Image Description:
This image was taken at the Illinois Railroad Museum during an event for photographers. The engineers were present, demonstrating various aspects of the old steam engine trains. I captured this picture in a horizontal format; however, most of the left portion turned out without detail due to the steam. Therefore, I decided to crop it to a square format and hope that viewers find this acceptable.
Technical Details:
Sony A7C with a 24-70mm lens, f/4, ISO 20,000, 1/20s on a tripod. The original color image was quite noisy, so I used Topaz software to reduce the noise and enhance sharpness. Black-and-white conversion was done in Lightroom, and many local adjustments (such as the removal of distracting elements) were made in Photoshop.
8 comments posted
Michael Hrankowski
Hi Don. Thank you for sharing this image. I'm always amazed at how you are able to produce images with such beautiful tonality. Your image is sharp with lots of detail. I think the square crop works particularly well. With the left third being essentially negative space, it allows the eye to focus on the engineers and locomotive. Nicely composed and edited! Posted: 02/04/2025 15:40:36
Elsie Allen
Hi Don,
This is a very engaging image.
My only comment is the paneling under the letters "CO" on the right looks a bit rugged compared to the left (under "FR") as though it may have too much sharpening?
Posted: 02/07/2025 01:37:57
Michael Hrankowski
Elsie, I believe the reason for the difference in appearance is due to the steam obscuring the texture somewhat. That and the direction of the lighting. But perhaps Don can speak to that better than I. Posted: 02/07/2025 14:12:13
Don Chen
Thank you for the comments. There is no local adjustment on the letters CO so that might be caused by the steam. Good observation though. Every details count. Thanks. Posted: 02/22/2025 04:13:05
Don Chen
Thank you for the kind words Michael. Sorry for the delayed response on the board but I have been traveling in east Asian countries since last month. Posted: 02/22/2025 04:15:08
Adi Ben-Senior
Very nicely done. what did the original crop look like ?
Posted: 02/13/2025 01:26:16
Don Chen
Adi, here is the original crop, what do you think? Posted: 02/22/2025 04:21:00
Michael Hrankowski
Don, I actually like the original crop better (except for the partially obscured lettering which could be removed). The larger frame gives me a greater sense of mystery and intrigue with the train emerging from the negative space of the swirling steam. ...but either way, you have a winning image. Artist's choice as to which story to portray. Nicely done. Posted: 02/22/2025 13:24:34
