Q1: Saturday only, or both Saturday and Sunday?
A1: Partially depends on how big the railroad is and how many possibilities there are. The EBT is quite short and the Loop is extremely short, and I'm not sure you could fill two days with run-bys. The only real way to do multiple days would be to start mixing up equipment, so that any given day includes multiple different "trains".
For a railroad of adequate size, give folks the option, I'd say - either day for $X, but offer both Sat/Sun for $Y (where Y is some discount below double X). I'm lucky enough to live close to Colorado NG country, so travel isn't as much an issue for most of the trips I do. (Okay, not so much lucky as I moved here partially because of it.) If I have to travel to an event, multiple days helps mitigate the risks of bad weather and just those generally off days when you couldn't shoot a decent shot to save yourself. Plus, as long as I've gone somewhere, I'd like to get as much shooting in as possible.
Q2: What is the maximum group you consider preferable? 20, 40, 60, higher?
A2: Obviously smaller groups are preferred, but it raises the cost and might hinder the ability to attract enough people. 40 fans who are all accustomed to photo freights (and photo line etiquette, etc.) is manageable in my opinion with the right person running the show. Too many more than that starts to be a zoo, and no matter how well behaved everybody is, inevitably people are in your shots.
Q3: How many photo locations and/or runbys would you expect each day?
A3: 10-12 different spots would be nice, but is a challenge depending on how fast you can herd folks on and off the train, though. I would like to say that I prefer doing two at any spot, as usually there's more than one angle I'd like to try out (or I totally screw up the first one).
Q4: How important is early morning light, late afternoon light versus a night photo shoot?
A4: Night can give you some interesting stuff, but if it's an either/or scenario, give me daylight shots any time. If it's a photo charter, I'm there to shoot the train out on the road.
Somebody (can't remember who, might have been TUT) brought up doing a night shoot at Lobato. Now that would be an exception, and one of those things I'd pay good money for because it hasn't been done before (to my knowledge). I'm practically drooling at the thought of a massive amount of flash power with a photo freight on the bridge.
Q5: What is the one most important improvement that could be made to most photo runs in your opinion?
A5: Well, actually I don't have a good answer for this. There's no one problem that recurs in my mind.
That said, see the last bit of my answer to 6 about a trip involving all those photo run-bys never done. I'm not sure it's an "important improvement", but it would be something that seems to be often overlooked by those looking to attract the same crowd back next year.
Q6: How much do you consider to be a fair price for each day?
A6: Depends a great deal on the rarity of the event and the individuals attending. If I know I'm going to get stuck with a ton of people - with the incurred greater chance of people wandering through my shots, or some yahoo yacking away in photo lines, etc. - I'm less likely to be willing to pay top dollar. Likewise, if it's the same equipment and run-bys I've done before, I'm less enthused. It doesn't mean I'll skip the trip - a bad day on a photo freight beats a good day at work - but it'll get budgeted in after I get the trips I really want.
I'd say $450/day is about my upper limit for most things, and this year that's even going to be a stretch. Now if somebody put together a triple-header of 315, 345, and 318 from Chama to Cumbres or something similarly rare, I might bend that rule. I'd much rather be down in the $250-300/day range, but I know these things are expensive to do right.
Note: I'd love to see a C&TS or D&S charter based on "all those run-bys we've never done before". On the D&S, I've shot the High Line, High Bridge, Tefft Bridge, canyon above Tacoma, etc. more than I care to. I want to try new stuff. Most first-timers want run-bys at the big scenic highlights of the line, but those of us who have shot them more times than we remember want to try more unusual locations.
Q7: Any real preference for the season spring, summer, fall or winter?
A7: I personally prefer fall trips myself, but only because the weather here in Colorado is usually beautiful that time of year and work slackens up a bit. August in say Louisiana, though, is right out. Every season has its advantages, though, and if I've done a trip during one season, I'm more interested in a trip during a different season next year.
As for trips this year... Given the current economy, it largely depends on whether I still have a job in a month. While I don't think there's any real possibility that I'll get laid off, I'm playing it safe for now until the proverbial "other shoe" drops. The rumor mill is way too active right now, meaning something is almost certainly going to happen.
Once things look a little more certain, I'll start figuring out plans. If Dan manages to get Eureka to Railfest, that's the top of my "must do" list this year (even after last year's RF 315 trip, which was a disaster due to too much stuff running). I'll also book my spot on the C&TS 315 trip this fall.
I have no objection to traveling further than Colorado narrow gauge - I've wanted to do something on the Sumpter Valley for some time - but haven't given it much thought yet.
Just my thoughts.
