Did I miss something....our most viewed thread gone?

[bigbassloyd]

Call outs are fun sometimes.

Paying customers love me. Don't care bout the rest of ya.

Loyd L

[ShortlinesUSA]

I'm interested to know some details on this one. Ron's caption explained why my first thought was "Looks like a Howard Fogg painting!"

PhotoID: 576260 Photograph © Ron Flanary

Ron, was that part of getting this accepted? That is, stating what the heavy modification was? I'm not dinging you at all, and this is a great scene (color or B&W), but its acceptance does open a can of worms for other types of heavily-processed images now being acceptable, as long as the submitter describes "what is, that isn't?"

[ShortlinesUSA]

Original for comparison:

PhotoID: 370066 Photograph © Ron Flanary

[JRMDC]

Originally Posted by ShortlinesUSA

Ron, was that part of getting this accepted? That is, stating what the heavy modification was? I'm not dinging you at all, and this is a great scene (color or B&W), but its acceptance does open a can of worms for other types of heavily-processed images now being acceptable, as long as the submitter describes "what is, that isn't?"

As long as the item is labeled and has been screened for quality of the modification ... I don't have a problem with that as long as that becomes what the site is "about" and is not done on an exception / big name basis (accounting for the fact that "big names" may be more likely to do a quality job, but that is not always true, certainly on slide scans). The can of worms being opened up is the extent to which a screener can or should reject on the basis of that quality of modification. Here, for example, the brick wall has some oddly-sized (enhanced) snowflakes in front of it that do not work for me, the brick wall seems oversaturated unless the station was new construction at the time, and the sky has gone from bright overcast to dark, and the foreground snow is a bit gray for my tastes (which generally do not disfavor some grayness).

So, probably a one-off, but if not, is RP up to treating such material reasonably, and should RP aspire to expanding the walls, so to speak, in this manner?

BTW, nice job, Ron! Looks good (except for the excessive gray ).

[JRMDC]

This is a different form of heavy modification. I don't have the original at hand to show you the nature of the heavy cabling running across the top of the original image, but one can infer their presence from the thick shadow stripes they left on the caboose, which I left unmodified.

PhotoID: 489220 Photograph © Janusz Mrozek

[KevinM]

I don't see any foul on the part of the contributor, as long as the person is clear about what was done to the image. In the case of this one, it was not just "colorization." The large tree behind the locomotive has mysteriously disappeared also, but the caption doesn't call that out. Perhaps there was a note to the screener that did.

With regard to RP acceptance of such images, I guess I personally think that this level of modification is a slippery slope. Locally enhancing parts of the image, or cloning out minor elements that didn't have to be there are probably OK....such as taking some local-yokel out of a 611 chase shot. Making wholesale changes however, takes it out of the realm of photography in my view, and puts it in the same category as a painting, in which the artist presents the scene the way he/she "envisioned" it, vs. how it actually was.

BTW, I don't have the same dim view of code lines, telephone poles, etc. as some folks apparently do. As long as they don't obstruct the main subject, those things are where they are. If you don't like them, find another spot to photograph your train.

[miningcamper1]

Originally Posted by KevinM

BTW, I don't have the same dim view of code lines, telephone poles, etc. as some folks apparently do.

Verboten: (no particular order) litter, graffiti, billboards, high-tension towers, gawkers, wind turbines, jet contrails. highways, flare...

Oh, I forgot a major peeve- watermarks!

[JRMDC]

Originally Posted by miningcamper1

Verboten: (no particular order) litter, graffiti, billboards, high-tension towers, gawkers, wind turbines, jet contrails. highways, flare...

Love high tension towers in shots! Well, tolerate them and try to do something with them.

PhotoID: 414731 Photograph © Janusz Mrozek

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jrm_dc...posted-public/

[Freericks]

I'm with Janusz and Kevin - the wires don't bother me - they are a part of what is.

[KevinM]

I actually like the power lines in this shot:

PhotoID: 576316 Photograph © Kevin Madore

Hey, Maine had electrical transmission lines back in the 1920s. Now, if these were gargantuan steel towers with super high-tension cables, then yeah, it wouldn't look right, but the wooden poles look just fine.

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by Freericks

the wires don't bother me - they are a part of what is.

Yeah, man-made pollution. Blah.

Originally Posted by KevinM

I actually like the power lines in this shot:

But that scene would look so much more pure without them.

[miningcamper1]

Originally Posted by JimThias

Yeah, man-made pollution. Blah.
But that scene would look so much more pure without them.

But then the scene would be deep in the woods without the cleared power line right-of-way.

[KevinM]

Originally Posted by miningcamper1

But then the scene would be deep in the woods without the cleared power line right-of-way.

Correctamundo. Without the clearcut, there would have been no light at all on the train at that time of day.....or any other time of day other than high noon perhaps.

[JimThias]

Originally Posted by miningcamper1

But then the scene would be deep in the woods without the cleared power line right-of-way.

Then find another scene. One could surmise that an infinite number of scenes exist along railroad tracks if only utility companies would do some clear cutting.

[Freericks]

Originally Posted by JimThias

Then find another scene. One could surmise that an infinite number of scenes exist along railroad tracks if only utility companies would do some clear cutting.

Isn't this a bit laying saying because you don't like the taste of sesame seeds, Kevin, Mining, and I should not ever order the sesame chicken?

[CSX1702]

Originally Posted by JimThias

Then find another scene. One could surmise that an infinite number of scenes exist along railroad tracks if only utility companies would do some clear cutting.

Call your local utility company and tell them to do some cutting because you want to take pictures of trains. And post the response on here.