Simon Jowett of the United Kingdom (above) and Olaf Haensch of Germany and have won first prize in the 2016 John E. Gruber Creative Photography Awards Program, in the “mobile device” and “most evocative” categories, respectively. Haensch won previously in 2008 and took second in 2009; Jowett is a first-time entrant. Second prizes went to Slovenia’s Miško Kranjec—another past winner—for “evocative,” and first-time entrant Ryder Bechtold of Denver, Colorado, for “mobile.” Charles McCreary of Minnesota and Jeremy J. Schrader of Illinois received the third prize awards, rounding out the top winners. Additionally, the judges selected a total of thirty-one images in their two “Also Liked” categories. We will soon add additional submissions for public viewing in a first-time web gallery.

Each of the three judges remarked that this year’s field was especially competitive, and that picking the winners was extremely difficult. The 331 entries came from 141 photographers living in more than thirty different states and ten countries—the second-most submissions all-time in a CRPA contest. After reviewing the images on their own, the judges spent more than four hours discussing and debating their final decisions. All of us at the Center extend our congratulations to the winners, thank the judges for their time and efforts, and thank everyone who submitted. Your work inspires us, and we can hardly wait to see what you will do next.

See all of the winners and read the judges’ commentary on the 2016 Awards page.

The Center’s first regionally-themed conference about railroad photography and art, Conversations Northeast, was a great success. Attendance was 115 for the one-day event, held on October 29, 2016, at the University of Connecticut at Storrs. Attendees came from fifteen different states. The conference, co-hosted by Archives & Special Collections of the UConn Library, featured seven presentations and three exhibitions at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. In the view at right, presenter Victor Hand shared his diesel-era photographs from the northeastern U.S. and around the world in “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Diesel.” Photograph by Steve Barry, Railfan & Railroad. See more photographs on the conference page.

The Center’s annual Conversations conference sold out for the third consecutive year, with 180 attendees coming to Lake Forest College, thirty miles north of Chicago, from thirty-seven different states and four foreign countries. The weekend included lively social hours, stimulating discussions, and a diverse lineup of informative, engaging, and entertaining presentations.

Friday featured an opening reception banquet with live music by Charlie Castner and Ron Flanary, and a photography exhibition by John Sanderson. Saturday’s full day of presentations began with Wendy Burton and Kevin Keefe discussing their new book, Railroad Vision, followed by artist J. Craig Thorpe’s engaging look at concept art. Tony Reevy shared photographer Jack Delano’s trip across the Santa Fe from his recent book about Delano, while Ron Hill gave a retrospective of his black-and-white photography. Sanderson presented his railroad landscapes, and Steve Patterson concluded the day with a lively look back at his career as both railroader and photographer. A reception followed in the college’s elegant Glen Rowan House with print and book sales and signings.

Todd Halamka kicked off Sunday morning with his stunning color photography from around the world, and then Steve Barry provided an introduction to drones and railroad photography. Emily Moser shared her photography and reflections from “Riding the Harlem Line and Beyond.” Alan Shaw offered a look at Australia’s quirky railroads, while John Gruber and John Ryan wrapped up with the weekend and a detailed look at the lives and photography of Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg. Mark your calendars now for Conversations 2017, April 28-30 at Lake Forest College.

See eighty photographs from the weekend on Flickr by Hank Koshollek.

Conversations 2016, April 8–10 in Lake Forest, Illinois, is sold-out. If you have not yet registered but still wish to attend, please call or send an email ASAP and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Print sales and raffles
Three limited edition prints are available in this year’s print program, featuring the work of presenters Steve Patterson and Ron Hill. Two framed and matted prints, one each from photographers David Plowden and Mel Patrick, will also be given away in raffles. Patrick’s will be raffled on Friday evening and Plowden’s on Saturday. Tickets will be available at the door, and conference patrons will receive free tickets for each raffle.

2016 Docents
The Center is delighted to welcome three new docents to this year’s Conversations. They are Joe Stroppel of Glen Cove, New York; Ryan Gaynor of Toronto, Ontario; and Aviva Gellman of Madison, Wisconsin. Stroppel is a middle school student who participated in the New York City Transit Museum’s “Art on the Tracks” photography workshop last fall. Gaynor is majoring in media arts and media production at Ryerson University in Toronto. Gellman is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota and has been interning for the Center in Madison since 2013.