Kenneth Taylor
July 2026 - Mountain Highway
About the Image(s)
Camera: Nikon Coolpix
Editing Software; Photoshop Elements.
This image was taken during a trip between Sacramento CA., and Chicago Illinois.
8 comments posted
The image seems a little tilted to me. Try rotating it to the left a little. It could also use a little pop. Maybe some contrast and saturation would help. Posted: 07/05/2026 20:22:57
Kenneth Taylor
Hi Bill, I noticed the tilt its due to the uphill incline. Posted: 07/07/2026 00:38:18
Hi Kenneth,
While I can appreciate Bill's comment as well as your considered response, I really like everything from the outer edge of the highway to the top of the image. I could see a gradual darkening of the image in the area below the outer highway edge.
Posted: 07/07/2026 01:06:24
While I can appreciate Bill's comment as well as your considered response, I really like everything from the outer edge of the highway to the top of the image. I could see a gradual darkening of the image in the area below the outer highway edge.
Posted: 07/07/2026 01:06:24
That's a great scene, Kenneth. It reminds me of Snoqualmie Pass here in Washington with that curve, the bridge and snow dusted hills. It's a really nice image.
I played with it in PS and used the remove tool. I told it to find general distractions wanting to remove the cars and trucks. It did that perfectly but also removed the river! But I found that without it, the leading line of the road worked so much better. I think darkening the foreground and selectively lighting the ridges of the hills will help pull the eye into the photo for you.
How many miles have you logged on trains? Posted: 07/08/2026 21:11:55
I played with it in PS and used the remove tool. I told it to find general distractions wanting to remove the cars and trucks. It did that perfectly but also removed the river! But I found that without it, the leading line of the road worked so much better. I think darkening the foreground and selectively lighting the ridges of the hills will help pull the eye into the photo for you.
How many miles have you logged on trains? Posted: 07/08/2026 21:11:55
Kenneth Taylor
To date; 97,496 miles traveled! Posted: 07/08/2026 22:36:15
Kenneth Taylor
2055 hours, 86 days Posted: 07/09/2026 00:40:28
Wow, that's amazing! Posted: 07/09/2026 20:30:44
Hi Kenneth. It is a lovely image. I like the layering of the hills building off to the distance left to right. And the clouds are beautiful. I do agree with Bill's suggestion that the image could use a little more pop - both some contrast and saturation.
On the "tilt" of the image, I'll share that I always tried hard to get things like the tilt "correct" or as they were in reality. At some point (sadly not that long ago), I realized it was better used as a creative decision, and often "correct" is not what works best visually. In your image here I actually pushed the tilt to the other direction (see below). By doing that, the road as a leading line now moves upward left to right from the lower corner. That is what perceptually our minds want to see. Your original was probably more correct, but with the road moving downward left to right, it is harder to use it to move the viewer into the frame as a leading line.
Ultimately it is up to you whether you want to keep things as they were or not. But I thought I'd share since, again for me, it didn't really occur to me for a long time that there was a choice worth considering.
Posted: 07/08/2026 21:47:15
On the "tilt" of the image, I'll share that I always tried hard to get things like the tilt "correct" or as they were in reality. At some point (sadly not that long ago), I realized it was better used as a creative decision, and often "correct" is not what works best visually. In your image here I actually pushed the tilt to the other direction (see below). By doing that, the road as a leading line now moves upward left to right from the lower corner. That is what perceptually our minds want to see. Your original was probably more correct, but with the road moving downward left to right, it is harder to use it to move the viewer into the frame as a leading line.
Ultimately it is up to you whether you want to keep things as they were or not. But I thought I'd share since, again for me, it didn't really occur to me for a long time that there was a choice worth considering.
Posted: 07/08/2026 21:47:15