Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
Mike - I'll add you on AIM, but I hardly go on. MSN is better!
From what I remember, some things you need to do are get better lighting (Try to keep the sun behind you, and sunny days are best) try to include a fair amount of the train (If it's on a straightaway or gentle curve,try to keep it in the viewfinder until the rest of the train is hidden by the scenery) Also, try not to leave too much dead space in front of or around the train.
That being said, scenic shots beat wedgies every time. If you can, get an angle from higher up showing the train going around a curve or something. Shoot where there are trees, not buildings.
The rest is up to you! And practice makes perfect!
P.S. - Long weekend! W00t!
Go here for my rail shots! http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=9296
Building the CPR Kootenay division in N scale, blog here: http://kootenaymodelrailway.wordpress.com/
Well here are my latest, enjoy. Matt-MSN doesnt work on my PC just AIM, how do these look?
And my favorite from before,
All of these aren't edited, I have edited that but these are the original ones, and have not been colored, brightened, and sharpened. Mike
Mike, One thing I notice on some of the NS locomotive shots is that you left the flash on. For the most part in outdoor photography, you should always have the flash off. Otherwise it produces that odd glow to the reflective striping, and it makes pretty much zilch difference in the lighting of the photo.
The rules Matt mentioned are very good ones to keep in mind. About the only bone I'd pick with them is that there are some times when buildings make a better background than trees, if they can be composed well and don't overpower the scene.
Composition can often make or break a photo. Of course some situations call for breaking the rules, but for the most part you want the train to be the dominate thing in the photo, but yet not to over power the picture either (this is something I often forget and I go about cropping the photo too close to the engine). In the first two shots with the Wheeling and Lake Erie, it would have been better had you let the train come closer to the camera and then, as Matt mentioned, made sure not to cut the train off at the edge of the frame. The rule of thirds is often mentioned, and can be a good rule to follow. Rather than having me explain it poorly, check out the Wikipedia article on it. Of course I know in that location where you were there was that darn overpass shadow that gets in the way, but if there is something that big getting in the way often it can be wise to choose a better location or use a little zoom to shoot the train before it reaches the shadow.
You definitely have a good start though. Learning how to take consistently good photographs can take time, or at least I know it has for me. I think I've come a long way since my first attempts at photos, but I still have a long way to go and a lot more to learn myself. Like I said, you've got a good start all right, and just remember to keep with it.
Noah
I'll go over them one by one, because there are so many of them....
Not bad, but I would have gotten a little tighter around the car.
Don't even bother with this one....train's too far away to make a good shot.
Close to the money wedge, but too much dead space on the right. Like Noah said, let the train get closer. Also, I'd move forward a little bit to get rid of the shadow if possible.
I would also have cropped this one tighter around the cab, personally.
Doesn't work - The switchmen are obscured by the shadow, so the picture isn't interesting - Again, get away from that shadow!
Too much dead space on the right, the left side is good, but let the train come closer.
A good roster shot, if it wasn't for the shadow. I'd reccomend reserving this angle for interesting units.
I like this one, but it needs more of a point of focus. I feel like I should be seeing either more or less
Mostly good, but a bit tipped.
This applies to the other three similar shots (Try not to post shots that are too similar)
The angle is great, but the sidelight detracts from the photo a bit. I know that it can't be helped in this situation, so just pay attention to the rest of the sentance. Get a little more train in! None of these photos have enough train behind the loco. Also, like Noah said, don't use flash in daylight. I say as a personal preference, unless you've got a bunch of strobe floods, don't use flash at all - ever. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but I don't think that you'll be at those stages anytime soon.
Good angle, but the flash and guardrail are distracting.
Needs to be tighter.
Good, but there are too many distractions - Guardrail, wires, pole.
This one's the closest one to the money shot of the four that are similar - Try to combine that cropping with the angle of the first one.
Too much dead space on the right
Too much dead space, even for a roster shot
Too much dead space and the train's cut off too soon.
This one is good, although you probably should have included more train, and if your camera allows it, zoom in a little to make the Wabash unit larger.
Probably should have let the engine come a bit further on this one - Too much dead space, but a neat angle. Probably also should have gone away from the overpass, as it doesn't make a good background.
One last thing - Try to keep your shots a little more level!
NSlover92 wrote:Thanks for the tips guys, I will get it soon I hope. Also I am going to get a new camera, right now I have my mom's that is ok for family photos but not railfanning with only 5mega pixels. I am saving up for the Cannon Rebel XTi. I love that camera 11 mega pixels too. Mike
I've got an XTi, and it's a pretty good camera. The larger screen is nice and the ergonomics of the camera is about right. Everything is easily with in reach of a finger while it's up to your eye in case you have to adjust things on the fly. Just remember to get a good lens to go with it, and be sure to take the time to read the manual and learn all the function of the camera. The most expensive camera in the world will do you very little good if you can't get much out of it (and I've learned that one from experience too)...
Noah Hofrichter wrote: NSlover92 wrote:Thanks for the tips guys, I will get it soon I hope. Also I am going to get a new camera, right now I have my mom's that is ok for family photos but not railfanning with only 5mega pixels. I am saving up for the Cannon Rebel XTi. I love that camera 11 mega pixels too. MikeI've got an XTi, and it's a pretty good camera. The larger screen is nice and the ergonomics of the camera is about right. Everything is easily with in reach of a finger while it's up to your eye in case you have to adjust things on the fly. Just remember to get a good lens to go with it, and be sure to take the time to read the manual and learn all the function of the camera. The most expensive camera in the world will do you very little good if you can't get much out of it (and I've learned that one from experience too)...Noah
Yeah I will take the time to read it...expeciallyafter paying the money for it? Where is the cheapest place to get one? Cause wal-mart is expensive. Mike