Photographing the Katy Trail

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JL from Columbia on 3/9/2013 12:15:03 PM:

I'm currently a photography student at Mizzou and for an upcoming project, I was thinking about photographing people and towns along the Katy Trail. I was planning on making a ride from Columbia to St. Charles in a couple weeks during my spring break. Would anybody have any suggestions on places to shoot along this path? Would people even be OK with me coming in and photographing them? I know there are people on here who live along the trail, so I'm just trying to gauge if this is a realistic project or not! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I've never made this ride before! Thanks!!

Anonymous on 3/9/2013 2:53:42 PM:

Doesn't good photography lie in the creative eye of the person behind the camera? A good place to shoot at noon today may not be a good place to shoot on the day that you are there. You know, the light thing, etc. that can impact a photo. So, where would you get a good shot?

As you approached someone to take their photo, wouldn't you have to ask them if it was okay? I'm not sure that the go ahead from anyone here would make it right to do so. Typical Sophomoric questions though.

JL on 3/9/2013 5:23:34 PM:

I get what you're saying, but as in any project, I think it's best to do research and see what people who have been on the trail say. I've never been on the trail, so if others know of places that might be good to photograph, it could help me out. A good photographer need to do do research. Not really sophomoric at all, in my opinion.

Doug from Bluffton on 3/9/2013 7:32:20 PM:

I took it that Anon meant HIS questions were sophomoric. I think you would have good responses from the locals along the trail if you just asked and weren't pushy about it. I personally do not mind when I'm on a ride and there are photographers taking pictures of the riders and scenery and would think distance shots would not be an issue. Close up and personal would be a different story. As far as scenery goes every part of the trail is SOMEONE'S favorite. Fantastic shots should be available anywhere you stop. Go for it. You're out there to learn, not know.

Darrell from Jefferson City, Mo. on 3/9/2013 7:51:12 PM:

A good place to shoot at noon today would probably make for a more interesting photo at five am or five pm. You know, that light thing.

"Typical Sophomoric questions though." JL, don't pay any attention to that statement, it's easy for someone to "speak from on high" when they are anonymous. It doesn't happen very much here but it happens. Cross country cyclist, someone doing an end to end tour, day riders, the scenery and some of the locals along the trail would be interesting, IMO. Good luck with your project, sounds like fun.

Anonymous, what's with that man! You may well be another Ansel Adams but a little encouragement and consideration for a photography STUDENT wouldn't hurt you or them. Hopefully your other points will be helpful in some way.

Anon on 3/10/2013 7:01:39 AM:

The trail itself could still be sloppy and brown two weeks from now. Yet if you're shooting just the towns and the people on the trail, you might get some good shots. Don't forget the hikers and walkers. Otherwise, you might consider waiting until the trail greens-up with flora?

Just for Darrel, I'll be Mike on 3/10/2013 12:51:33 PM:

I'll assume that you were just having a bad day Darrel. Sometimes the encouragement can come in the form of helping someone realize that they can see the world through their lens and create a good shot instead of just going out and taking the same pic of the same tree that everyone has seen. They did ask specifically for suggestions on places to take pics. I did not provide that answer and neither did you. Could your post have been more useful?

On open forums that do not require anyone to be validated as to who they really are, it makes no one more or less credible if they choose to type a name or not in a box. Beings we all don't know your resume, you are no more an authority posting as "Darrel" than I would be as "Mike."

Ray (webmaster) on 3/10/2013 2:18:54 PM:

I can't tell you precisely where to find them in relation to your location, but if you travel any reasonable distance on the trail you'll come across old iron railroad bridges. They're great for photographing: an endless variety of lines, angles, shadows, and perspectives. Nice contrast of the hard solid rusty lines of the bridge against a backdrop of trees and nature.

But that's just what I like - go out there with a camera, and you'll be overwhelmed by the number of scenes that cry out to be photographed.

DSD on 3/10/2013 2:32:03 PM:

JL, on the home page there is a list of artists and photographers who have a great deal of experience about the KT, for your research purposes. If you would want to contact them directly they may show their contact information or Ray(webmaster) could probably put you in contact with them.

Figs from Olathe on 3/12/2013 3:42:05 PM:

JL, a nice pictoral essay during Pedaler's Jamboree (Memorial Day Weekend) would be nice. Unless that's too late for your school work. Kinda of like Woodstock on wheels!

Cathy from Jefferson City on 3/14/2013 9:01:41 AM:

JL, if you plan to do this before 4/1/13, most bathrooms and water are turned off (by DNR) and there will probably not be that many people on the trail. But as a previous poster said, the bridges are very interesting. One of the trailheads at Tebbetts or Mokane has a display board that has pictures of some bridges in that area and the type of bridge that they are. There's one between Jefferson City and Hartsburg, probably over Cedar Creek. Cooper's Landing, close to Huntsdale, has boathenge. And Cooper's Landing itself is interesting. I find Easley to be interesting. The tunnel immediately west of Rocheport, as all of Rocheport, is cool. Rhineland has an old brick church and school visible from the trail. And there's only one place you can get a photo of the beautiful Missouri State Capitol standing on the Missouri River, and that's from the pedestrian/bike path over the Missouri River at Jefferson City.

Skyguy9999 on 3/15/2013 1:38:00 AM:

If I were you, I'd just ride with a little bit of planning for the light (*), and see what you see. I took a ton of pictures on my one Katy Ride, and while they ran the gamut in quality from "very good" to "terrible", some of the ones I really liked when I finally set down with the camera to download the pics were unexpected ones that I would have never gone into the ride planning to take.

So just go, keeping in mind your light conditions (*) and keep your eyes open.

(*) - I don't know about the whole trail, but being an old railroad, there's a lot of trees around, which provide an almost perfect shade canopy. It threw a wrench in my plans because I ended up not having about an hour or so that I thought I did, because while the sun was still up, the trail got pitch dark. Anyway, just go and see what you see. And enjoy.

FEEDBACK! - Please let us know if you have suggestions, corrections, complaints, or ideas. Your input is valued and appreciated - thanks in advance!

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