Composition: I like the lines that you've introduced here - they are solid and pleasing, with a generally good composition. The slight off-centered subject could easily be fixed by cropping the left more - or go for a completely off-centered composition (though I would suggest a slightly more exaggerated angle then).
Background: I agree with the other comments about the background. Either it needs to be more neutralized (even shallower DOF) or have more vibrance. The ties and other tracks in the near foreground are excellent and I would love to see them become more a part of the composition.
Camera Work: (Focus/DOF/Exposure): Good focus & DOF, I like your choice of a wide focus on the rails and the bold highlight on the right.
Post Processing: Contrast and color are good.
The Challenge: Very appropriate - you gave a wonderful example of rust and offered a context for it, choosing an interesting angle.
My Opinion: I love trains and tracks. The rail that you found is really wonderful - full of interesting lines and textures. I like the muted, sepia feel of the colors and think that you could have gone full tilt in that direction with your post processing, it would have likely helped with the background issues.
I see that this was your first entry, you scored at the halfway mark, which is admirable. I hope you continue submitting and I look forward to seeing your work from the next challenge.
I hope these comments have been of help to you. Please mark them as helpful if they have, and feel free to PM me if you want to discuss or clarify anything here.
Too bad the background isn't a bit more interesting. I think this has a lot of potential as a photograph. If only the background were able to be worked with. Firstly, I think that a colored sky would have helped emencely. secondly, maybe if there were leaves on the trees in the back. next, I would pull the weeds that are sticking up into the sky. they are creating vertical lines that don't contrast well with the lines of your tracks. focus and clarity look to be alright. maybe even some DOF could blurr out the background, so it's not so noticable? ~Heather~
this is a good shot, but there was potential to be really great. it needs to be centered, by better cropping, there is either too much on left or not enough on right. I think also the top should be cropped down to the bottom of the train in the distance.
Composition: Subject Placement, Cropping, Background 7
Technical: Focus, Exposure, Lighting, Processing 9
Appeal: Is it Interesting, Motivating, Etc.? 6
How well does it meet the challenge: 10
Total Averaged Rating 8.00 Dick
cool idea, but marred by a couple of technical details: the frog (the real name of that wedge thing in the middle) isn't centered -- cropping in photoshop would have been totally appropriate; the sky is almost completely blown out as is the rail on the right; and I might suggest a little more saturation in Pshop as some was lost due to the over-exposure. A potentially very nice shot.
I like seeing the world from the dog's point of view. Thanks for lying down on the job. The train, builidings, telephone poles all add to locating this switch. Although it is near overexposure on the right, I feel the overall picture is a little too muted.
Nice shot. A bit off center. A nice blue sky would have been nice buy what can you do about that. I think I would have cropped it at the sky line. The lines from the tracks carry your eye to the horizon but there really isn't any thing there on interest and its blurry from the shallow DOF. You can kind of see what it would have looked like my scrolling the top part of the photo off the screen.
If you didn't want to center it maybe a more exaggerated offset to the upper right corner would have been good too. I'm not sure centering it would have been quite right because the tracks aren't really symmetrical.
Composition: Subject Placement, Cropping, Background 5
Technical: Focus, Exposure, Lighting, Processing 5
Appeal: Is it Interesting, Motivating, Etc. 5
How well does it meet the challenge: 7
Total Averaged Rating(Rounded) 6
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