Night train to Amritsar

[Manfred M]

This is an image I have been working on for a number of years and have never been quite satisfied with the final result. I used a few tools that I did not have before (Skylum Luminar 4 and Topaz Sharpen AI). These seem to have made the difference in getting me a stronger image. I used Luminar to replace a boring sky and tightened up the sharpness a touch with Sharpen AI.

This is the night train to Amritsar India being pulled into New Delhi Station in India. We took the train (sleeper car) on our first trip to India. The light hit the conductor sitting in the engine just beautifully. I took a burst of pictures as the trained pulled into the platform and this is the one that worked best.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[mugge]

I think it is very striking.
Cheers Ole

[pschlute]

I like it. The colours are bold and the subject fills the frame. The conductor smiling serenely is the finishing touch. Personally I would have tried a little more brightness on the train itself.

ps. when I first glanced at the picture, the first thing that came into my head was Minions ! The yellow colour and the twin lights were the association

[DanK]

I think this is a striking image.

However, it seems a bit muddy to me. Adding a touch of local contrast and a bit more midtone contrast yields this:



I didn't do this carefully, and I didn't do any local adjustments (e.g., to mask these changes on the driver's face), but for my taste, this direction might be better.

[Manfred M]

Thanks for the comments Peter and Dan.

I was trying to give the image a bit of a dull and grungy look (anyone who has ever been to an Indian train station will understand); they have minimal lighting and the whole place looks rather dingy as the sun sets.

That being said, the suggestions do improve the image and I think I will do a bit of dodging on the left and right hand side of the shot as well to bring out the back of the train some more as well as the train cars on the adjacent track...

[Antonio Correia]

Very nice image Manfred, very nice !

So, you are digging in old pictures for a change.

[escape]

Im just curious. Have you considered croping the photo to highlight the train operator. ( My favorite part of the photo. ) Or does this result in something that dosen't work? Can probably use a little more room on top.

[Manfred M]

Im just curious. Have you considered croping the photo to highlight the train operator. ( My favorite part of the photo. ) Or does this result in something that dosen't work? Can probably use a little more room on top.

No and that image does not work for me. It is a shot of the engine with the man acting to anchor the viewer's attention.

The other issue is that I print a lot of my shots, usually to A2 / 17" x 22" format. This shot was taken with a mFT camera with a 2x crop factor, so it is getting to the limits of what can be printed to that size.

[bje07]

Thanks for the comments Peter and Dan.

I was trying to give the image a bit of a dull and grungy look (anyone who has ever been to an Indian train station will understand); they have minimal lighting and the whole place looks rather dingy as the sun sets.

That being said, the suggestions do improve the image and I think I will do a bit of dodging on the left and right hand side of the shot as well to bring out the back of the train some more as well as the train cars on the adjacent track...

When I saw first your picture I said to myself it's a bit dull and wanted to punch it a bit, as Dan did (it is my style). Reading your comment I understand your position and reconsider my position.

[Manfred M]

Thanks for all the comments.

While it probably does not seem obvious, I started over using a different image (one taken a second or so prior). It had a bit more material on the left hand side of the frame that gives a better balance. Most of the rest of the processing is more or less the same as in #1. That being said, this version required more serious surgery due to the various overhangs on the left hand side.

I just did my final print (A2 / 17" x 22") size.


Final image:






SOOC Image

[lunarbo]

I'm always interested to see the SOOC image and in my view the considerable amount of work has paid off.

There are always some images that nag at you "could do better" so full marks for perseverance,lots of fiddling and a last minute swerve before you hit the finishing line.
I think the lightening of the train carriages either side plus that extra bit of space on the left nails it

[Manfred M]

Thanks Barbara - this is the original image I worked from. As you can see the train is slightly closer and some of the distracting elements are missing from the image I ended up working on. The train entering the platform is leaning a bit, so when I straightened the image I lost a bit of material on the left hand side, so the shot was even more cramped.

Going with the image I ended up with meant a bit more work (major surgery cleaning up the unwanted parts of the platform roof), but gave me just enough space on the left hand side of the frame.

With respect to being "finished", one can always find something else to tweak, so it takes some experience to determine when the image is "done".

[selig1656]

Great sharing of the process involved in the final edited capture, beautifully executed with a terrific outcome.

[lovelife65]

superb image!
My favorite part of it is indeed the conductor...

[Chataignier]

Splendid shot. I really like the final image, it seems to me that the increased contrast works well, but the key improvement is the position of the driver, a bit further from the edge of the frame.

[Jim A]

The first thing I would say, is well seen, Manfred. In what is probably a very bustling place, you noticed this opportunity, which I am pretty certain I would have missed. I like Dan's suggestion, which you carried through, which makes the image more gutsy. Though, I do note your comment about trying to recreate the scene, as it was - an admiral goal, which I too often neglect (food for my forward development?).

Disclaimer - I have never been to an Indian railway station, or India, in fact. I love seeing the huge variety of pics of India in general, plus going to Divali (how great that is, here in Auckland!). However, I am a bit scared of the crowds (including the noise) ............ plus the chance of getting "Dehli belly"

[Manfred M]

The first thing I would say, is well seen, Manfred. In what is probably a very bustling place, you noticed this opportunity, which I am pretty certain I would have missed. I like Dan's suggestion, which you carried through, which makes the image more gutsy. Though, I do note your comment about trying to recreate the scene, as it was - an admiral goal, which I too often neglect (food for my forward development?).

Disclaimer - I have never been to an Indian railway station, or India, in fact. I love seeing the huge variety of pics of India in general, plus going to Divali (how great that is, here in Auckland!). However, I am a bit scared of the crowds (including the noise) ............ plus the chance of getting "Dehli belly"

Jim - India can be rather intimidating, especially the first time one visits. I remember someone warning me that I would either "love it or hate it" from the moment I first stepped of my flight to that country. I spent a total of just under 6 months in India (and Nepal and Bhutan) over a 3 year period. The noise, colours and smells and the large number of people were quite overwhelming at first. The fact that I went back twice (largely because my daughter moved to Bangalore for a couple of years) gave me a completely different perspective of the challenges of living there.

We saw Diwalhi in Guwahati, in Assam State and spent three days at Holi in Uttar Pradesh (much less civilized than Diwalhi)

We used Indian trains on each of our trips and found the experience "interesting". The trains run notoriously late, stops are not announced, but fellow passengers were very helpful to help us not miss our stations. Some of the modern trains compared well to some of the more modern ones around the world, but the regular ones were a bit more challenging.

All that being said; I did not get sick at all from either the food or water, but we were very careful about what we put in our mouths. No Delhi Belly was a very good thing....