Travel Alaska Railroad

Snowgen · 10-18-2012, 08:41 PM

This is my first image for the forums. I tried this shot about 7 times, and this is the one I decided on. It was taken from the space between cars, a few cars back.

snappychappy · 10-18-2012, 11:44 PM

And a very nice first image it is, love the contrast in colors here. The yellow really pops against the green o the trees. The Tamron is a much undervalued lens.

Snowgen · 10-19-2012, 06:35 AM

Thanks for the kind comments, snappychappy!

To critique my own photo:

I am overall very pleased with it, but to there seems to be a (noise?) pattern in the greenery. Does anyone else see it? What causes it? It was kind of dark, so I had to boost the ISO to 400, which is something I almost never do on the *ist DL.

Anyway, I am tempted to apply a blur to the background to see if that would get rid of it.

Colbyt · 10-19-2012, 12:11 PM

Considering how rough that rail bed is you should be pleased with the image; shake reduction wasn't meant to deal with the Alaskan railway.

Snowgen · 10-19-2012, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Considering how rough that rail bed is you should be pleased with the image; shake reduction wasn't meant to deal with the Alaskan railway.

Heh. Thanks, Colbyt. It's even better when you consider that neither the *ist DL nor the Tamron that I used have shake reduction!

Alliecat · 10-19-2012, 11:03 PM

Like it. As mentioned, nice colour.
I see what you mean, I think, about the pattern in the greenery. Not sure if I'd have noticed it if you hadn't mentioned though, since I read the comments before resizing my screen to get a proper look at it. Do you mean the area that looks like you're looking through some textured glass? It doesn't seem to be present in the corner right at the track in front of the engine, where the pink flowers are. I also see a wee ripple on the rail at the far left. You might try a blur but then, you don't want it to look like you did.
Only thing that comes to mind is, where's the exhaust on this engine? Engines create a lot of heat... Were you shooting through a cloud of hot air, or -- yes, I know it's Alaska, but could there have been some heat-shimmer ahead of you that showed up with the telephoto?
And -- welcome to Pentax forums

VTerlakyPhoto · 10-20-2012, 07:33 AM

I also like the strong colours in this one! The noise could also come from too much sharpening, JPEG compression and other sources... In this case there is also some noise in the blacks on the engine, so it may be due to the relatively high ISO (I'm not sure how the *ist DL handles ISO400, so can't really be sure, but older models weren't too great with high ISO). As for the picture itself, aside from the strong colour you have the beginnings of a strong leading line with the tracks, but there isn't enough to really be a strong line. I think I would've liked to see a wider view - include the wheels and track underneath the engine, and also more space on the left to include more tracks - that would really make a strong leading line and a much stronger image IMHO.

adelorenzo · 10-22-2012, 03:56 PM

Did you crop this? It feels really tight, basically if you look at this image there is a green square on the left and a yellow square on the right. A taller crop or even shooting from a lower angle would give you a bit more room around the locomotive and possibly a more interesting composition. Give that yellow square some more framing.

Getting super low to capture the wheels and the tracks more would also be really cool.

**Ex Finn.** · 10-25-2012, 04:58 PM

Great colors, it is hard to criticize an output from a Pentax CCD. And kudos go to the shooter also

. Really cool would have been if it was shot from 8 or so cars back, showing more of the train.

K-9 · 10-27-2012, 06:06 PM

There's just not enough of the train, and it's a poor composition, with a split down the middle of the yellow subject on the right, and the left half is just green foliage.

For a train shot, it's taken at a very awkward and unflattering angle.

Colbyt · 10-27-2012, 06:58 PM

It may not be an award winning photo but it is a wonderful memento of his trip on the worst damn train in the US.

Don't let them scare you off. Many of us will never achieve the "perfect photo".

Snowgen · 11-06-2012, 09:11 AM

Sorry I've been silent--I was "in the field" for a bit, but I'm back now.

I just wanted to say thanks for all the feedback, both positive and negative. The positive is good to point out what I'm doing right, and the negative is just as important, so that I can improve in the future. I also would like to point out that, in my mind, this is not a train shot. Sure there's a train in it, but the subject it actually the travelling... the essence of being a tourist in Alaska.

Again, thanks for the critique! Expect to see more in the future!

Stevizzy · 11-10-2012, 08:06 AM

It's a nice picture that I'd be proud of. It's plain to see how rough those rails are so the fact that the train is actually in good focus is amazing. Nice job!

10-18-2012, 08:41 PM	#1
Snowgen New Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Rochester, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 13	Alaska Railroad Lens: Tamron AF70-300mm F4-5.6 LD Macro Camera: PENTAX ist DL Photo Location:* Somewhere between Anchorage and Seward, Alaska ISO: 400 Shutter Speed: 1/60s Aperture: F5.6 This is my first image for the forums. I tried this shot about 7 times, and this is the one I decided on. It was taken from the space between cars, a few cars back.

10-25-2012, 04:58 PM	#9
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	Great colors, it is hard to criticize an output from a Pentax CCD. And kudos go to the shooter also. Really cool would have been if it was shot from 8 or so cars back, showing more of the train. Last edited by Ex Finn.; 10-25-2012 at 05:04 PM.

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10-18-2012, 11:44 PM	#2
snappychappy Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Leeds Posts: 1,636	And a very nice first image it is, love the contrast in colors here. The yellow really pops against the green o the trees. The Tamron is a much undervalued lens.

10-19-2012, 06:35 AM	#3
Snowgen New Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Rochester, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 13 Original Poster	Thanks for the kind comments, snappychappy! To critique my own photo: I am overall very pleased with it, but to there seems to be a (noise?) pattern in the greenery. Does anyone else see it? What causes it? It was kind of dark, so I had to boost the ISO to 400, which is something I almost never do on the *ist DL. Anyway, I am tempted to apply a blur to the background to see if that would get rid of it.

10-19-2012, 12:11 PM	#4
Colbyt Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Central Kentucky Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,417	Considering how rough that rail bed is you should be pleased with the image; shake reduction wasn't meant to deal with the Alaskan railway.

10-19-2012, 12:29 PM	#5
Snowgen New Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Rochester, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 13 Original Poster	Quote: Considering how rough that rail bed is you should be pleased with the image; shake reduction wasn't meant to deal with the Alaskan railway. Heh. Thanks, Colbyt. It's even better when you consider that neither the *ist DL nor the Tamron that I used have shake reduction!

10-19-2012, 11:03 PM	#6
Alliecat Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: East of Everywhere, Canada Posts: 740	Like it. As mentioned, nice colour. I see what you mean, I think, about the pattern in the greenery. Not sure if I'd have noticed it if you hadn't mentioned though, since I read the comments before resizing my screen to get a proper look at it. Do you mean the area that looks like you're looking through some textured glass? It doesn't seem to be present in the corner right at the track in front of the engine, where the pink flowers are. I also see a wee ripple on the rail at the far left. You might try a blur but then, you don't want it to look like you did. Only thing that comes to mind is, where's the exhaust on this engine? Engines create a lot of heat... Were you shooting through a cloud of hot air, or -- yes, I know it's Alaska, but could there have been some heat-shimmer ahead of you that showed up with the telephoto? And -- welcome to Pentax forums

10-20-2012, 07:33 AM	#7
VTerlakyPhoto Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Photos: Gallery Posts: 107	I also like the strong colours in this one! The noise could also come from too much sharpening, JPEG compression and other sources... In this case there is also some noise in the blacks on the engine, so it may be due to the relatively high ISO (I'm not sure how the *ist DL handles ISO400, so can't really be sure, but older models weren't too great with high ISO). As for the picture itself, aside from the strong colour you have the beginnings of a strong leading line with the tracks, but there isn't enough to really be a strong line. I think I would've liked to see a wider view - include the wheels and track underneath the engine, and also more space on the left to include more tracks - that would really make a strong leading line and a much stronger image IMHO.

10-22-2012, 03:56 PM	#8
adelorenzo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Whitehorse, Yukon Posts: 171	Did you crop this? It feels really tight, basically if you look at this image there is a green square on the left and a yellow square on the right. A taller crop or even shooting from a lower angle would give you a bit more room around the locomotive and possibly a more interesting composition. Give that yellow square some more framing. Getting super low to capture the wheels and the tracks more would also be really cool.

10-27-2012, 06:06 PM	#10
K-9 Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: USA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,971	There's just not enough of the train, and it's a poor composition, with a split down the middle of the yellow subject on the right, and the left half is just green foliage. For a train shot, it's taken at a very awkward and unflattering angle.

10-27-2012, 06:58 PM	#11
Colbyt Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Central Kentucky Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,417	It may not be an award winning photo but it is a wonderful memento of his trip on the worst damn train in the US. Don't let them scare you off. Many of us will never achieve the "perfect photo".

11-06-2012, 09:11 AM	#12
Snowgen New Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Rochester, NY Photos: Albums Posts: 13 Original Poster	Sorry I've been silent--I was "in the field" for a bit, but I'm back now. I just wanted to say thanks for all the feedback, both positive and negative. The positive is good to point out what I'm doing right, and the negative is just as important, so that I can improve in the future. I also would like to point out that, in my mind, this is not a train shot. Sure there's a train in it, but the subject it actually the travelling... the essence of being a tourist in Alaska. Again, thanks for the critique! Expect to see more in the future!

11-10-2012, 08:06 AM	#13
Stevizzy Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 132	It's a nice picture that I'd be proud of. It's plain to see how rough those rails are so the fact that the train is actually in good focus is amazing. Nice job!