Jordy
Established Member
http://www.railforums.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=221
Votes in by 1900 next Sunday please
Cheers
Votes in by 1900 next Sunday please
Cheers
The colour's a bit odd on no.7, wouldn't ya say?
I'd like some of you to look closely at the entries and consider their qualities as a photograph, not the train featured or location. Of course, this is how it should always be considred, but I don't think that it is in every case.
There are a number of nice photos which are under exposed and one over exposed. This is a shame, because they all have godd other qualities. I'm not going to comment on every one, but I must mention a couple.
No. 7, a popular choice, is a great location and subject , but the image has a definite green cast and the colour is under-saturated. The cropping isn't right either. There is far too much wasted space on the left and not enough on the right.
No. 15 shows what the competition is about - a high quality photo. Examine this shot carefully. The composition is super, the cropping is spot on. Remember my previous comments on the "Rule of Thirds"? See where the train is positioned in the frame. See how there is just enough rail on view at the bottom. Note the framing by the OHLE gantry. the lighting is good, the shadows are not to strong. The overall exposure is exactly correct. The balance of the photo is precise, with the church on the right and the building on the extreme left. There is just enough sharpening. The colour is correct, having a slight blue bias, reflecting the white balance at the time.
No. 15 is an absolute textbook shot. I think I know who's work it is, but that's irrelevant. Look and learn people. None of the other photos in the comp (including my own) come anywhere near it for quality. If you vote for anything else, I believe you are not assessing the entries properly.
Sorry, if I offend anyone, but I'm trying to be constructive. Looking at the entries, it seems that most of the entrants have the potential to take really good photos. I'm trying to help you achieve this. I've been trying to improve my photography for nearly forty years and I know I've still got a lot to learn. But I do try to learn from others.
The reason I like POTW as it is is because anyone can enter, you don't have to spend hundreds on professional equipment, and you tend not to be up against serious competition. I like the 'amateur' nature of the current system, I think if we all had to judge on cropping / exposure etc and made sure that all our entries were absolutely perfect, interest would decrease sharply.
Everything I have said can/should be applied to every level of equipment from mobile phones to pro equipment.
I wouldn't want to turn this into a pro competition - Heaven forbid! If it turned out that way, I'm afraid I'd have no chance of winning. I'm merely trying to help people improve their photography. Not giant leaps, but simple steps to help you get your shot more attractive. One result of an improvement in technique is; The better the shot, the more likely you are to want to look at it again and again. If the shot is poor, regardless of whether it contains your favourite motive power, you are less likely to bother looking at it again.
You can download free programmes like Picasa to make simple improvements in exposure and cropping without much trouble or skill.
If anyone doesn't want me to pass on my thoughts then please say so. I'll then shut up.
By the way admin ..... the number of hits a photo has IMHO does influence the trend in future voting .... what do you think about hiding that info .... then its down to our comments and own choice ... not following the crowd like sheep etc etc ????
...just a thought ...!!
Can we have the number of views back please? I don't know how long Teaboy1 has been on here for but I've been entering this competition almost every week for the last 2 years so I think I should be listened to!