Morant’s Curve is a bend in the railway that runs between Banff and Lake Louise, right through Banff National Park. My husband and I were camping at Lake Louise this past September and thought it would be fun to photograph this dramatic curve as a train passed through the area. We were hoping for a westbound train as the engine came into view from the right, but after standing out in the late afternoon cold, we decided we would settle for any train that passed through. The timing is unpredictable because the trains are mostly freight trains and not scheduled passenger trains so direction is left to chance. I took several images at higher shutter speed, but much preferred the elongated blur of the train as it traversed the curves.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
I’m mostly concerned that the entire image is just too dark and gloomy.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
All comments are noted and appreciated.
Any pertinent technical details:
5 D Mark III, f 22, 40 mm, iso 125, 1.0 sec, tripod
Hi Paula,
I believe you did not upload the image? I am not seeing it.
My bad! First time using the new format, I’m trying to get up to speed 
Great view of the train zipping through, good feeling of the motion. I might try to get a little more contrast out of the sky and maybe the mountains as well, but a very enjoyable first post at the new NPN. Yep, there is a bit of a learning curve. I have done the same thing!
Paula, welcome. Love the sleek motion and gentle curve of the train cruising through Rockies. Can’t get a better example of the classic S-curve.
The large view opens up nicely and I would agree a bit with Harley’s suggestions. I like the contrast in the clouds, but to me the peaks look a little dark, almost as if you had used a graduated ND. Also, on the flip side, I would consider burning down, lowering the exposure of the river. It being so bright doesn’t quite align with the darkness of the mountain peaks. I would consider these tweaks and not major issues.
Would be interested in the color version. B&W works, but curious in the choice.
Lon
I agree with Lon’s comments, Paula; especially the river. You might try boosting the mid tones in the sky, The brights and darks look pretty good, but a mid tone boost would be nice. I love the curve of the railway.
-P
Lon, I preferred the implied movement of the train in the b & w that to me suggested continuous movement rather than the distracting segmented line of the train in the color image.
Preston, thanks for your input! I think I overworked the mid-tone suggestion but perhaps did a better job in toning down the water.
Love that s-curve train and the comp is outstanding IMO. However, some of the textures and elements in the scene aren’t well delineated. I did some burning and dodging and selective masking of curves and levels adjustments to and try to add more texture to the large light and dark spaces. I’m sure your original capture has plenty of detail that would allow you to do this better. Oh, and I cleaned the dust spots out of the sky. That should be one of early steps in processing 
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Thank you so much, Tony, for taking the time to work on my image. Comparing my original with your adjustments, I can see a world of difference in capturing detail especially in the trees. Did you use Lightroom or Photoshop to process your adjustments? Lesson learned on the dust spots, I know better!
I worked on it in PS. I prefer the way layers, masks, and selections can be used to more precisely adjust certain parts of the image.
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