Snowy Rail

[IceCreamMan]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5084/5383252346_be151c5ec8_z.jpg

This is my first photo I've posted for critique. I really appreciate honest C&C, so feel free, I've got heard skin. I took this photo on a walk to fulfill a recent job assignment. At this point my own personal critique is about the composition: i dislike the shadow between the tracks in the lower right. Please leave any information you like below, I appreciate it greatly!

[Marko]

I like this scene and the comp here, for me what's missing is one more compositional element for my eye to grab. a train moving toward us, a dog walking away from us.
You have good lines here for us to follow, I just wish they led to an additional compositional element if that makes sense.

Hope that helps - Marko

[Iguanasan]

Hmm... I kind of agree with Marko here. All the lines draw your eye into the centre of the image but there's no "reward" for getting there. I can certainly see why you would have taken the shot though. It's a great scene and you've exposed it quite well. I like the B&W treatment too. Basically, I'm missing the emotional connection to the image. There's nothing really wrong with it from a technical standpoint as far as I can see.

[Bambi]

well I am okay with there not being any one/thing at the end. I like the openness of the concept. Other items:
1. I love how it's off the track and not down the dead centre
2. having the fence on the left is a good anchor for the shot
3. I don't mind the shadow but you could clone it out fairly easily
4. I like the house on the right further down
5. I love the stillness. For me it makes me want to start walking down the track to see what is further along.

my only nit is that the snow is blown out on the left.

[Mad Aussie]

I rate this shot quite highly as a B&W. Good strong blacks and whites ... a tad too much blow out in some sections of white though.
The shadow isn't a big thing realy ... easily fixed.

I don't mind the lack of 'reward' at all ... it begs question(s) ... when will the train arrive? Is this a working rail system? Or an old, disused one?

I like the composition very much. Moving right up on the fence has worked very well indeed.

For me, not blowing the whites out quite so much and lessening that shadow would really bump this shot up a notch.

[photorookie]

Agree with the above, this is a good shot, primarily because the rail and fence guide us into the "endlessness" at the end. I don't need something "at the end of the track" either, in fact, apart from the mentioned shadow on the right, the only thing I could think of is if the trees were out, i.e. that it was an open landscape...but that would change the location too much, so definitely not a task for the photographer in this case :)