I never had the privilege of meeting Edward S. Miller, but in retrospect, I really wish that I had.
Born in Danville, PA in 1920, Edward S. Miller was a highly regarded railfan and photographer whose photographic masterpieces can be found in numerous publications. After serving in World War II, Mr. Miller returned to the US and operated streetcars for the Capital Transit Company in Washington DC for a number of years. After moving on from CTC, he would travel rather extensively and capture some of the most unforgettable streetcar and railroad images of the era on his Leica camera he acquired in 1952.
Mr. Miller was known in particular for being a "location" type photographer, instead of a "roster" (or "wedge") shooter. His scenes do a phenomenal job of evoking a nostalgic magic that truly shows the feel of an era that was about to decline rapidly. His work truly shows the achievement of the "sweet spot" between vehicle photography and location photography to create a true "scene" in his images, be they of a bustling street corner, or a bucolic wooded setting tucked away in an obscure setting.
As one excellent article on Mr. Miller aptly states, he "was careful about his compositions. While the trains form the central point of the photographs, he made it a point to get other elements in the picture to set the scene and give it a unique sense of time and place, whether it be a trolley gliding down a palm-tree-lined avenue in Los Angeles or picking up passengers en route to Sans Souci Park in Hanover Township. He loved to get people in the pictures, unusual geographic features, colorful elements such as flower gardens or neon signs."
As one excellent article on Mr. Miller aptly states, he "was careful about his compositions. While the trains form the central point of the photographs, he made it a point to get other elements in the picture to set the scene and give it a unique sense of time and place, whether it be a trolley gliding down a palm-tree-lined avenue in Los Angeles or picking up passengers en route to Sans Souci Park in Hanover Township. He loved to get people in the pictures, unusual geographic features, colorful elements such as flower gardens or neon signs."
An online collection of a number of his works, primarily concentrated on Baltimore can be found at this website. It is certainly worth a leisurely look through the amazing images to get a look at what Baltimore was like in this era. I almost wonder if they make the Monumental City look too good, given the particularly high ratio of vivid and colorful sunlit exposures! Regardless, there are countless images in this collection that literally make me want to "crawl in the time machine portal" to join Mr. Miller in 1952 Baltimore with a camera in hand to record my own exposures of the scenes that he so amazingly portrayed, though I'm sure mine would be inferior to his.
Sadly, Mr. Miller passed away in April of 2010 at 90 years of age. He is kindly remembered for his never ending interest in all things railway related, as well as his generosity in sharing his images to enable future generations like myself to get a window into a world we never knew. He is certainly missed, even among those of us who were never fortunate enough to have met him.
Sadly, Mr. Miller passed away in April of 2010 at 90 years of age. He is kindly remembered for his never ending interest in all things railway related, as well as his generosity in sharing his images to enable future generations like myself to get a window into a world we never knew. He is certainly missed, even among those of us who were never fortunate enough to have met him.
I learned something new today. Thanks Adam!
ReplyDeleteI can look at his images time and time again and find something new to be fascinated about each time! :-)
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