Thoughts?

JMC · 05-13-2017, 02:15 PM

This was rejected for distracting shadows. I thought it was pretty neat overall. Should it go to the personal file, or do you guys have any thoughts on it?

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...16&key=6084112

KevinM · 05-13-2017, 02:40 PM

Hi Joe,

I put this one in the category of ABNQ (Almost, But Not Quite). Interesting light, interesting signals and probably an interesting train, but not enough of the train is lit, and even the lit portion has some mottled shadows. A substantial portion of the photo is just dark shadows. Also, the cut-off vehicles parked on the left are distracting.

I'd put it in the personal file.

troy12n · 05-13-2017, 03:21 PM

There's way too much wrong with this shot to consider it...

- Background is way out of focus
- The shadows
- the glare
- composition
- cropping
- what appears to be a parking lot with trucks

Joe the Photog · 05-13-2017, 09:10 PM

If by personal file you mean the recycle bin, yes, put it in the personal file. I know that sounds harsh, but then so is this photograph

JMC · 05-14-2017, 09:24 PM

I can always count on you guys. Thank you for the input.

Joseph Cermak · 05-15-2017, 06:49 PM

I agree with the almost but not quite sentiment. If there was more train in the light instead of shadow it could have a chance of working.

I think the "personal file recycle bin" comment was rather rude and uncalled for, just because the photo isn't RP destined doesn't mean it should be deleted.

KevinM · 05-15-2017, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph Cermak

I think the "personal file recycle bin" comment was rather rude and uncalled for, just because the photo isn't RP destined doesn't mean it should be deleted.

I think we all have images that we know will not have general appeal.....but for whatever personal reasons, we like them. As long as someone likes the image, there's no reason to throw it away. It is also true that as we get more experienced, our standards change, and often get much tighter. I have shots that I took 10 years ago that I thought were awesome....and today, those same images are nothing special. One thing that will always be true about photography.....it is all a matter of perspective...LOL!

bigbassloyd · 05-15-2017, 08:13 PM

I can't stomach to look at some of my older files. They were hot (to me) then, but aren't in the parking lot of the ballpark to my current stuff. At least I documented a lot of can't do it now stuff I guess..

Loyd L.

KevinM · 05-15-2017, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbassloyd

I can't stomach to look at some of my older files. They were hot (to me) then, but aren't in the parking lot of the ballpark to my current stuff. At least I documented a lot of can't do it now stuff I guess..

Loyd L.

Hey, look at all of the fuzzy B/Ws and sepias from the 1800s that we see in the history books. By today's standards, that stuff is crap.....but if the photographer back in the day hadn't taken that shot and his heirs hadn't preserved it, you and I would never know how things looked. I am personally fascinated by some of that old "crap."

Edit: Here's a great example of some history that could've been documented with photography.....and wasn't. Today, historians would give anything to view someone's crappy, fuzzy photos from the day....but there are none. On March 9th of 1862, two warships met in a 1-on-1 duel at Hampton Roads, VA....and in doing so, rendered all of the world's navies completely obsolete. That the battle itself was not captured is perfectly understandable. Yet there are no good photos of USS Monitor (only tight deck shots of the turret and her crew), and no photos at all of CSS Virginia. What an incredible shame that no photographer on either side recognized the significance of the two vessels at the time. Both were lost within 9 months. Only artifacts exist today.

Joe the Photog · 05-16-2017, 06:26 PM

Perhaps rude and maybe I could have worded it better. There are shots I take that I think are good, even really good, that I know won't get by RP screeners. These get shared on Flickr, Facebook or other sites. Then there are shots I take that I know just are not good. No one ever sees those shots. If the shot in the OP was mine, it would have been one that no one else saw.

This is not a comment on the photographer, just the one photograph he shared.

JMC · 05-18-2017, 02:28 AM

I have thick skin. I fully expected to get roasted

wds · 05-18-2017, 05:01 AM

Got distracting shadows issues? Get a drone! Apparently that makes it all good. Oh, and don't forget to crank the "lighten shadows" tool to the max.

Joe the Photog · 05-18-2017, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wds

Got distracting shadows issues? Get a drone! Apparently that makes it all good. Oh, and don't forget to crank the "lighten shadows" tool to the max.

Not sure that shot compares to the one the OP shared. I see the issues you mentioned, but the shadow is a lot less distracting there than in the NS shot. It's less train-centric, too. There's more to look at. There's also a (now) one of a kind locomotive in full view three back.

But, really, one shot getting on and whether it is worthy has nothing to do with another shot not getting on and whether it's worthy.