Whats wrong

[Liesel]

What's wrong with this picture?

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...d=876405&key=0

[Soo 6060]

Too much un-interesting blue sky. Perhaps a tab bit too much forground, as well. It's also poorly composed. (The engine is pushed right up against the tree, and is blocked by the tree a little)

Originally Posted by Liesel

What's wrong with this picture?

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...d=876405&key=0

[troy12n]

One of the negatives of using the center focus point...

[Holloran Grade]

Too many trees, poor focus and the train is running backwards.

Oh, and what is that deal up on the hill?

Also the train is not the primary subject as you have it composed - and what is that deal up on the hill?

[Liesel]

The train doesn't running backwards. There's no turntable on the line an the locomotives running only uphill with smokebox forward.

The hill is the highest point in saxony, the Fichtelberg

[milwman]

Can you go back and shoot it over? If you can shoot with the sun behind you more so you don't get the glare on the train and give the steamer some more room in front. This photo has problems more then cropping, IQ is off like the photo was over worked before up loading it. The lighting isn't working for you. The cropping is the train centered across the photo moving it up or down at the 1/3 lines will help here.
Liesel Getting photos on here is like starting over somewhat as they will pick a photo apart trying to get you to give it your best and a good photo for us to look at. If I was going to shoot this I would walk up and look to see my shadow isn't pointing at the train so would walk to the left keeping in mind what's going to be in the foreground and back ground. And if I had time a test shot or two to see if my setting will give a good exposer.
This steamer is set up to run the same speed ether way, Pony trucks at both ends. Kind of the GP9 of steam. Holloran it's a ski lift.

[Holloran Grade]

Originally Posted by Liesel

The train doesn't running backwards. There's no turntable on the line an the locomotives running only uphill with smokebox forward.

That part was a joke.

But what is the thing up on the hill?

Looks like a death ray or something.

[Doug Wolfe]

Hi Liesel...do you have a picture where the train has not reached the trees yet? That might work a little better.

[Liesel]

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...&key=846274044

Other picture with no locomotive in the trees, reduced sky and foreground

[Joe the Photog]

It's too tight on the sides. There's still a bit of a tree blocking, but it didn't get foreground obstruction so they may be looking past that. The shot looks a little murky to me, like it needs more post processing.

[JRMDC]

Bad cropping may refer to the image being 1024x605, so wider than a 3:2 ratio which is typically the RP limit for wider/rectangular/whatever the antonym is for squarish. Rectangularish? Unsquarish?

This one seems to me to be a case where breaking that limit is a good thing (nothing worth adding top or bottom, I suspect) but RP is what it is. For me the problems with the image are the harshness of the light and the extensive shadows, not to mention the glare on the cars which, combined with their color, blends them into the sky.

I presume the OP was not responsible for setting the schedule of the train relative to the sun.

[Holloran Grade]

Originally Posted by Joe the Photog

It's too tight on the sides. There's still a bit of a tree blocking, but it didn't get foreground obstruction so they may be looking past that. The shot looks a little murky to me, like it needs more post processing.

Yes, and the sun is to your left in the picture, not at your back - so you should have been on the other side of the bridge and the shadows would not have been so deep.

Look at the shadow on the front of your engine, that will get this rejected all by itself.

Is that a ski run up on top of the hill?

[Liesel]

Originally Posted by Holloran Grade

Is that a ski run up on top of the hill?

Here you can see the hill, the aerial tramway an the ski run.

[Holloran Grade]

That is cool.

I can't think of anywhere in the states where you could get a shot of a train and a ski run in the same frame.