50 Years of Phoenix

This book marks the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Phoenix Railway-Photographic Circle, whose aim is to photograph the current railway scene using a variety of pictorial techniques, and to expand and develop these through experimentation and discussion. The images in the book illustrate a wide range of approaches, such as the use of unconventional viewpoints to place the subject in the wider context of its setting; the exploration of light, shade, and differing weather conditions; and the use of modern processing-technology. The Introduction sketches the growth and development of PRPC, and its methods of operation, and discusses the pivotal role played by the arrival of digital photography in the 1990s. The thirteen chapters that follow present a representative selection of photographic approaches investigated by members over the past 50 years. We hope this volume will be widely enjoyed, and will act as a stimulus for photographers and other railway enthusiasts in taking their own pictures.