Putting basic photography values aside, like correct exposure, RailPictures.Net has an editorial policy just like newspapers, periodicals, journals, and magazines which covers photographic submissions.
Just because a photograph is panned by RailPictures.Net doesn’t mean that it does not have value and should not be saved. A real-world example is to be found within this Trains Forums response to a caboose question. My response to the question incorporates a photo that would probably have been rejected by RailPictures.Net, yet in the context of my reply, the photo has value.
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doanster,
You have received some good answers to your question. I’d also like to shed some light on the subject and by the way, it is a good question.
Out here in the west, prior to the massive exportation of manufacturing in the USA to Asia, there was an imbalance in rail traffic between the eastern part of America and the west. Very simply stated, there were generally more loads westbound from the Midwestern and eastern manufacturing regions than eastbound loads from the west.
On Southern Pacific’s “Ogden” gateway, better known as the “Overland Route,” and today referred to as Union Pacific’s central corridor by some, this translated into more westbound trains than eastbound trains. Since every train until the introduction of the FRED (EOT, ET) had a caboose that ran on Southern Pacific’s “Ogden” gateway a caboose equipment imbalance was created.
To alleviate the caboose imbalances between the east and west part of the Ogden gateway, some eastbound trains would have multiple cars on the rear. Living in Fernley, NV during the early 1980s to the mid 1980s I witnessed some eastbounds with as ma
I love RP.net, I cant imagine that as a railfan, i went 30 years without such a resource, I like that I can see daily railroading all across this beautiful country without having to leave the house. I look at it daily.
And, I never realized just how many people share the same love for railroading that I do.
I am however surprised at how few people participate in the forums, given that alot of the other forums online are heavily trafficed.
I would think this picture would have a chance at being accepted. RP.net has a policy of accepting the majority of photos submitted picturing fallen flags, old equipment and the like.
But, playing with the grain and saturation wouldn’ t hurt.
I have been a member since 10/2003. The screener’s have inadvertantly helped hone my photography skills. I recently made my first money from railroad photography and had a pic used in a presentation to the FRA. All this for a person who rarely took snapshots of anything prior to 2003.
Gotta say I too am a Minnesota railfan that loves RP.net. Yes I’ve had my pictures rejected from time to time, but like Aaron, it’s helped improve my skills and photo composition.
Like many others in this thread, I’ve been quite upset that my photo didn’t make it into the database, but that just makes me try harder to find that shot that will get accepted. So keep trying, don’t let such a wonderful resource for us railfans crush your fun in rail photography!
I to like railpicthures.net. they have some great pics. I had some pics on there about a year ago. But what is it with thier screeners lately!!? I have had my last 10 pics rejected for the lamest reasons. They are no worse than some other pics on the site. I guess us poor folk who cant afford a Thousand Dollar digtal camera set get left out. I didnt know this was a CONTEST! I just want to share my veiws of railroading… Getting PISSED in Seattle
That’s a bunch of bunk. Every single one of my photos at RP.net was taken with a 2.0MP Nikon CoolPix 2100; the lowest low-end Nikon point and shoot out there. Don’t blame the equpiment when photos get rejected…blame the guy with his finger on the shutter…
I’ve found a simple solution to both problems – I downloaded Mozilla FireFox (www.mozilla.org/firefox). I use FireFox instead of Internet Explorer, as it blocks most of those pop-ups, and you can open the pictures within the same window (but not on the same page) – you can read about this on the Mozilla site.
The only thing it doesn’t work for is uploading photos or posting comments, I still have to use IE for that.
I’ve managed to get 27 photos “published” on RP.net, out of 5-10x that many. I honestly don’t understand what they’re thinking on some of the pictures I submit that are rejected, others I can clearly see what the problem is. Appeals are usually worthless too. But I’ll keep trying.
And for the pictures that won’t go on RP.net, I have my own website:
EDIT: Woo! Old post… Gotta update my website link… or just see my signature…
Nope. It was rejected. I could spend a bunch of time and fiddle around with it, but it’s much easier just to upload it to RRpicturearchives.net. The 80/20 rule in in effect!
I believe it is an incredible website with stunning photography and a great tool to search for specifics such as locations, eras (decades), and structures.
I have never submitted photography to a website or magazine for publication. I have no axe to grind because of rejection. I believe I am a good photographer, but not a great one. When I receive my photos back from developing (I still havent embraced the digital age) I am ALWAYS disappointed at the results. There have been shots taken that I was certain would be great that turned out very average.
Taking a great photograph involves hard work, preparation, an understanding of lighting and equipment and very frequently LUCK.
It takes an major investment in time to develop those skills…and a major investment to take a great shot. Case in point … take a look at the photograph on page 48 on March, 2005 issue of CTC Board and read the commentary by Doug Harrop.
For those of you who dont have the magazine, I would strongly suggest the purchase. The photographic coverage of the Milwaukee Road’s PCE (so dear to so many on this forum) is stunning.
Anyway, Mr. Harrop would leave on a Friday afternoon from Utah and drive to Montana for the weekend and only see two or three trains! Each train was important. Each photograph was important. The clock was ticking on the PCE and Mr. Harrop was aware of it and we should be grateful.
The photograph on page 48 required a long trip and a long hike. Study the photograph and compostion. This photo tells a story of a struggle of not only a train to overcome gravity, but also a company’s struggle to survive.
Am I being dramatic here? Sure. But the point is this…I would rather have a website (or a magazine) that is dedicated to high standards so that I can enjoy those results.
I also go to railroadpicture frequently. The photography is
I think that’s probably where a lot of the negativity comes from… Lots of people take it very personally when they get their stuff rejected. A lot of it probably deserves to get rejected, but I will admit, they do get a bit fussy at times. But bottom line, it’s their site, and they can do what they want. A lot of people also need to get over the ‘everything on the Internet should be free’ attitude. Nothing else in life works like that. It’s pretty amazing what has been made available on the Internet in the last 10 years, and most of it is free. It wasn’t that long ago that you would have had to spend hundreds on books to see photos like that. I would say the glass is definitely half full.
Right now I hate it for the fact that my camera sucks. I’ve taken a bunch of pictures and they never like anyone of them. I do understand that a picture should meet a certain standard that they uphold but I’ve seen some others on this site that aren’t any better than mine. I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t even try to post my pictures with them. It’s just a good excuse for me to get a better camera and try my best to get the right angle on that perfect shot.
Other than that, I really like their site for that same reason too. Most of the pictures are worth looking at.
Is there a site where photographers can post more artful photographs of railroading? I get pretty bored looking at the same head-on locomotive angles on railpictures.net. They have rejected each one of my submissions, saying some of them were too dark (they were a little dark) but they weren’t the redundant head on angles of the train. They also rejected a photo because it wasn’t the right size. is there anywhere those of us who are more interested in artful photography can post our pictures and share tips?
I think I speak for most of us then I say that I have converted over to rrpicturearchives.net. Sure, I know that my pictures aren’t the best but I still think that people should be able to have a change to see them for them to judge. I actually wrote to RailPictures.net when about 15 of my pictures were rejected, I simply replied to them saying, “Are you guys having a bad day and just want to add me to your company of misery?” They didn’t reply back. I just think that they get a little carried away sometimes, but then let some others go.
I won’t waste my time submitting to them anymore. I take pictures for my own enjoyment anyway. I’ll just share my quality shots with friends and family instead of trying to share with a larger internet community. They are alarmingly picky over there. I enjoy browsing, but that’s it. What’s really a kick in the pants is to see some pictures FAR sub-standard to my own which did make it. It’s a subjective animal, I suppose, and they can shovel it into their firebox for all I care.
