Jim Gilley wrote: I have an almost rigid scientific approach to photography which yields VERY predictable, but somewhat uninspired, results. Anyone who has seen much of my work (and there aren't that many except for my close friends), can spot one of my shots immediately, just by looking at the way it was composed and lit. I think this is BAD.
-- I have the same problem. At slide shows my friends can always tell which slides were mine. I'm trying to break out of this mold and shoot in new ways, but it's hard to do. I find that looking carefully at other photographers' work (including non-RR, Galen Rowell is an excellent example) helps a lot. Jim also wrote: Your mention of foul weather is another one which a lot of us could take to heart. I DO agree with Eric that a lot of cloudy day shots look like crap, and in general, I try to avoid them. On the other hand, bad weather has made some of the most spectacular shots I've ever seen -- I think Dale Sanders wrote a piece on this a year or two ago. You know, it's totally overcast, and then a hole forms in the clouds which lights the train, but nothing else. -- Occasionally a rainy day shot looks great, for example the Ron Flanary shot at the beginning of the current issue of CTC Board. And, to expand on Jim's points above, storms can be good, because when they clear, the weather is often spectacular. EB --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects
