I voted for Erik’s picture because I felt it caught the impression of a late Amtrak train speeding to make up time lost. Mike’s picture was nice and somewhat unusual but I thing that Erik’s picture better matches the theme of making the best of a bad situation photographically.
Both shots can be considered gems, though I feel that Erik’s shot is better composed. Mike’s shots has a lot of potential, though a lot of powerline and other “filters” would be required to clean up the shot – seems to be too busy and the unnecessary background takes away from the train and also the art work.
Living in Kansas City, I do know how hard it is to try to find a good spot to shoot while having artistic creativity and fighting those darn powerlines and towers! If only I could find a filter for that – I wouldn’t have to spend hours with Photoshop!
[#ditto]
I was down in that area myself on Friday! Didn’t get a picture of the public art, but did get a pic of some locomotive art!
http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken/Page_1.html
and scroll down to the bottom of the page…
-Mark
Erik gets it this week. I like the “at speed shot”. I’ve always wanted a camera that could do that…maybe someday…
The iron horse framed in the iron jaws of art, wow. Had to give that shot the vote for visuals. The other shot shows the workings of a road better, a bad order left behind, and a train in a hurry to be elsewhere, art of a different order.
Mike got my vote this time. I liked the CP train in the jaws of some giant mechanical monster.I have seen much better from both of them,though.
Mike’s photo was certainly a unique and interesting shot, but without question I had to go with Erik’s this week! I absolutely love that picture! It’s the type of picture that would be good to use in an Amtrak ad. It’s just cool!
P.S. Thanks for sharing those photos of the WP&Y 2-8-0 at Mid-West. I enjoyed them a lot. It’s always great to see steam locomotives being restored to operation and railroads actively pursuing steam preservation.
I’m not that crazy about CP, but with Mike’s photo, at least I know what I’m looking at.
Had to go with Erik’s shot this week. I spend a bit of time around auto racing so I consider speed blurs to be an acceptable means of showing motion although it’s usually the background blurred with the subject in focus by panning but the blurs can work either way. Mike’s shot just had too much distraction in it. My eye was drawn more to the chamber of commerce scupltures than the train. And the background distracted from the sculptures.
I voted for Mike’s photo as sometimes you have to do shoot into the sun without a chance to get a UV filer or a sun shade fiter in place, it was a good shot framing it between those uprights as it set the tone of being in a working area or industrial setting. Most companies buying this type of photography from me like this type of shot.
I chose mike. I like to be able to clearly see the equipment photographed.
Couldn’t bring myself to vote on this one - both shots are excellent for what they are. It’s comparing apples and oranges.
I went with Erik. I like the speed of the photo.
This is why I liked the original format for this contest! Mike’s explanation made the resulting photograph quiet amazing! BUT Erick’s in a most dramatic way shows a railroad at work. MOOOOOVING trains. Erick gets my vote.
Gannb
Man was this a hard choice.
Both shots were made under tough circumstances. Both got good results. Make that great results considering the situations.
I liked Mike’s ideas of framing the train between the sculptures and using one of them as a sun shade. Good thinking. Great results. The train is perfectly positioned between the steel sculptures. As with other comments, the power lines were a distraction but can’t be helped. I know that the train was moving but it looked to be “posed”.
I like Eric’s creativity and quick thinking. It all came together in a beautiful result. (I know that some of you don’t like the idea of “blurriness” in a shot. It’s okay.) I happen to like the dynamic image, the sense of motion and of speed and of urgency. They tell a story.
I know at least on photog who would call this an “artsy-fartsy” shot… and mean it as a high compliment. I agree with him.
Eric, you may not “win” the poll this week but it’s a winner in my book.
Happy rails to you,
Ed
Not voting. IMHO, both shots stink!
AMTRAK ROCKS
I’d say it’s a tie.
I went with Erik’s this week.
I just liked the action shot, with the Gon in the background.
Went with Mike…just liked it better!