The RailPictures.Net Challenge

[Lenny53]

The first shot is just some colour tweaking and the exposure knocked back in Photoshop.



Using the shot above I utilized a Photoshop plug-in that simulates a ND filter to try to tone down the sky and bring out the water tower a little bit more.

[davefoxx]

Tried to send this one.  Bad cropping?

As Lenny pointed out, the fence post at right, but also the cropped cars at left.  If these were removed, and you zoomed in on the train just a little further, now you're getting there.

By the way, great job on the "multi-foaming" shot: Amtrak, the Metro, and an airplane.  Nice shot, easily recognized as Alexandria, Virginia.

[davefoxx]

The first shot is just some colour tweaking and the exposure knocked back in Photoshop.



Using the shot above I utilized a Photoshop plug-in that simulates a ND filter to try to tone down the sky and bring out the water tower a little bit more.

Lenny,

What a difference!  That looks so much better.  I like the way the color has been brought out.  Check out how well the corner handrails pop out on an otherwise bland locomotive.

Thanks,
Dave

[wm3798]

There are some really nice pictures on that site, but honestly, I think it's just a little too clubby.  I bet I could spend about 10 minutes on there and find a dozen shots that are worse than any of the examples you guys posted.  I suspect you have to be spot on perfect for the first few, then after that it's name recognition.

It makes me want to clog up their server with some of my worst crap just to bog them down...  And believe me, I've got a LOT of crap!



Oh yeah... They won't have time to write about all the things wrong with that one!

Lee

[davefoxx]

It makes me want to clog up their server with some of my worst crap just to bog them down...  And believe me, I've got a LOT of crap!

HAHAHAHA!  I actually came across a campaign on the internet the other day where a guy wants to do just that.  He's got a personal vendetta out now.  Probably why they only let you submit two photos per day.

DFF

[Ed Kapuscinski]

If you really wanted to mess with them, you could make those two submitted photos really count...

"Just remember, things that have been seen, cannot be unseen..." - Goatman

[DKS]

As Lenny pointed out, the fence post at right, but also the cropped cars at left.  If these were removed, and you zoomed in on the train just a little further, now you're getting there.

Not to pick nits, but the photo is also tilted a bit. I took the liberty of creating an example edit: rotated, cropped, and gamma adjusted to get the sunshine to pop just a bit more. Obviously this would have to be done on the full-res image, as this was zoomed back up to the original proportions.
 

[wm3798]

It still fails.  The airplane in the sky is distracting.  Oh, and it's Bob's picture... ;D

[Bob Bufkin]

I understand them wanting the best they can get but as someone said "the are a little bit to clubby". You see the same people submissions alot.  Some day they will get one of mine posted.  Don't consider myself an expert photographer but I have fun trying.  I've tried to post some of my older stuff to them realizing that over time the photographs may fade, etc.  Figured that since they were old and featured things you don't find nowadays they would have a better chance  but was I wrong. 

[lock4244]

Dave, the Nude Southerns are going to get dinged for 'Cloudy/Common Power' or 'Foreground Obstruction'... i.e. the wire cutting across the power. They hate stuff like that. The Amtrak is way too blurry to get in. I think the CSX shot is the best bet... it's perfectly light, beautifully composed, and the fall colours are fantastic. I would work on that one.

RP = Really Picky

[cv_acr]

The CSX shot also isn't quite level. There's a definate tilt to the whole thing. Rotate about 1deg to the right to get the lead unit vertical and re-crop.

[davefoxx]

The CSX shot also isn't quite level. There's a definate tilt to the whole thing. Rotate about 1deg to the right to get the lead unit vertical and re-crop.

Chris,

That's superelevation that you're seeing in that shot, although it's not nearly as severe as the superelevation in the NS picture.  Despite my neophyte talents in photography, the shot is actually fairly level.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Question: Does RailPictures want unmodified pictures, or can you take another whack at resubmitting photos after rejection and a bout with PhotoShop?

DFF

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You can definitely resub. Sometimes they even suggest it.

[lock4244]

Chris,

That's superelevation that you're seeing in that shot, although it's not nearly as severe as the superelevation in the NS picture.  Despite my neophyte talents in photography, the shot is actually fairly level.

DFF

I'm not saying you shot is unlevel, but sometimes level shots get dinged because objects in the shot other than the train create a sense that the train is unlevel. You actually have to make some shots unlevel in order to look level 

I would hardly describe your talents as neophyte  ;D IMO, most don't get the concept of composition... you clearly do. That CSX shot, while being the typical 'eastern wedge' that we in the east are all plauged with, is excellent and with proper editing would likely get in. The ability to take a nice, well composed, well lit shot is part of the art... post processing is a whole other skillset one must develop (pun intended).

My accepted RP shots do not look like that when they come out of the camera!