Please help a struggling photographer!

[MikeMc]

Hi all. I have been a Ky. railfan as long as I can remember, from L&N to CSX and have been taking pictures of trains for at least 10 years. Its always been for fun and relaxation and now that I have joined this site, I realize my skills are lacking (all submissions rejected). I have learned to keep the sun on my back to prevent backlighting, but what are the basic tips to taking good, useful photos? Thanks in advance.

[cmherndon]

Welcome aboard, Mike. Probably the first thing anyone can tell you is to not take any rejections personally since that happens to everyone. The best thing to do is use rejections to make yourself a better photographer. You already know rule #1 of photography (sun at your back) so I'll skip that one, but can list a few pointers to get you going in the right direction.

Be creative. Don't be afraid to try out new angles or locations. Most people I know would agree that looking at the same angle of a couple three CSX or NS locomotives gets kind of old after a while. Remember to also take the time to compose your shot.

Quality is better than quanity. If you go out all day and end up shooting say 15 or 20 trains, select maybe 6-8 (maybe a few more) of your best shots to upload instead of all your shots from that day.

Use a lower speed film. While 400 speed film is good, it can result in grainy photos. I would recommend that you try shooting with 100 speed film. It's perfect for bright days, but remember that it will take more light to expose 100 speed than 400 so your photo options will probably be limited on cloudy days.

Scan your photos at the highest resolution. Doing so will prevent a large loss in image quality when you work on your photos with Photoshop (or any other imaging software).

Finally, just have fun and take pictures for YOUR enjoyment. If your main goal is to just have photos accepted, then you're shooting for the wrong reasons. If nothing else, this is probably the most important thing to remember.

[MikeMc]

Thanks for the advice. I will try some 200 speed and see how that works. I usually take my film to walmart and have the images loaded onto CD to make it easy to upload, is this a good way to go or not? I may treat myself to a digital camera for Christmas. Do you go to Highbridge often? I discovered it almost 20 years ago while at UK and it still ranks as one of the most awesome man-made things I've ever seen.

[cmherndon]

High Bridge is an awesome structure, but I hardly ever go there since the photographic options are severely limited.