Critiques Please

[Huelsy'sTrainBlog]

I would like some critiques of these photos. I am really working on improving my photography and would like some imput. I know the first one doesn't have the power but cut me some slack .

[railohio]

1. Too much on the edges. Locomotives are not needed for railroad photos, contrary to what some will say.

2. Not enough on the left edge. Crooked.

[trnwatcher]

Try cropping the first one. I always try and use the "rule of thirds". The second one is a tad crooked, but the angle might have been better from farther back from the subject, unless this was a zoom. Then you got in just a tad too close. Again...rule of thirds I think would have made this a better shot. I do like the stone chip detail in the nose of the NS unit though. Shows the wear and tear of railroading.

[Huelsy'sTrainBlog]

Thanks guys! I will def. take your advice for the next time.

[MDH]

1st one - what they said

2nd one - a little more sky, less ballast and don't cut off the rest of the train and the signal - levelling the crooked image you can do in photoshop but you can't fix the floating signals and cut off train, that part you need to get right in the original composition. Also, and particularly with digital I tend to shoot just a little wider than the composition I'm aiming for so I have a little slack in processing to level and crop an image (but not so much that cropping causes you to lose too many pixels!)

In general, good sun, good general idea, just need to refine what you're doing but being open to suggestions is a good way to start!

[AARR]

I know the first one doesn't have the power but cut me some slack .

I know the picture snobs will dismiss your photo of the box cars but personally I like photo's of freight cars

[Saturnalia]

I know the first one doesn't have the power but cut me some slack .

I know the picture snobs will dismiss your photo of the box cars but personally I like photo's of freight cars

I'd like the boxcar one more if the train did not run into the side of the photo

[J T]

Thanks guys! I will def. take your advice for the next time.

Also something else to consider when you have a still body of water like that...if you get lower, you can show more of the train's reflection. Sometimes that might take squatting down right at the water's edge, but the results can be worth much more than the risk of getting wet.


Here's a crop suggestion for the first one. Not only does it bring the subjects closer into view (which helps to appreciate the reflections), but it also creates a better balance. I also rotated it about .50 CCW.

Alex's observation about the right side of the frame cutting off the train is a good one as well. If there is a bush or tree of some sort at the scene, try to work that into the framing on the right side. You can then hide the train behind that so it's not cut off. Of course, that option may not always be possible, and it's not a rule etched in stone, but generally a train that is not cut off by the frame presents a more appealing crop.




Here's an example showing the use of a tree to frame the train to avoid cutting it off. It also shows my failure to stand at the correct height to achieve the best reflection possible. Sometimes I'm so focused on certain aspects of a scene that I overlook the most obvious. I was squatting when I should have been standing.

[Wrong Main]

Shot #1 looks good to me. There's not much you can do about the cars running out the edge of the scene, unless you could include all of the Conrail markings on that first car.

Shot #2. If that is the original and uncropped picture, there's still a way you can save it. Crop it really tight. Get rid of the stuff on the right side; it doesn't add anything to the image, just leaves the engine in the center of the frame, which you really don't want. Cropping it tight around the engine will change the idea of the picture, but it will make it look more dramatic. Remember that rule of thirds; it's one of the basic tenants of good photography. I'd say you're off to a good start.