Today's Result

[dnsommer2013]

Rejected - distracting shadows

Can I use the clone stamp tool to perhaps remove the tree branch shadows on the nose? Or would it be better to just let this one go and move on?

Photo ID 1332795

Link: http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...95&key=8336073

Secondary Link: http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=220400

Also, the second try for this Susquehanna shot was rejected, this time for awkward composition / Rule of Thirds. Previously it needed to be rotated slightly CCW, which I did!

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...13&key=6328853

Secondary Link: http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=220397

Thanks (as always) for your advice/comments!

Dave Sommer
Ithaca

[bigbassloyd]

Let it go. You should have noticed the shadows before hand. Resist the idea that half-arse planning in field is fine because 'photoshop will take care of it'.


Loyd L.

[KevinM]

Hi Dave,

Under certain lighting conditions, the presence of shadows is not as obvious to the human eye as it is to your camera. What may look like OK lighting conditions before the train comes, looks less appealing when you look at the image on your camera LCD after it passes. Your camera sees the shadows a lot darker than you do. If you're not taking test shots before your train comes, you should be. One look at the test shots will show you the shadows on the rail. Those same shadows will litter up the side of your train when it comes. When you see that, skip that spot and find a better one.

A few shadows are not necessarily deadly when it comes to getting accepted on RP. The deciding factor is what the shot has to offer. If the shot is a simple wedge, with no interesting infrastructure or scenery (meaning it's just a train wedge taken at an open spot on the line), RP is going to hold you to a much higher standard than they would if the shot included some other, nicely lit elements......I mean as long as the shadows are not obnoxious. There are plenty of shots on RP with shadows.

I would resist the temptation to try and "fix" images like this with cloning or healing. There's nothing wrong with cloning out a piece of trash, or a weed, or an errant body part of one of your buddies, but there comes a point when the photo is no longer a photo, but a fantasy. RP is trying to stay out of the latter realm.

[JRMDC]

Dave, the first shot, RP simply has no interest in basic wedgies with nose shadows. It is a completely reasonable shot otherwise, so don't get discouraged.

Just pay attention to the shadows, and if it has some, share it with pride in other venues (understanding that some people are less tolerant of nose shadow than others). In a location like this, with what looks to be a scattering of trees, take many shots in sequence as the train comes (a huge advantage to digital over film) and see if the nose is clear of shadows in one of them.

In this case RP may have rejected anyway because, as far as I can tell, the sun angle was such that the left side of the nose was in shadow anyway, and RP does not go for that either.

The other shot, composition/balance often means a centered subject, and here the train is basically centered vertically, equally close to the top and the bottom. If you have it, in my view add to the top and take away from the bottom - this has the additional benefit of reattaching, so to speak, the leaf cluster at the top. I'd also consider a bit of cropping on the left, in part because those red spots on the left are distracting.

If you don't have anything to add, then crop one or the other, and crop the sides a bit so the shot doesn't end up being to short/wide.

[JimThias]

Looks fine to me, then again, I'm not a screener.

I mean, who am I to judge...

PhotoID: 272021 Photograph © Jim Thias

[JRMDC]

These days a Screener's Choice really means something, Jim!

Mainly, it means your last name is Danneman. 8 of last 30 SC

For the record, I have no problem with the shadows on the nose in this case. But that's just me.

[Mgoldman]

Originally Posted by JimThias

Looks fine to me, then again, I'm not a screener.

I mean, who am I to judge...

/Mitch

[dnsommer2013]

Originally Posted by JRMDC

Dave ...so don't get discouraged.

Thanks. I think the best plan is to go out shooting for fun and if I happen to come up with a keeper then all the better. It may be possible I'm trying too hard!

Are veteran RR shooters calculated and deliberate, or do most just take a come-what-may, devil-may-care sort of approach?

There have been times when I wouldn't go down to the mainline if it wasn't a perfectly sunny day...

Dave

[dnsommer2013]

Originally Posted by JimThias

Looks fine to me, then again, I'm not a screener.

I mean, who am I to judge...

I like the output of that Canon 5D, Jim! I suppose you've upgraded since?

[miningcamper1]

Originally Posted by dnsommer2013

Are veteran RR shooters calculated and deliberate, or do most just take a come-what-may, devil-may-care sort of approach?

Plan, plan and plan some more. But be ready to dump the plan in an eyeblink.

Both totally unexpected:

PhotoID: 507293 Photograph © miningcamper

PhotoID: 506338 Photograph © miningcamper

[dnsommer2013]

That LV photo really is special. What were you doing up there? Was the line active otherwise at the time?

[miningcamper1]

Originally Posted by dnsommer2013

That LV photo really is special. What were you doing up there? Was the line active otherwise at the time?

I was scouting for a spot to shoot LV or CNJ action on the parallel but lower CNJ "Back track". No way did I expect anything on the rusty, weed-grown LV track. Unlike CNJ, LV left their main intact after the trackage rights agreement with CNJ.
And abandoned things have always intrigued me. I always kept the risk level at moderate. Some of the "Urbex" people are borderline crazy, although I like their photos.

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by dnsommer2013

I like the output of that Canon 5D, Jim! I suppose you've upgraded since?

Not really upgraded, but I now use a couple of 60D cameras (mostly for work). The 5D has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for a few years.

I was thinking about buying a 7D for a third body, as prices for the original 7D have dropped dramatically (especially for referbs), but after reading the reviews on how much better the 7D MKII is, I decided to buy a GoPro instead.

Originally Posted by miningcamper1

Plan, plan and plan some more. But be ready to dump the plan in an eyeblink.

Both totally unexpected:

Too bad about that fourth unit back. Way to ruin the aesthetics of a perfect consist!

[miningcamper1]

Originally Posted by JimThias

Too bad about that fourth unit back. Way to ruin the aesthetics of a perfect consist!

Come to think of it, five classic Cornell Red w/ black stripes in one consist? Ultra-rare by that time!

[dnsommer2013]

Wanna sell the 5D? LOL! Actually, I am looking for my first FF. Can you believe the new Sony camera that came out today? The Alpha 7 Mark II - FF with IBIS. For $1,099!

Here's an awful photo I couldn't salvage with Photoshop. CSXT 7592. Shooting into the sun. Aperture was f5.0. Guess I didn't notice the wide aperture. So it's all messed up! LOL.

Tried to save it. Started with a deep crop into a RAW. Pretty difficult. You know, I sometimes wonder why I can't match Canon saturation? People really like Canon's rich saturation. A RAW is a RAW is a RAW, no? I should be able to mimic any look, right?

To me the Pentax "look" is closer to Nikon than Canon. Which I happen to like. More realistic. I dunno. But basically everything Pentax is cheaper than Canon-Nikon-Olympus-Fuji it seems. So I went for it. Moved over to Pentax. And the thing I discovered is that really I like using the K-3, just like the K-5 I upgraded from. It has a "fun factor" I didn't experience with other DSLRs. But maybe I should have kept the T3i, or the earlier XTi, or even the D70, for the sake of their more appealing universally image quality! Still, I figure working with DNG RAW should allow me to duplicate any style. No?

Anyway. Just rambling. Right now I'm bidding on a Sigma AF 170-500 for Pentax that's selling so far for a mere $250! Think it might be good for airplanes.

I'm gonna check out your photos. Been meaning to.

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=220439

[BobE]

Plan, plan and plan some more. But be ready to dump the plan in an eyeblink.

I agree with what miningcamper said. I'm usually scouting places that might make good photo spots. There is also a certain look I'm after, so I wait until conditions are right.

Nothing wrong with either of your photos from a lighting point of view, but I've ranted against 'perfect' light 'standard' enough in this forum, I'm not going to repeat myself.

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by dnsommer2013

Wanna sell the 5D? LOL! Actually, I am looking for my first FF. Can you believe the new Sony camera that came out today? The Alpha 7 Mark II - FF with IBIS. For $1,099!

Ha! Well, some day I plan on getting the sensor replaced as well as a few other minor things repaired (shutter button has been a little spongy for a while). Just not a high priority financially right now. Maybe next spring, as I would like to have a working full frame body again.

Also, if it's not a Canon or Nikon, I really don't pay much attention.

[Dennis A. Livesey]

I would hazard a guess Jim to tune pup your 5D, especially with a new sensor, it would cost more than it is worth.

My 40D's shutter went bad recently. To replace it and everything else you should while in a tear down, it would have cost $230, about $30 short of it's worth.

And in the end you have a like-new camera that's obsolete.

And while other camera manufacturer's like to make noise, particularly Sony, none of them is in the solid present condition of Canon and Nikon. Those two are the only companies to consider in DSLR still photo land.

[RobJor]

I like the first, second seems to have less to offer. I like shadows, maybe not on a bride wedding photo but on a train in a wooded area, it can have neat effect. Only problem is they are very faint, like a smudge, don't know if you tried to minimize them. I wouldn't, if it going to be rejected let be rejected for a shadow, not a smudge????

Bob Jordan

[miningcamper1]

Originally Posted by Dennis A. Livesey

And while other camera manufacturer's like to make noise, particularly Sony, none of them is in the solid present condition of Canon and Nikon. Those two are the only companies to consider in DSLR still photo land.

Although I am a Nikon owner, I have to wonder:
Do Nikons and Canons actually produce superior images compared to, say, a Sony?
Are there other factors aside from image quality in play?

OR- Is there an element of "Canikon Snobbery" as one site called it?

[Dennis A. Livesey]

Originally Posted by miningcamper1

Although I am a Nikon owner, I have to wonder:
Do Nikons and Canons actually produce superior images compared to, say, a Sony?
Are there other factors aside from image quality in play?

OR- Is there an element of "Canikon Snobbery" as one site called it?

It's about depth of the line.

It's the number of cameras, lenses accessories and 3rd party support that Canikon has over all the competition.

Sony IS trying harder and harder. The a7 is mind blowing full frame. Tiny, well laid out, and a phenomenal sensor that is gorgeous in it's imagery.

But while Sony steps up to the plate and may get on base, it fails due to not having a consistent follow through. The a7's are here but where are the lenses? There are only a few Zeiss badged ones to consider. And no regular pro would bother with Sony since they, in their famous obstinate way, only have their incompatible flash shoe.

Sony is trying. It has to since it is stumbling elsewhere. If they finally get truly serious about this and have consistent cameras and a large lens line up, a compatible flash, and large amount of 3rd party accessories, books, media, classes, blogs, THEN they can compete with Canikon in the pro world.