Astetic Quality -- Help?

RR503 · 02-13-2017, 03:06 AM

This got rejected. Any suggestions for the future? (Be blunt, I don't mind, but be constructive)

Thanks in advance!!

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...42&key=6075360

JRMDC · 02-13-2017, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RR503

This got rejected. Any suggestions for the future?]

Well, you already are following the best suggestion, shoot for yourself, not for RP!

RP just doesn't go for this sort of thing.

I have a few more general comments. First, the people, there is lots of red - is that some sort of a group? Or was it just something random that they all ended up wearing the same color of clothing? It's not wrong by any means. But I would like to see some sort of explanation in the caption.

Second, you are sort of mixing things here. The dominant element is the people, of course. But you have also chosen to get low and do a bit of an "up" angel, which introduces additional distortion of a sort and I find it a bit distracting. Toward that end, the angle also makes the track bumper look larger, which isn't a good thing in this case. And you end up cropping pretty tight on the lower left. In general, a bit less roof, more floor.

RR503 · 02-13-2017, 06:54 AM

Thanks so much! I've noticed that they don't like these more abstract photos too, but as I've got a few in, I thought it was worth a try.

As far as the angle goes (I don't remember why there were so many people dressed the same way, sorry!) it was more out of necessity than anything else -- I didn't want to block the platform.

Thanks for the advice on the cropping, I'm learning editing stuff like that right now, so that kind of advice is really really helpful!

Thanks again!!!

RobJor · 02-13-2017, 10:55 AM

I think people doing this type of street photography take LOTS of shots to try to get one that captures the movement well, not sure how many you tried. Yours might be a little long on the time exposure and too many people creating a blur mess. I don't think the loose legs in the front help.

Bob

miningcamper1 · 02-13-2017, 06:32 PM

You could remove the red just on the people side, although that still might not get it on here. Maybe adjust highlights and shadows as well.

RR503 · 02-14-2017, 01:10 AM

I'll try that, thanks!
So I took your suggestions, and I tried submitting one with less up angle, and a shorter exposure. It also got rejected, but here's the interesting part, for being too dark! Is the too dark one next to PAQ? ; )

Anyway, here it is
http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...06&key=6150851

RobJor · 02-14-2017, 01:15 AM

PhotoID: 606539
Photograph © raylewis

See they do go for those types but I am still wondering what the blurry thingy in the foreground is. There are discernable people with motion blur Seems like n OK street scene.
Bob

John West · 02-14-2017, 02:18 AM

...how little I know. I would have rejected all of them as being a bit to artsy for RP, but I would have accepted RR503's second effort long before I would have accepted Ray's Reno shot, even though I am usually a big fan of Ray's pix. At least in RR503's shots there is a recognizable train. Ray image is fairly nice artistically, but I am having real troubling figuring out where the train part of the image is even though I know where the tracks are.

jac_murphy · 02-14-2017, 02:28 AM

Heh. I had a similar photo rejected a while back for being too dark, though I didn't bother contesting it:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/one-tr...nd/21253651065

-Jacques

RR503 · 02-14-2017, 03:13 PM

I did a bit of tweaking on the 2nd, and got it in.

Thanks!!!

JRMDC · 02-14-2017, 05:59 PM

Cool, nice to see RP accept one like this. It helped you a lot that the people were better defined.

PhotoID: 606677
Photograph © RR503

RR503 · 03-03-2017, 12:58 AM

Ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions?

http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...60&key=8583495

spacetrain1983 · 03-03-2017, 03:20 AM

It's not entirely obvious that the blurred light is a train without reading the caption. If someone just sees the photo and doesn't know much about trains, they'll think cars, not trains.

RR503 · 03-03-2017, 12:24 PM

Ah, I see.
Thanks!!

RobJor · 03-03-2017, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RR503

Ah, I see.
Thanks!!

I see some of your others and you already have that location daytime and also others with different time exposures.

With ISO 100 and F13 you have lots of room to experiment with different time exposures for effect. Don't know if you tried others and what the result was but seems there would be plenty of opportunity to experiment to better convey the sense of train.

Bob

Joe the Photog · 03-04-2017, 04:45 AM

When I shot blur shots, I liked the light to go all the way out of frame in most cases. Not a fan of the in frame blur. Others have addressed the more pressing concerns though

baggydave · 03-22-2017, 12:20 AM

Hi everyone, just to let you know that I am still around and still getting rejected. I am coming over to the States in May and will be coming in from Sault Ste Marie. Any suggestions for good railfanning places? Dave
http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...15&key=6389349

MassArt Images · 03-22-2017, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baggydave

Hi everyone, just to let you know that I am still around and still getting rejected. I am coming over to the States in May and will be coming in from Sault Ste Marie. Any suggestions for good railfanning places? Dave
http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...15&key=6389349

You just have the wrong name.

I am glad Mike said there was a train in the shot.

PhotoID: 610784
Photograph © Mike Danneman

RobJor · 03-23-2017, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baggydave

Hi everyone, just to let you know that I am still around and still getting rejected. I am coming over to the States in May and will be coming in from Sault Ste Marie. Any suggestions for good railfanning places? Dave
http://www.railpictures.net/viewreje...15&key=6389349

Like it a lot, B/W, classic weather, lots of great elements. Good you keep trying instead of succumbing to......

Suggestions - probably help to know if prefer to head south and east across the straits or west across the Upper Peninsula and time/distance you can do, where you are returning from.

Bob Jordan

baggydave · 03-23-2017, 12:22 PM

Bob
I will be around for two weeks middle of May. Last time I did this I went from the Soo to Fargo in North Dakota and back again. Followed Highway 2 for most of the trip and found that nothing ran on that line whilst I was driving. Most frustrating. Went to Duluth for that shot of the yard and it was empty. Would like to have a fortnight taking many pictures if that is at all possible.

KevinM · 03-23-2017, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baggydave

Bob
Would like to have a fortnight taking many pictures if that is at all possible.

Dave, could you refresh all of our memories? How long is a "fortnight?"

I once heard a guy propose measure speed in "furlongs per fortnight"

baggydave · 03-23-2017, 03:51 PM

Sorry I forget that using that word causes great consternation in North America. By a fortnight I mean two weeks.

RobJor · 03-23-2017, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baggydave

Sorry I forget that using that word causes great consternation in North America. By a fortnight I mean two weeks.

Well I'll get even and refer to the residents of Upper Peninsula of Michigan as Yoopers and suggest you try a Pasty for lunch.

Bob

baggydave · 03-23-2017, 04:40 PM

EH???? Now you have lost me

Decapod401 · 03-23-2017, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobJor

Well I'll get even and refer to the residents of Upper Peninsula of Michigan as Yoopers and suggest you try a Pasty for lunch.

Bob

I doubt that the term "pasty" will consternate a resident of the U.K., since a pastie is a Cornish/Welsh food. Yoopers seem to think that the only place to get them is the UP, and one that I once worked with insisted that it had to have rutabagas in it to be a real pastie. Not so by a long shot, and there is a business in my home town that sells them commercially:

https://www.mrpastie.com/

Doug