Waiting for the Right Moment: How Robert LeBlanc’s Scene That Feels Like Stepping Into the Past
(This is the story behind the photograph—a glimpse into the moment, the process, and the vision that brought it to life.)
Patience, not gear, makes unforgettable photographs.
It’s easy to think that better equipment means better photos, but that’s not always true. What really matters is how long you’re willing to wait for the right moment. Robert LeBlanc proved this during a stop in La Plata, Missouri, where his patience helped him capture a rare and powerful scene. In photography, timing often matters more than the tools in your bag.
A quiet town, a simple train deck, and a chance moment.
La Plata is the kind of place most people pass without noticing. But for LeBlanc, it became the location of one of his most meaningful images. He stayed still, watching the tracks, until the scene appeared. Three Amish people walking along the rails, like something from another time. That is what this story is about: slowing down, watching, and seeing what others might miss.
La Plata, Missouri. A small, quiet town that most people would pass by without a second look. But for photographer Robert LeBlanc, it became one of those rare places where the present and the past seemed to meet on the train tracks.
It was the middle of a long train journey from Los Angeles to Chicago. LeBlanc had stopped in La Plata, a town known mainly to train enthusiasts. The local hotel was filled with train decorations. Just a short walk away, there was a small wooden cabin with a viewing deck. From there, people came from all over the country to watch trains roll past. The cabin walls were covered with signatures from visitors, and a camera streamed the tracks live, day and night.
LeBlanc was deep into a project about train travel in America. For 17 months, he had been searching for places like this where the world of trains felt alive in a modern age. He spent time in the cabin, watching the graffiti-covered trains move through the peaceful town. It felt like this simple spot was hiding something special.
“Halfway through a long two-week push from Los Angeles to Chicago by Amtrak. I stopped in La Plata, Missouri. La Plata is a unique place, and most people driving through there would not think much of it, but it’s a well-known town for train enthusiasts… It felt like this little cabin was something special in an ordinary town.”
On the last day of his stop, LeBlanc visited the cabin one more time before walking to the station for his next train. That’s when the scene appeared. A group of three Amish people were walking slowly along the tracks. Their simple clothes, the wooden ties of the railway, the trees all around. It was like time had slowed down or even gone backwards. The only hints of modern life were a radio tower in the distance, the station, and a few small houses.
“As I was waiting on the deck, a group of three Amish folks were walking down the tracks. It was a unique moment because It felt like I got sucked back in time… Watching the three walk down the train tracks felt like a perfect combination of these two realities.”
From his spot above, LeBlanc quietly lifted his camera. He knew the Amish do not like to be photographed. But here, unnoticed, he captured the scene without breaking the moment.
“Because I was above them, they didn’t notice me when I created these images… Later, when I got to the train station, they were all waiting to catch the train. I asked if they would be ok with me creating their portraits, and they politely declined.”
LeBlanc shot the series using a Leica Monochrome with a 28mm lens. At first, he wished he had a longer lens to get closer. But when he looked at the photos, he saw that showing the wide scene, the tracks, the trees, the sky, was exactly right. The black and white gave it a timeless, dreamlike feeling.
“There is something magical about it, and looking through the viewfinder, you feel as if you’re viewing another world separate from reality… Showing the whole environment is really what makes this image stand out.”
What made this photograph powerful was patience. LeBlanc had stayed on that deck, waiting, watching. The moment came to him.
“Patience is everything. If it weren’t for me just sitting on that viewing deck and waiting for a moment to arrive, I would have missed this… Photography is one of the purest art forms because you have to collaborate with a live world constantly moving around you.”
In the end, the image became a reminder of how beauty can appear when you slow down, stay open, and really see what is around you.
“Beauty can come in the most unexpected moments, and you need to be present to experience them.”
