Ken Fitzgerald and Jeff Mast: Silver Award
<< Two photos by Ken Fitzgerald
Five photos by Jeff Mast >>
Two photographers tied for the Silver Award: Ken Fitzgerald of Benbrook, Texas and Jeff Mast of Canton, Michigan. Each will receive $250 and be prominently featured in the exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum and in the September 2008 issue of Railfan & Railroad magazine.
Fitzgerald captured the sense of place of a passenger train journey during an Amtrak trip between Fort Worth, Texas and Essex, Montana. His images combined bold colors, moody atmosphere, and powerful juxtaposition, and resonate on both conscious and subconscious levels. Regarding his work, Fitzgerald says, “I expand my perspective of a scene to include the interaction of a railroad subject with the weather, lighting, terrain, and people. I try to keep adding details to the image, raising the level of interest each time until I have created a still photograph that hopefully even a person who knows nothing about trains would find appealing.”
Mast submitted a portfolio of five images that were equally striking when viewed individually and as a group. He used dynamic compositions and a variety of ambient lighting conditions to portray the railroad in the landscape. “Mast’s work has such a natural feel to it,” remarked one of the judges; his presence as a photographer is subtle but undeniable, giving full voice to his subjects. Mast says he tries “to convey the environment and surroundings that fit with the main subject in the photograph.” While that subject is always something railroad-themed, Mast says he strives to “also all bring forth the surroundings to convey the setting…or mood.”
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