Contest...Guess Whats Wrong

David Harrison · 10-09-2009, 03:14 AM

Have at it guys. Have fun. Or dare I think they meant to add it to the DB>

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...1&key=75651259

David Harrison

Walter S · 10-09-2009, 03:19 AM

Bad cropping, backlit...

Andrew Blaszczyk (2) · 10-09-2009, 03:30 AM

Foreground clutter, bad cropping, composition issues...

travsirocz · 10-09-2009, 03:43 AM

I'll start with poor cropping.

David Harrison · 10-09-2009, 03:50 AM

This idea is from a video I shot dozens of years ago showing the "L" passing by the home signal at the end of the Howard ST platform, so yes the reverse move signal is there deliberately. Why is this not a good idea in this situation. YOu mean you can't put something in the foreground to contrast with the train. The Willis Tower in the background was added bonus, or so I thought.

David Harrison

travsirocz · 10-09-2009, 03:55 AM

Willis is awkwardly cut off, dead space on the left, signal might be cropped a little off, would like to see more of the signal.

milwman · 10-09-2009, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Harrison

YOu mean you can't put something in the foreground to contrast with the train. The Willis Tower in the background was added bonus, or so I thought.

David Harrison

All the dead space on the left side and the right side is full is why it got hit down.
You're trying something that gets a watchful eye on here, as you add more there more to get dinged for so shoot 15 ? shots all different till you can pick the one you think is best. There is a shot there that will work.

JRMDC · 10-09-2009, 03:57 AM

left/right balance is poor, plus you cut off the radio towers on the SEARS tower - I'll never call it Willis!

travsirocz · 10-09-2009, 04:18 AM

You takin bout willis, J!

David Harrison · 10-09-2009, 04:22 AM

OOPS!! Looked at the original and I did only get in the very top of the antenna masts and lost some of that in the leveling process. OK, a re-shoot is in order...third one.

So it would be impossible to include all of the Sears/Willis Tower because there would always be that empty sky. I could crop at the top of the signal and include the entire signal. Unfortunately, the signal leans. Glad someone said there's a shot here somewhere. It's a hard location and the operators get nervous coming off that slight off set. Hard to shoot and give a "proceed" hand signal even though I'm standing behind the safety marker.

David Harrison

Walter S · 10-09-2009, 04:27 AM

If you step back a few feet and get in the middle of the tracks I think it may work.

IM KIDDING! lol

David Harrison · 10-09-2009, 04:34 AM

Walter, I thought Travis Dewitz had the patent on that kind of shot....you know, sitting the camera on the ties and letting the train run over it.

David Harrison

travsirocz · 10-09-2009, 04:37 AM

I don't trust my camera on the electrified 3rd rail.

Ween · 10-09-2009, 04:42 AM

You might want to try some fill flash to brighten the signal. As it is, it's just too dark in any composition.

David Harrison · 10-09-2009, 04:42 AM

Electrified third rail...it's only 600 volts DC. And it's off on the side anyways. It's the London Underground that has the third rail down the middle of the track. Never could find out if you could get a shock from it...it's about 250 volts negative DC.

David Harrison

Walter S · 10-09-2009, 04:49 AM

Just straddle the third rail duhh lol

Joe the Photog · 10-09-2009, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Harrison

YOu mean you can't put something in the foreground to contrast with the train.

Nobody said or even hinted at that. Your foreground subject matter in this shots looks like you were either trying to shoot past it or didn't really notice it. It's haphazzard and not well thought out.

David Harrison · 10-09-2009, 05:28 AM

Good point Joe. As pointed out earlier, I should include the entire signal. Here's my resubmission.

David Harrison

lock4244 · 10-09-2009, 02:20 PM

It's a subway.

cblaz · 10-09-2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Harrison

Good point Joe. As pointed out earlier, I should include the entire signal. Here's my resubmission.

Signal's still cut off. Still a lot of dead space on the left. Sears Tower cut off awkwardly.

- Chris
/Hears an echo in this thread.

Diamond D · 10-09-2009, 06:40 PM

agree with Chris... the whole left side is still dead space The light is also not very inviting, especially for the signals, my eye is not drawn to them. Might be time to rethink your position on the platform and time of day

Slopes09 · 10-10-2009, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travsirocz

Willis is awkwardly cut off, dead space on the left, signal might be cropped a little off, would like to see more of the signal.

Take that back! It's called the "Sears." It shall never be the Willis.

WembYard · 10-11-2009, 12:34 AM

The rail in the middle of the track on the London Underground is called the "4th rail" and is actually the negative or return rail. The power supply varies between 600 and 750V DC and is the 3rd rail, which is in a similar position to the Chicago system.

My "Underground contact" tells me that it is possible to get an electric shock from the 4th rail if there is a train in the vicinity or, much more likely, if there is an earth going to the the rail from something like a defective train. In any case, the instructions for working on such lines is don't touch any rail - the same applies on the national network (Network Rail) as well.

With regards to your picture, there needs to be more on the right and less on the left, I would like to see the whole signal.

shanedeemer · 10-11-2009, 03:30 PM

It's leaning to the left, high sun, and of a CTA train.

David Harrison · 10-12-2009, 05:58 AM

Hi Janet, thanks for the info about the 4th rail.

My picture seems a dead issue. I would like to see an example on the DB where a signal in the foreground is included with the train in the mid background. Unfortunately, there is nothing to the right of the signal except the back wall of an enclosed mini interlocking tower with a window covered with grating. Here's a rejection that has the entire signal.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...key=1293620090

Just for fun I cropped out everything.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...&key=304686948

I know..conventional wisdom says the train needs room to breathe. Well we know what's left, what's right, and we won't even mention the Willis/Sears in the background.

David Harrison