Railway

[jaydubyasee]

Any suggestions on how I could have taken this better ? Only pp was to straighten the image and a slight crop.



EXIF
f/3.5
1/200
ISO 200
18mm

[cesar_rosales]

Hey nice shot. I think the angle of the photo could have been more close to the ground, it seems to me that it was shot at eye level and that makes it a bit standard, perhaps you could try to get a lower shot, I think this could help.

[jaydubyasee]

Thanks Cesar. Actually this was taken with me on bended knee but I guess being 6'4" this could be eye level for some I did consider lying down but I'm not sure if the track is still used.

[Bruce]

I find the metal post on the right a bit distracting. I do like the shot.

[Nathan deGargoyle]

Great photo, only problem for me is the blown sky, but living in the Midlands myself I understand the problem.

[phlyersphan]

Nice shot - I agree w Cesar re: the angle. I've had some luck holding the camera a few inches off the ground. Obviously you can't compose in the viewfinder with that approach, but with a few shots you should be able to get the angle right

[peeperita]

i saw that this image was taken at 11 in the morning.....you might have avoided a lot of your exposure problem if you shot much later in the day.....that golden hour that you hear so much about.....it appears.....but, i'm no scout....that you are facing somewhat east and i would think that the light would be more behind you in the late afternoon and might light the rails better so there's not such a dramatic contrast between them and the sky....

peeper

[jaydubyasee]

Thanks all. If the weather holds (and that's a big if here in the UK at the moment) I'll try to get back there and get closer to the rails.

Peeper - the time was due to me just happening to drive by with my camera in car so I stopped to see what would happen. I'll see if I can capture it earlier or later. As it happens I was facing almost due south so the sun was getting to a point where I would have been looking straight at it.

[clockdoc]

Since many of the "converging rails" shots are taken straight up the tracks as you have done here (which is not to say it is bad, just that we see lots taken this way), you may want to aligh your camera viewpoint with one or the other of the rails and see what perspective that gives the image. Since you are quite tall, several images taken at different levels from well above your head to track level may make for an interesting and educational experiment.

[xxpinballxx]

lee said what i was going to say....a shot from one track at the level of the track would be better here since the shot is not symmetrical. IF there wasn't a wall of cines on one side and openness on the other it might be different. Typically a shot like this need ALL things symmetrical in the photo. Having an unbalanced background as far as substance goes does not lend to a good straight up the middle tracks shot....not saying its a bad shot but just could be improved upon if the angle was different. Give it another go and see how you fair.