N & S #2722

I finally met up with a train and I hope it's OK that I posted these just this once but I only had my FZ20 with me. C&C welcomed.

Good shots.

You have to take what you can get sometimes.

Thanks Frank. The only thing worse than taking so-so shots is not taking any at all, or taking shots and not showing them to anyone.

I like the light on #1, & am usually semi-happy if I get just one shot that makes the trip worthwhile.

Do you think either of them are off balance [tilted the wrong way]?

They both seem to be tilted quite a bit....at least going by the billboard in the background. However, that can also be an optical illusion...because the sign posts beside the tracks and the power poles in the background seem just about right.

They're...

Tilted
Overexposed
Badly contrasted
obstructed
cut off
badly framed
badly composed
Bad.

Chappy wrote in post #9284223
Do you think either of them are off balance [tilted the wrong way]?

I agree with Dan. Look at the building edge at the left of #2. It's straight. Train tracks at curves are not exactly horizontal, & you shot at 72mm, so there shouldn't be wide angle distortion.
The blacks have detail & so do the whites.
Ignore Trainboy today. He's probably off his meds...

Thanks for your comments.

Frank : I agree that Trainboy was over critical. There are good points to these photos. At least I get enjoyment from looking at them, regardless of their faults. It seems to me that most train buffs would also appreciate these in spite of their faults.

I'm not one to spend a lot of time post processing. I tend to like to take them right out of the camera. I might start shooting in RAW more.

I would have to say that "trainboy" though very short has a lot of truth in his posting.

Both images are not level (look at the billboard and even the building edge in the 2nd shot is crooked.). Shooting a train, or any subject is hard to do when you are also pointing your camera right at the train. the train itsself is properly exposed but everything else around it is over exposed and a little unpleasing to look at. In the 2nd image, the one lone crossing light in the upper left hand corner is extremely distracting to look at.

I do like the composition of both shots with the curve leading your eye into the train. This would probably be a nice location to shoot as in the future if you can catch a train in better lighting conditions.

I hope you don't take overly critical bashing as a reason not to post more trains. I can tell you that real train fans don't post their photos at railpix.net because they want every image to look exactly the same....boring! Play around....if you like a shot...post it here. Regardless of technical flaws, I'll tell you why I like your photos....Norfolk Southern is the only game in town here...but the one thing you never see is intermodal cars in the consist and you sure aren't going to see any double stackers.....just too many low tunnels and bridges here in the mountains. Keep on posting!

Thanks for the comments. Yeah, I could have done more work in PP on these. Hopefully next time I'll have more time to PP the, but better yet, hopefully next time they won't need as much.

I'm sure they would have looked better taken with my 20D and my best tele lens, which right now is a Sigma 70-300 APO.

I may have had the metering on CWA. I'll use full metering next time, not spot or CWA. I darkened the highlights on these in PhotoShop but ended up thinking the original exposures looked more natural and posted them.

These were a spur of the moment shots. I heard the train coming and waited a few minutes to get the pics. I hadn't planned for it.

After 911 I'm not sure if I could find out about scheduling for trains to gets pics, otherwise I might go back and try to get more planned shots of trains. That crossing is only about a mile from where I live.

You can find most schedules on the internet or from other locals that are interested in trains.

JoeyBowman wrote in post #9296826
I would have to say that "trainboy" though very short has a lot of truth in his posting.

Both images are not level (look at the billboard and even the building edge in the 2nd shot is crooked.)...

OK, so maybe I should have said, "It's straight enough for me"?

Some people forget (I'm not even talking about trainguy) that some of us are actually trying to become better at photography. That not all of us on this forum are professionals, who take flawless pictures every time, and don't have the money to go out and spend 10K + on equipment. Speaking for myself I don't mind criticism even if it is negative. As long as it creates positive results. But there's a line between constructive criticism and bashing. Which has been crossed by more then 1 person lately.

I can take my lumps, I'm not afraid. In fact I welcome it, sometimes I can hear the crickets chirping when I make posts sometimes, which almost stinks just as much.

I have read somewhere some of the pro's don't like amateurs giving critique on their photos. Well you can't post on a public forum, and expect only certain people to post. It just doesn't work that way. If you want only flawless professionals, of only the highest caliber, to comment. Make your own website, ban everyone from entry, except for elitists. There you can circle jerk each others ego's.

I may be an amateur but if you don't like my critique, just disregard it if you wish. But if I see a flaw I'm gonna point it out. As I hope others would do the same, just don't be a jerk about it. At least try and give some advice.

Sorry to go off, and hijack your thread, but I had to rant. Even if this doesn't get read by those certain few people.