Not sure on specific guidelines here

[Simpleboy]

I dont really consider myself a rail photographer, however in town today i took a photo i rather like, my question is, is something like this acceptable?

[ottergoose]

That's a beautiful piece of work there. I would imagine that it would get rejected on the grounds of being over processed and poorly lit though. The shallow depth of field looks to be greatly exaggerated by Photoshop, and there's very, very little light on the front of the streetcar - the lack of detail around the bottom front portion of the car is a big no-no.

I really dig the photo, but I doubt it's the type of work that would be accepted here. I'd be interested in seeing the original, relatively unprocessed shot.

[Simpleboy]

Hey there,
The editing to the photo consisted of using the channel mixer to convert to B+W, then a midnight sepia tone added (very small amount of guassian blur added here) and finished it by adding a touch of vignetting.

Heres the original resized to 1200,

Camera 30D, 135 f/2L @ f/2.5

[trainboysd40]

It's an absolutely beautiful PP, but this site prefers photos au naturale. unfortunately, they also like photos (as a rule) with the sun low and behind your shoulder, so it's pretty much out. Absolutely nothing wrong with it from my point of view, though

[milwman]

I don't Know may get in. Think if you do put it in they may not like the cropping, to far to the left. this is a railroad photo site and it maybe sharing to much with the back ground, maybe. try it. It is nice photo.

[JRMDC]

C'mon, everybody! You guys are treating this like a wedgie! This is very nice! RP these days most certainly is open to this sort of thing and I think this one has a pretty good chance, even though the lighting is not ideal.

Just rework it, Simiple, and forget about the gaussian blur, that is a huge no no for RP (and may be inducing the negative criticisms, but it is easily dropped). And the vignetting. Keep the sepia.

Aargh, did I say that? I don't like sepia!

The DoF looks fine to me; there is a fair amount of distance just behind the trolley that I believe is hidden because the surface drops down a bit before rising back up, so the usual telesmash effect is even more exaggerated than usual.

[EMTRailfan]

I'm with Janusz. Go for it!

[KevinM]

Hey, try it! Yes, it's a bit dark on the nose, but it's an interesting effect shot. I like original is better than the rework, but a regular B&W would work for me too. I'm not a fan of the sepia.

I'd like to see more trolley shots here. There are so many really unique cars out there just waiting for someone to show in a pretty setting or in an artistic effect.

This car is pretty sweet. Do you have any details on her?

[InspetorMFD]

I'd go for it. What is the worst that could happen. Whether it is accepted or rejected for the DB it is still a great shot.

[trainboysd40]

They're all right, there's no harm in submitting

[Simpleboy]

Hey guys,

Ive re worked to both a B+W and another Sepia, passing on the vignette and the guassian blur, and trying to bring out some of the detail on the train.




I dont think they feels as 'old' as my initial go at it which i rather liked. This tram is either the oldest or second oldest tram in service in Christchurch, the buildings at the far end are some of the oldest in Christchurch which is what made me give it the old fashioned look.

As for the tram, its Tram no 11, called the Boxcar. Built in 1903 by J.G Brill & co in Philadelphia, shipped to Dunedin and used till 1952 when it was retired. In 1995 it was restored and moved up here to Christchurch. its a 4 wheel, 28 seater with the seats running longitudinal, which to me seems pretty interesting considering how hilly Dunedin is, then again i dont know how the tram tracks were in dunedin that long ago.

[River Rails Photography]

Go with the solid B&W. It's more natural looking.

[JRMDC]

In general I prefer BW and I do so here. Besides my usual preferences, the BW here reduces the glare/sheen/whatever that is on some of the smooth surfaces of the trolley.

Originally Posted by Simpleboy

I dont think they feels as 'old' as my initial go at it which i rather liked.

That may be, and by all means you should keep the other versions for display elsewhere. For RP specifically the gaussian blur will not do, regardless of whether it makes the shot come out closer to your vision.

[KevinM]

Originally Posted by Simpleboy

As for the tram, its Tram no 11, called the Boxcar. Built in 1903 by J.G Brill & co in Philadelphia, shipped to Dunedin and used till 1952 when it was retired. In 1995 it was restored and moved up here to Christchurch. its a 4 wheel, 28 seater with the seats running longitudinal, which to me seems pretty interesting considering how hilly Dunedin is, then again i dont know how the tram tracks were in dunedin that long ago.

Thanks for the details on the car. Brill built some pretty stuff and this one is no exception. Nice find....and thanks for sharing! Upload the B&W and see what happens. I'm rooting for this one to get in.

[Dennis A. Livesey]

No way for the Gaussian and the sepia together on RP!

I vote for the color. It's more exciting for my eye and it separates the car from the clutter. Of course, in color, the modern yellow traffic hardware is more pronounced.

I would be for going back, framing out modern elements, and to get a human element, ideally the driver in the center window. It would be a shoo-in then.

I like the shot and I agree more trolley shots should be here. Thanks for sharing such a good one.

[KevinM]

I see you got this one accepted.

PhotoID: 245621 Photograph © Sam Rudge

Nice job Sam!

[Mustang11]

Welcome to RPN and congrats on your first photo, it is well done. Just in case you have not seen them, here are the guidelines for submission. They may help you out, although with your first shot in you probably have a good idea what to do in the future...

http://www.railpictures.net/addphotos/guidelines.php

The important thing to remember is that all opinions are subjective and the some of the guidelines are open to interpretation by us and the screeners. So as long as you believe it fits the guidelines and it is your best work then there is no harm in submitting and a rejection does not mean a photograph is "bad."

Brian

[River Rails Photography]

As Brian has said, the photo submission guidelines help, but not artistically. The guidelines are more technical, i.e properly exposed, low amounts of noise, etc. In my opinion, the best way to find out about shots that are accepted here is to spend time looking through RECENT photos, and you shall soon have a good idea.

[River Rails Photography]

Oh, and congrats on your first shot!

[Simpleboy]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice, i ended up going for the plain B+W, which as you can see has got on. Thanks for the comments, its always nice to get feedback.(especially positive feedback )

I did look at the guidelines, but saw no mention of Sepia toning or B+W for that matter which is why i came here to see the reaction.

We've got 4 other trams here that are regularly used so you may see some more from me in the future.

[KevinM]

Originally Posted by Simpleboy

We've got 4 other trams here that are regularly used so you may see some more from me in the future.

Hey, post away! You may find that trolley shots are not terribly popular here in terms of views, favorites, comments etc... This is defintely a decidedly diesel crowd. There is however, a quiet corps of streetcar fans and we enjoy 'em. When you post, give us whatever details you have on the history of the car.

Thanks!

[trainboysd40]

Here's my one and only trolley shot, from film days long past. (Or, you know, two years ago)

PhotoID: 151643 Photograph © Matthew Hicks

Standards have definitely gone up since then, but you can pretty much know what to expect...