>Staying home with a sick kid and several days of backed-up thoughts >as triggered yet another comment or question. I've been lookingat the >submitted pictures and like to serve up the comment on composition. > Looking back through my slides for one's that I'd like to pass on to >Dave for scanning I've discovered that the shots that appeal most to me >are those have substansial amounts of geometric shapes in the >composition of the shots. I also seem to have a soft spot for unit >trains vs mixed freight. Perhaps the continuity of the shapes (hoppers >or containers) doesn't distract from the scenery or curviture (s-curves, >etc.).
I for one like mixed freight better than unit trains. Then again, as a fan of the late, great espee I also like dirty engines! :-) Seriously though, I have always had a lot of trouble balancing my compositions artistically due to my origins in this hobby as a modeler. I'm still an active model railroader, but have come to realize the difference between what would be good for modeling purposes (ie a shot that shows a close-up detail of a particular model of car or engine,) and what looks good to a photographer. I have plenty of experience with roster and detail shots (as Dave Cohen will tell you after reviewing my work!) and am also a (reasonably successful) stock/nature photog. Somehow, I still have trouble balancing the two opposite sides of my photography into one well-composed railroad picture. One book that has helped me a lot is my autographed (by Fred Frailey) copy of Gary Benson's "Rolling Thunder." One day I sat down with this book and my non-railroading photo partner and we went through the book shot by shot and critiqued the finer and lesser points of all the images contained. That one afternoon has greatly improved my photography. If the shot looks good to someone who wasn't with you on the trip, or has never been to your chosen location; a person who can't invoke the memory of "that great summer day" or that particular fan trip, then you have succeeded. ---Mark--- Tunnel Motors into the Sunset! -> SPORRS: 'Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects' -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs/ -> Message © 1998 SPORRS® - All Rights Reserved
