yesterday in florida, photographer kelly cortes took this video of a shoot she conducted on the tracks. a family who wanted a keepsake picture. >> to allow us to have something very unique. >> reporter: kelly says her shoots are safe. she stays near an intersection of road and track for an easier escape and puts a penny on the track, believing it will vibrate long before a train gets near her. >> you have be smart, be responsible, do your due diligence. >> you can never judge a train's speed. it's an optical illusion. if it's a tie you're going to lose. >> reporter: railroad engineers we rode with argue there is no safe way to take rail pics. the roar of the engine follows the train. the sound surprisingly quiet as it speeds toward you. and the tracks are narrower than the train itself, making it hard to judge safe clearance. a fully loaded freight train weighs as much as 6,500 tons. that's like 2,500 african elephants running at you. it can take 18 football fields to stop. anywhere from one to two minutes from emergency brake to full stop. >> once the engineer decides to put the train