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Hey guys

While driving across the Nevada desert in the middle of nowhere I came across these train tracks that I thought could do with being photographed
I hadn't seen another car for half an hour, but believe it or not when I got out of the car and went for a walk to find the best angles I actually found 2 other photogs there taking pics too! (cloned them out of the 2nd image)








I have to pick one for the honeymoon album, I think I like the first one the most but I'm curious as to what others think of the other 2

Cheers

Jay I like 2 & 3, two shows how desolate it is and highlights the long train. I also like the leading lines of 2 & 3

The perspective of #3 makes this the pick for me, and the treatment you've given it works nicely too

I am bothered by a couple of points in the other two...

1st. You've chosen to cut the top off the signals, and the train disappears off the edge of the picture. One of these on it's own may have been ok, but both in the same picture makes me wonder what the picture is actually of. I think this image would have been much stronger if you had managed to get the train on the same part of the tracks you are on (travelling towards you preferably). Either that, or a different view to show the whole of the signal - at least to the top of the railroad sign part.

2nd. Seems out of balance to me. Again, the train is off the edge of the picture, which makes me want to follow it. This is not helped by the line going down the left side of the image. The position of the train, coupled (excuse the pun) with the perspective of the last pic, would have worked nicely.
Something you could try which I just spotted, is a crop at the base of the hills in the background (so they don't show at all) - if you also take off a bit at the bottom (so the crossing doesn't show) - I think that may help show the sparseness.

I know you can't go back and reshoot these, so my comments aren't much use to you in this case - but hopefully they provide a bit of a spark to discussion / something to think about next time Either way, they are still your memories, not mine, and they are yours to enjoy

(And, of course, I guarantee others will have the exact opposite view from what I've said )

The last one of the three is great in B&W.

You should have waited on the 1st 2 for the train to be a bit closer.

Nice shots.

#1 - Half a train, half a crossing sign.. like Leon, I'd of rather a full something, as I'm torn between each and it reduces the impact of the shot

#2 I think I prefer the second without the train or croped to remove it.. in this shot the leading lines lead me to the lovely mountain range, I find the train distracting.

#3 Favourite shot of the set, Nice lines, nice B&W treatment but the shed looks like it's going to fall down (maybe it was) ?

#3 Is a cracker....i love the pano crop and the colours or lack off make the shot!

Dan

Thanks for the comments guys
Sheepie, Alpha 7, I see what you mean about the sign and the train. The top of the sign was actually quite high and if I got back far enough to get that in I also got an ugly guard rail and some of the road in at the bottom (which I suppose I could have cropped out later...)
Waiting for the train to pass wasn't an option unfortunately. You can see the distance it moved from the 1st to the 2nd shot - that was nearly 5 minutes. The rest of the carriages extended almost as long again out off to the left of the shot! Had I have been on my own I would have hung around and got some shots of the train as it passed and had the perspective of all the carriages on the straight, but the new wife wasn't too keen on sitting in the car in the middle of the desert while I took photos

How about these 2 shots with the train cloned out ?
Does the first one look any better with the sign cropped out and only the signals showing ?

Nice pics mate. I would go for the last image:



I think it has a nice feeling of desolation and loniless, sort of like marriage really.... Of course, I joke....

Seriously, I think it portrays the lonely desert feeling better than the others.

It always amazes me where members travel to. I must have the most boring life here!

Well done!

I like #3 in the first set.
#2 in the second set works for me. I find the signals add to the feeling of isolation, BUT I feel like I'm sliding off the RHS. I think it is the base of the mountains doing it. The boom arm is vertical & the skyline is approx horizontal, but the base of the mountains is sloping, so I read that as the horizon, and get the tilt.
#3 second set also works for me, but it didn't on first glance. One to come back to I think, & therefore possibly the best. (Does that make sense?)

Last image in improved in my opinion, and I agree with Mr Darcy that the first in the second set is probably too tilted.

I personally like the counterpoint of the signal in the second set, #1