This month, we look at the work of photographer and volunteer fireman Collin Reinhart, a 21-year old Penn State - Altoona student from Quakertown, Penn. Reinhart has had an interest in the rail industry and model railroading since he was a young kid, enjoying his first trackside experience on Conrail's Reading line near Allentown at at just a few months old.
"I started taking pictures as soon as I could hold a camera. My dad and I would railfan almost every weekend and when I was old enough, I was able to use his old 35mm camera," Reinhart tells us. "My first real camera was a Canon 35mm Rebel. Once I was older, I began taking more and more pictures, prompting a switch to digital in 2005 with a Canon EOS Rebel 300D. Today, I continue to take railroad and fire related pictures while I am attending Penn State for my Bachelors Degree."
Let's learn more about Reinhart below and how an internship with a model railroad manufacturer may steer him in the direction of a career in the model railroad industry down the road!
Q: Currently, what is your favorite place to visit?
A: With my schoolwork taking priority I have been limited on time and the ability to travel far. Since I’m attending Penn State, I am very close to Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line through Altoona. I’ve always been fascinated with this line and area, particularly for its unique manned helper operations. Since I was three, my family has been making trips once or twice a year the Altoona area, and now that I’m in college, I’m living in Altoona 9 months out of the year. I have been able to witness many changes to the area, from the Conrail split, to the closure of ALTO Tower back in 2012. With the installation of PTC the area continues to change as many of the classic PRR era position light signals are falling at a faster rate. My other favorite railfan spot would be Rochelle, Illinois and the Chicago area in general.
Q: What are some places you would like to visit for railroad photography?
A: Columbia River Gorge, the Moffat Line and Denver area, Cajon Pass to Barstow, and Central and Eastern Pennsylvania. I would like to visit Illinois and the Chicago area as well as the Minnesota and Twin Cities area.
Q. Who inspires you?
A: I don’t really have a specific photographer that inspires me, but I tend to follow the work of a few of my close friends as well as looking at the work of other photographers online to get ideas on new locations and angles. I also like to do something different and I’m always trying to find a new angle at locations that a lot of people photograph…which I feel makes my images stand out from all the others, especially in the Altoona area. Living so close and having small blocks of time between my classes and schoolwork, I have the ability to revisit these spots multiple times and at different times of the day/year to find out what shots work and which ones don't.
Q: Looking ahead, what do you plan to do with your photography?
A: Right now, until I graduate college and find the career path that best fits me, I will continue to keep my photography as a hobby and under my “Black Sheep Photography” mark. If time allows in the future I would like to continue to invest in additional camera equipment and try and submit more of my work of possible publication and maybe begin writing railroad or fire department related articles/books to accompany my work.
Q: Has railroad photography steered you in a specific career choice?
A. With my interest in railroads, over the last few years I have become heavily involved with the model railroad hobby and in the industry itself. I recently completed a summer internship in Oregon, with Micro-Trains Line, a highly respected and industry leader that specializes in N and Z scale rolling stock, locomotives, and accessories. Working with them, gave me the opportunity to combine my interest and knowledge of today’s railroads with my interest and the market of model trains. I hope to continue to work within the model railroad industry, whether it be part-time/on the side or as a full time career.
In addition to railroad photography, Reinhart has been a volunteer firefighter with Quakertown Fire Company No. 1 for 7.5 years, serving alongside both of his parents where he serves as one of the department photographers for fire incidents and other functions. He also enjoys spending time with family and friends, and his second "firehouse family". Reinhart enjoys traveling, social atmosphere of Penn State and is an avid attendee of Penn State football games every fall. Aside from photography, he has also enjoyed working with video production and graphic arts work and it "self-teaching" himself with many of the Adobe Creative Suite products.
Reinhart shared most of his work with Flickr where he goes by the name of Black Sheep Photography, a name that evolved out of a long-standing firehouse joke.
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