Better Living Through Rail Photography,” he’ll show that photographing trains isn’t just about recording slices of history… It’s a hobby, a passion, a creative outlet, and even an addiction. Born in New Zealand, Bond has been taking pictures of trains since he was 11. He spent most of his career working for an American software company, spending twenty years in Australia, the US, and Europe before returning home ten years ago. Since starting a New Zealand railway magazine in 2020 as a pandemic lockdown project, he has made zero progress on restoring his 1955 six-axle diesel-electric.
Jeff Mast: Working with Difficult or Lacking Lighting
Jeff Mast of Canton, Michigan, has been actively photographing for nearly 55 years. His presentation, “Working with difficult or lacking lighting,” will examine his love of sunrise, sunset, and blue-hour lighting conditions, as well as available low-light, time-exposure, and flashbulb opportunities. He’ll share a look at his early film work, evolving through the changes and creativity available following his switch to digital cameras in 2005. Mast retired from municipal engineering in 2012, and again from an engineering consulting firm in 2024. He has written numerous published articles; his images have won numerous awards and populate many books. He enjoys all aspects of photography, however low, interesting lighting, steam and great lakes boats and lighthouses hold a large part of his interest.
David R. Busse: Let Me Tell You a Story
After four decades in the television news business, David R. Busse discovered there’s always a good story to go with an image, whether a still photo or video. His presentation, “Let Me Tell You a Story,” highlights a career of telling stories to a variety of audiences, mixing pictures, words, and sounds with a lifelong interest in trains. Busse grew up in suburban St. Louis and earned his first photographic credit in Trains magazine as a high school senior; he’s contributed to many railroad publications and video programs over the years. Professionally, he spent four decades of “boots on the ground” local and network broadcast journalism covering everything from Olympics and politics to natural disasters, war, civil unrest, and big court cases. He lives in Northwest Montana and maintains a winter home in Southern California.
Jennifer Al-Beik: Making My Track
Jennifer Al-Beik will present “Making My Track…”, discussing her progress as a photographer and sharing photographs she has taken during her railfanning experiences—including favorite shots as well as those that document the progress of the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway, where she volunteers. Al-Beik has been an artist nearly all of her life, and a railfan/railroad photographer for about seven of those years; as a doctor of veterinary medicine, she builds resilience by exercising her creativity. She’s also a mom to a ten-year old who is a soccer player, offering her another photographic subject along with trains, animals, planes, and nature. “The world around me is indeed my inspiration,” she writes. “To take photos of what is here now … as someday it will not be.”
Robert West: Passion
Born in Great Falls, Montana, Robert West is a full-time railroad artist and author who has dedicated 47 years to painting vivid, highly detailed portraits of North American railroading. As a direct descendant of Pullman Porters and “Gandy Dancers,” he brings a deep understanding of railroading and the hardworking individuals who built its legacy to his art and lectures. In his presentation, “Passion,” Robert will explain the technical aspects of his paintings, shedding light on the creative and metaphorical significance embedded in his works. His approach is designed to provide audiences with a deeper understanding of both his art and the stories behind railroading.
David P. Oroszi’s Photo Collections
In “Dave Oroszi’s Photo Collections,” David P. Oroszi will highlight images from many of his thirty-plus railroad photography collections, most of which have come from friends who’ve passed away. In choosing images, he has narrowed his presentation to draw from twenty collections from some of his closest friends. Born in 1948, Dave resides in Dayton, Ohio, and has always liked trains. He has co-authored nearly fifteen books on railroads, served as news editor of CTC Board magazine, and he’s run the annual Summerail photography event since 1996. He is the co-chairman of the Rail Festival at the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton since 2005, and he’s working with the park’s staff to restore a building that will house his collection, as well as the Dayton History collection.
