Coal Tower (C&C Help Please)

Qveon · Apr 15, 2013

A Historic Society in my area was hosting a photo contest: "Take your best recent picture of a building that is 50 years or older in this county". I decided to take a picture of a coal tower built in 1953 for the New York Rail Company. Abandoned for many years now it still stands as a landmark to the years past.

Here is the bad news...Out of 37 photos submitted, I did not place in the top three...Any suggestions that would have helped me place better?

Rhoads238 · Apr 15, 2013

Is it possible to see the ones that were selected. If so take a look at them and think about what are their strengths over the photo you have taken.

I think that if you had a train passing through on the rails it would have been a stronger image. Although those rails may no longer be in service. I think you have managed your exposure well. I think the coal tower may be a little crammed into the frame. a little more breathing room would do well here, for me anyway.

These contests are difficult because it really comes down to who is doing the judging. Maybe if one of them really liked railroad stuff then that would have changed things. But you just never know. Just keep trying when these come around.

colnago1331 · Apr 15, 2013

Without being able to see what the other photos were it's hard to say why yours wasn't chosen. I'm also not sure what, if anything, you did in post-process. Is this the image straight out of the camera or did you change it in any way?

That being said, I find the sun behind the tower to be far too blown out and, consequently, very distracting, if not visually disturbing. I think you would've done better to have underexposed the photo so that the sun area isn't as white and then lightened up the darker areas in post-process.

The other thing I might have done is taken it from a different perspective. The leading line of the track, as you have it, isn't very strong. Perhaps having taken the photo from the tracks itself, so you have the leading lines going more upward and inward from the bottom might have been better. But that's hard to say without being at the location itself.

Designer · Apr 15, 2013

Yes, what coinnago1331 said. Also, the shot is simply a "record" shot, nothing special about it. They were probably looking for something a little more artistic. The light is on the opposite side, which is not always a bad thing, but side lighting would offer more modeling. That and work on your perspective as mentioned above.

Qveon · Apr 15, 2013

Ok appreciate the feedback...I have not gone to the display yet to see all the submissions. When I do I'll snap some cell pictures. When I was composing the shot, I knew I was going to lose some of the sun, but i figured the color change in the sky would have added to it, but maybe instead it took away from it.

colnago1331 said:
Perhaps having taken the photo from the tracks itself, so you have the leading lines going more upward and inward from the bottom might have been better.

What height level do you reccommend? Standing or camera on the track itself or laying inbetween the tracks? Shoot with the sun? I guess i could take my strobes and shoot it at night, not sure if i have the power to light it, but i could try.

Maybe Rhoads is right, the judges may not have been interested in railroad stuff, or maybe because the building is abandoned they looked at it as bad PR instead of this IS our history currently. My view which i liked the abandoned look because of all the textures caused by the crumbling of the structure.