The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This train bridge is a subject that I’ve spent time exploring last year. I’ve always thought it had potential and I’ve never seen it photographed anywhere. Originally I wanted to shoot this from the other direction (and I might still try that) but I wasn’t sure about the composition from there so last autumn I hiked here to try out this spot looking the other way.
The problem with this spot is that the mountain on the right is at the very edge of the mountains, on the east side, and it’s not particularly tall so the light on it at sunset isn’t the best.
Maybe sunrise would be better, but to get here I had to hike through a campground and I don’t think people camping there would appreciate me walking through their campsite especially when it’s still dark outside. There may be one other access point that I want to investigate once the snow melts come spring - it’s a long walk and I think my car would get stuck in the snow.
Specific Feedback
I shot this as the sun was going down but it was still pretty bright out and I’m not sure how the light on the mountain and the overall ambient light work together. What do you think?
Also, does anything else with regards to processing or composition stand out in a bad way?
Technical Details
Equipment: Canon 5DIV with a 24mm TS-E lens. Tripod. Polarizer.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
Emotional Impact and Mood:
Composition:
Balance and Visual Weight:
Depth and Dimension:
Color:
Lighting:
Processing:
Technical:
Tom: Do you mind disclosing this location? As an avowed train lover since infancy this automatically ranks high on my list. The light on the mountain looks pretty darn good to me and your processing of the clouds looks spot on. Were these locomotives running light? I assume this is CP although if so the color on the engines doesn’t quite jive with what I remember. Looks more like BNSF. Having the locomotives on the bridge makes this much more interesting to me than if the bridge was empty. Good timing, great result..>=))>
It is a quite good picture, for sure.
Maybe, just maybe, did you try to emphesize the sunset a bit more? I mean, to darken the mountains a bit and keep the sunny spots? Just an idea…
Bill, no, I don’t mind sharing the location here on NPN because I believe all members respect nature and would not do anything to damage locations of jeopardize them in any way.
Yes, these are CP locomotives, and it was a very short train – just a couple of engines and a couple of snowplows. In the raw file the train was a bit too dark, so I dodged it a bit and now looking at it, it looks like the lightening changed the colour to more of an orange. I’ll go back and correct that. So yes, you’re right and they should be more red.
Ralf, I did try that but only briefly. Darkening the mountains made the blacks too dark and I didn’t like that. I will however give it another go and maybe decrease the contrast so that the scene is a bit darker overall but not too black at the same time.
Hi Tom,
The light looks just fine to me and the timing couldn’t have been any better with catching the train on the bridge. Having the locomotives there makes the bridge so much more interesting IMO. The clouds look great to me as well. The only suggestion I have is to reduce the cyan just a little in the section of sky along the top edge between the clouds. Very nicely done. Good luck with your investigation.
I’ve uploaded version 2 of the image where I fixed the colour of the train, the sky, and tried to make the image a bit darker overall. Hopefully it’s a bit better/nicer now.
Tom, this is a fine looking scene. You’ve got a good sense of depth from the shore rocks, train on the bridge and sun grazed peak. I do like the sky improvement. While the engine colors may be more realistic in the repost, I do enjoy the color gradient with similar intensity from rocks to engine to peak in the original, a bit of dodging on the engines in the repost might fix that.
