This photo was created from 6 captures shot at night. I hoped to creat some mysterious atmosphere and represent the metal texture of the trains. In my imagimation, it would be better if there were some fog and one or two passengers walking or standing on left side. And it may be more dramatic if these images were captured by a wide-angle lens with elevation angle, but I had no wide-angle lens to try it.(sigh)
generated HDR by Phtomatix, edited with levels, hue/saturation, shadow/highlight, selective color, and Topaz filter
Statistics
Place: 20 out of 155 Avg (all users): 6.5678 Avg (commenters): 8.1818 Avg (participants): 6.3294 Avg (non-participants): 6.7456 Views since voting: 2850 Views during voting: 450 Votes: 199 Comments: 17 Favorites: 3 (view)
Very nice composition (no pun intended...). Intriguing that no people is shown (even the conductor).
In my imagimation, it would be better if there were some fog and one or two passengers walking or standing on left side. But there is some different mood that no people is shown.
The rear of the train seems to be the focus point of the image, and it is falling dead center in the frame. I'm also struggling with the lighting, and it may be that a selective desaturation was used in this image, but I'm not sure. The yellow cast behind the train just looks and feels strange to me when there is no other light with that tone in the scene.
Thanks for the critique!
For composition, I had the same concern as you. So I tried to crop
the left side. However, it looked boring without the left train and the ground, so I kept the left side finally.
I changed the color by using selective color to make it looks more "industrial". And the yellow cast front the train(this is the front of the train) was red before adjusting. My wife suggested me changing it to other color, and I found it looked more mysterious in yellow. There are at least three different color lights from different direction. The lighting was indeed strange(and mysterious to me) so that I wanted to take photos in this station.^^
HDR is a subject that I'm not overly impressed with in the long run. MOST (but not all) of the HDR images I have seen simply don't look natural to me and they have a look of being over processed. I believe that the simple nature of these tools convince a lot of photographers that there is some overpowering need to make the photo have a processed rather than a natural appearance. My personal interests in photography are for a more natural appearance. I personally tend to not like a photograph when its main theme has become a processing technique rather than the normal elements of subject and composition.
That being said, your photograph scored rather well in this challenge with a score of 6.56. As I look at your image (and set aside the elements of HDR), I find myself looking around the scene trying to determine what part of it you found to be the most intriguing and what it is you wanted me, as the viewer, to see in this scene. The rear of the train seems to be the focus point of the image, and it is falling dead center in the frame. I'm also struggling with the lighting, and it may be that a selective desaturation was used in this image, but I'm not sure. The yellow cast behind the train just looks and feels strange to me when there is no other light with that tone in the scene.
I really do feel unqualified to offer reasonable critique on this image since I simply do not like the whole HDR concept for the most part...
One my favorites so far. The details and the DOF are great, so as the colors, composition and use of light. This shot has a misterious mood, it's really great.
I like the really metallic feel that the top half of the image has,which then blends down in to the yellowish lighting that is shining across the track, the two red lights on the rear of the train are a nice central focal point which leads your eyes down the track.
The only slight issue, what's the black spot on the light of the train on the left?
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
