The NGF is holding a photographic competition for the first time - a great chance for you to get snapping and enter. The prize will be a 'virtual' prize entered against your name on the forum so it will reside with you until the next one and let the N gauge world know you are an expert with your camera. We are pleased to announce that Steve Flint, editor of Railway Modeller, will be the sole and final judge of the competition, but there are rules to be strictly observed please.
Rules
1.Photos must be railway or model railway related (there are separate boards in the media file)
2.Photos must be your own work.
3.There is a strict limit of 2 photos per person (if more are posted the post will be deleted and you will have to resubmit)
4.Photos must not exceed 500kb.
5.A 12 word allowance is given for type of camera used, date photo taken and location
6.No comments about the photos can be accepted from other members (they will be deleted!)
7. Closing date is April 5th 2013
Please remember the photo itself is being judged and not the subject.
How to enter
Ensure that your photographs are less than 500kb in size. Photographs will not load if the size is bigger
There are two galleries - one for Model Railway photos and the other for Real Railway photos. Ensure you upload your photo to the correct gallery. Enter brief details about the camera and date and location into the description box (about 12 words or less)
If you need help with picture resizing or uploading to the gallery then consult our Help Pages
Sorry about not allowing comments but we need clear boards for Steve to be able to look at so as to make his job as easy as possible :thankyousign:
Most of all - enjoy!
:photospleasesign: :thankyousign:
Link to Real Railways Media Gallery (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=324)
Link to Model Railways Media Gallery (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=317)
Hi Mick :wave:
just to clarify matters, is it an overall limit of 2 Photos, or is it a limit of 2 Photos Per section :hmmm:
Sorry for being a bit thick :-[
dave :thumbsup:
Quote from: davieb on January 30, 2013, 02:55:29 PM
Hi Mick :wave:
just to clarify matters, is it an overall limit of 2 Photos, or is it a limit of 2 Photos Per section :hmmm:
dave :thumbsup:
Hi Dave,
At this early juncture I think we have to limit entries to just 2 overall. We're really not sure how many entries we are likely to get and don't want to overload the judge. The closing date is a couple of months away, though, so we'll monitor things and let everyone know if this changes. Hope this is OK?
Hi Mick :wave:
That's fine by me :thumbsup: .......Just thought i would make sure :dunce:
dave :thumbsup:
... and the eventual winner will be who ever can manage to catch and snap as many of the mods in compromising situations.... :P
I take it the model photos aren't restricted to one's own creations... :D
Quote from: Claude Dreyfus on January 30, 2013, 06:03:36 PM
I take it the model photos aren't restricted to one's own creations... :D
No Claude,
As we said, it's the photo being judged not the subject. Pictures of other 'models' can be sent to my private mail address >:D ;)
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
Family forum chaps, family forum!
Sounds like a great idea and a great opportunity to see a selection of great photos, well done Mods :thumbsup:
Quote from: AndyGif on January 30, 2013, 04:30:05 PM
... and the eventual winner will be who ever can manage to catch and snap as many of the mods in compromising situations.... :P
As the forum 'pimp' (not my description) I guess that makes me a prime target :'(
Anyway, it's pics of Steve Flint you'll need :P
Just put my entry of a Southern worm up
Quote from: newportnobby on January 30, 2013, 06:08:47 PM
No Claude,
As we said, it's the photo being judged not the subject. Pictures of other 'models' can be sent to my private mail address >:D ;)
Hey Mick,
Does this one score on both levels ;) ;)
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/61/thumb_3522.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=3522)
Regards
Neal.
One of them is certainly a boiler on a great chassis :confused1: ;)
My two pics are up !
I hope a mobile phone pic counts, if not let me know please ! (it's a good one - honest !)
Couldn't have put that better, NPN! But on a more serious note, are digitally enhanced photos acceptable? Personally, I hope not - I hate the things. I have had a whinge about a certain 'elitist' model railway organisation we have here in Australia before on this forum. I sent them a photo of my Franco-Crosti boilered 9F (featured in my album) for publication in their journal, and, without asking me, they digitally added smoke to the photo. This p..... me off immensely, but in the long run it showed them up big time - the smoke was coming out of the chimney at the front, and not from the side funnel!! :smiley-laughing:
Anyway, if they are acceptable, I might have a bit play around with me fancy camera.
Cheers, :beers: George.
Just a quick comment concerning the size limit for each picture.
Many digital cameras use a fairly low level of data compression when creating their JPEG files (due to on-board computer, memory and time constraints). If you load the picture into a paint program (I just use good old MS Paint) and then immediately save it again, you can get a major improvement in compression with no loss of quality. For my camera, this works out to shrinking a 4320x3240 image from 5000kB down to 800-900kB. I do this as a matter of course before uploading files. No promises however - it depends on your camera, so try it on a suitable sample picture first.
BTW, just to be pedantic, I assume you mean 500kB and not 500kb (kilobytes not kilobits, 500kb = 62.5kB).
Daft question time - does the models category have to be N gauge??
Quote from: martink on February 02, 2013, 05:57:06 AM
BTW, just to be pedantic, I assume you mean 500kB and not 500kb (kilobytes not kilobits, 500kb = 62.5kB).
Talk about splitting hairs ::)
Given that 95% of people, myself included, probably wouldn't know what a kilobit was if it bit them on the bum I think it's safe to assume we're talking kilobytes as most people are familiar with that.
Paul
Personally I feel we should not allow digital enhancements. :no:
The object of the photographic competition is to show your skill at composition, lighting, depth of field etc and not trickery in 'fudging' an image to make it look better :scowl:
Quote from: newportnobby on February 02, 2013, 05:28:36 PM
Personally I feel we should not allow digital enhancements. :no:
The object of the photographic competition is to show your skill at composition, lighting, depth of field etc and not trickery in 'fudging' an image to make it look better :scowl:
Easier said than done Mike all people have to do is delete the exif or matadata details of their photo.
In my local photographic club we normally have two catagories of entries, full on Photoshoped or similar and basic entry which only allows altering the brightness and contrast and seems to works well and keeps everyone happy.
Caz
So that's a new rule, then? No digital enhancements?
George
Not a new rule no, more clarification of a point.
Mick did state in his opening post "let the N gauge world know you are an expert with your camera" - not an expert with your PC editing suite ;)
Paul
Quote from: PLD on February 02, 2013, 11:26:57 AM
Daft question time - does the models category have to be N gauge??
Not at all. We're just differentiating between models and the 12" to the foot ones :)
Nowt wrong in using Levels, Curves, Saturation and Sharpen but adding the Moon over the top of a steam loco chimney is cheating, Layers should be a No No.
Well, there'll be no such entry from me as I don't know how to do that stuff! :dunce:
Quote from: Calnefoxile on February 01, 2013, 12:14:48 PM
Quote from: newportnobby on January 30, 2013, 06:08:47 PM
No Claude,
As we said, it's the photo being judged not the subject. Pictures of other 'models' can be sent to my private mail address >:D ;)
Hey Mick,
Does this one score on both levels ;) ;)
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/61/thumb_3522.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=3522)
Regards
Neal.
Neal - in future please ask permission before taking & posting photos of my wife :P :smiley-laughing:
Back to the topic - my entries are up.
On the point of processed photos - this is one of my pet hates - and the main reason I left a photography forum! A bit of editing to tidy up is fine but adding too many effects makes the photo look fake to me. I like my photos to be as natural as possible, despite using a
cheap "entry level" DSLR.
Give me an enlarger, safelight and a few trays. pearl paper and chemicals any day, I gave up 25 years of weekend wedding photography in 2003 because I hated digital photography, somewhere along the line the real art of photography flew out of the window.
Well said. They are throw-a-way pictures these days - when you only had a finite number of frames and the cost of processing, you gave much more thought to composition. :thumbsup:
I work as a wedding photographer and I never consider any of my output to be throwaway, I put just as much thought into composition as I ever did shooting 35mm. Digital is just a much more flexible and efficient way of capturing someone's special day, the principles are the same as film though and you don't need to be shooting 2000+ images (if I was that indiscriminate with my photography, I'd lose sight of the special moments). I think people's main problem lies with so much exposure to bad photographs on social media and the internet which are inevitably taken on digital. People often took bad photographs on film (lord knows, I worked on the photo dev counter at Tesco for several years), it's just they never saw the light of day!
Image post processing is not something new to digital and should not be disregarded out of hand - you can save many good images and enhance outstanding ones. Improving photographs was something I would do in a darkroom on an enlarger, I would manipulate negatives, mask my photographic paper for selective lightening and change colour temperature all the time. Now, I only shoot in RAW and apply this approach to my digital output - I hate the idea that the camera is putting out a JPEG which it has effectively processed for me. Give me wet-film style of control over that next step in the photographs existence any day of the week! Photography is as much about making beautiful pictures as it is taking beautiful pictures - be it 35mm and darkroom or RAW file and Lightroom.
You have stated your case intelligently and well; however, like all art, it is very much a matter of personal opinion and taste. I therefore stay with my point above and I still can't stand, and never will, photographs of model steam locomotives with what is quite obviously fake steam coming from them.
Quote from: d-a-n on February 27, 2013, 07:45:31 PM
I work as a wedding photographer and I never consider any of my output to be throwaway, I put just as much thought into composition as I ever did shooting 35mm. Digital is just a much more flexible and efficient way of capturing someone's special day, the principles are the same as film though and you don't need to be shooting 2000+ images (if I was that indiscriminate with my photography, I'd lose sight of the special moments). I think people's main problem lies with so much exposure to bad photographs on social media and the internet which are inevitably taken on digital. People often took bad photographs on film (lord knows, I worked on the photo dev counter at Tesco for several years), it's just they never saw the light of day!
Image post processing is not something new to digital and should not be disregarded out of hand - you can save many good images and enhance outstanding ones. Improving photographs was something I would do in a darkroom on an enlarger, I would manipulate negatives, mask my photographic paper for selective lightening and change colour temperature all the time. Now, I only shoot in RAW and apply this approach to my digital output - I hate the idea that the camera is putting out a JPEG which it has effectively processed for me. Give me wet-film style of control over that next step in the photographs existence any day of the week! Photography is as much about making beautiful pictures as it is taking beautiful pictures - be it 35mm and darkroom or RAW file and Lightroom.
I also worked a Wedding Photographer for 25 years but gave the game away in 2004 when digital started to take a hold, back then I was not that interested in digital photography, it was far easier for me to drop a few rolls of film into the lab and pick them up a few days later, I did a few weddings in digital to help some past clients out but I like most people tended to shoot a pile of digital images and pick out the ones I wanted to use :thumbsdown: that really is not my style, more fun making every shot count with 35mm or Medium Format, but then I am an old fashioned fuddy duddy :thumbsmup: crikey I still use DC on my layout :doh:
Years later I find digital convenient and have fun in the digital darkroom but still prefer wet method.
Thanks for taking the time to reply Dave and Bealman.
I agree about adding steam, adding things which aren't there on other pictures and making lots of other 'invasive' changes to photographs, that is also not my style. I do however insist on cropping if necessary, and then applying non invasive changes such as adjusting colours, exposure and general curve work - it's what is happening inside a point and shoot anyway when it applies a colour profile to any image shot!
I know a film photographer and he uses a lab who understand how to tease the best from his exposures - a world away from me banging someones point and click disposable camera negs through the machine at Tesco!
Man Ray, George Hurrell, Helmut Newton, Bailey et al, will all have done their fair share of time in the darkroom (more than behind the camera I expect) to improve their already magical images to bring them to the point where they are so highly regarded as art. You could equally give one of their negatives to a monkey in Tesco colour lab and he'd give you back a washed out, badly framed, overexposed worthless print from the same neg!
Quote from: bealman on February 27, 2013, 08:18:01 PM
You have stated your case intelligently and well; however, like all art, it is very much a matter of personal opinion and taste. I therefore stay with my point above and I still can't stand, and never will, photographs of model steam locomotives with what is quite obviously fake steam coming from them.
Ivo Peters and Eric Treacy were two of my favorite railway photographers George, mostly done in beautiful Black and White and nothing fake.
Total agreement, Dave. One of my favourite shots of Bishop Treacy's is one of Royal Scot The West Yorkshire Regiment climbing out of Lime Street through Edge Hill cutting.
And a note to d-a-n: I too have admired the work of Helmut Newton over the years, so imagine my surprise to discover on a tour of the James Boag Brewery in Launceston, Tasmania last year (beer is another hobby of mine :beers: ), that Newton did a whole advertising campaign for the company! The place is adorned with his black & white images, mostly of very sexy women, but with his impeccable style written all over them. The campaign was extremely successful for Boags and his photos still appear on coasters to this day. The beer tastes great, too!! :pint:
Bit off topic but I'll have to see if the local off licence (Carringtons of Chorlton and Didsbury) can get some Boag beer in - I love anything dark and malty but will try anything on recommendation.
Slainte!!
There are of course two major breweries in Tassie - Boags in Launceston and Cascade in Hobart (and yes, I've toured that brewery as well - twice!!) and out of the two, I think I prefer Boags. It's interesting as you drive north from Hobart towards Launceston, there is almost an invisible 'border' where there is a subtle change in pubs as to which beer gets priority. You definitely sense the shift (well I did, anyway.....)
As you say, bit off topic, but I'll post some pics for you!
Cheers, George
d-a-n:
Well, off topic but it is photography. And we are discussing technique here - yeah, I know that the picture of the Cascade brewery is spoilt by the lamp post right in the middle! I guess that's where a bit of image processing could help!
Cascade Brewery, Hobart, with Mount Wellington in background
[smg id=3801 type=preview align=center width=400]
Cascade advert in historic Richmond pub
[smg id=3800 type=preview align=center width=400]
Yours truly outside Boag's brewery, Launceston
[smg id=688 type=preview align=center width=400]
Longbridge:
Dave have you got the book 'Great Railway Photographs' by Eric Treacy? Your post prompted me to dig it out - thanks for that! If you have, another favourite of mine is the spread just before page 143 showing the amazing signal gantry outside of Newcastle. Imagine modelling that!
I feel the merits of one type of photography over another type of photography, digital enhancements etc., have had a fair amount of posts, so could we all please return to the point of this thread which is to promote the photographic competition.
Which is in great need of members adding their own photographs.
The moderating team have tried to "encourage" photographs that have been posted in the various threads, without indicating any favouritism, to enter their photographs into the competition.
cheers John.
Point taken, and yep, could do with some more entries - and there are some very good photos in many threads, as you say. :thumbsup:
Just added my 2 entries.
Both models and both :ngauge: :thumbsup:
And I've just entered mine too :)
Bit of a struggle to choose two - more or less used a pin in a short list in the end. Uploaded before I changed my mind!
Both prototype, but one with a modelling twist.
Interested that both show a file size less than half of what they show on my laptop.
has anyone got any tips for reducing my file size, my sizes are way too big, if i can i will chuck a couple of entries in,,,,
Try our FAQ's for instant success :D
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=resize (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=resize)
Added my pair after shrinking them to under 500k before uploading and checking them on the album they're even more compressed and 1/4 the file size! Will re-upload bigger versions in the morning to compensate for whatever extra compression the upload seems to do.
It looks like the upload automatically crunches pics to 1024 pixels width maximum, so mine were losing definition by already having slightly higher JPG compression but staying at a higher resolution. re-done to 1024 size.
Any idea when the results of the photographic competition will be posted?
Dave
Quote from: chalfytich on April 19, 2013, 07:43:16 AM
Any idea when the results of the photographic competition will be posted?
Dave
Hi Dave,
I know Steve Flint is very busy at the moment but I will give him a nudge to see where he's up to :thumbsup:
I now have the results to hand and will be putting them in this thread tomorrow.
Watch this space :D
Good news!
Watching :goggleeyes:
We are all agog :goggleeyes: :goggleeyes: :goggleeyes:
Sorry to keep you all in suspenders >:D :D
Here are the results of Steve Flint's deliberations:-
A nice selection of entries in both categories with a good spread of subject matter, particularly amongst the prototype selection. In judging the model photos, I looked for images which demonstrated any of the following attributes; a pleasing or creative composition, good depth of field, or thoughtful use of lighting. I shortlisted the following six images;
pg1 img 2 by Shaun Harvey
pg1 img11 60038 night time at Jiggers Bank
pg2 img6 Kilvean Irish terminus
Pg2 img12 Claywell High Street
Pg2 img15 LMS 3F through bridge
pg3 img5 Class 45
The winner which shows good composition and thoughtful use of lighting is;
60038 night time at Jiggers Bank from Burton Wetmore
In judging the prototype photos, I looked for images which demonstrated either; a high technical standard in the conventional approach to train photography (ie 3/4 front views of trains in action), or creativity and thoughtful use of lighting and composition to generate a more unusual picture. I shortlisted the following six images;
pg2 img11 D-a-n 1 (sun, smoke and carriages)
pg2 img12 Ewan by Lanky Giraffe
pg3 img5 Leander 27th September 2008
Pg3 img9 LMS Black 5 44932 @ Church Fenton
Pg3 img12 Tornado @ Harling Road
pg4 img6 Marinsk, Siberia
The winner which shows creativity and thoughtful use of lighting and composition is;
D-a-n 1 (sun, smoke and carriages)
Thanks for the opportunity to judge the competition, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Incidentally, anyone interested in learning more about model railway layout photography can download some advice pages by visiting the Railway Modeller website at www.pecopublications.co.uk/railway-modeller/photography-tips.html (http://www.pecopublications.co.uk/railway-modeller/photography-tips.html)
Kind regards
Steve Flint
Editor and Photographer
Railway Modeller
Huge congratulations to d-a-n and Burton Wetmore (Lucy) :claphappy:
Your virtual trophies will be posted against your forum avatars very soon.
Many thanks to everyone who entered the Photographic Competition and, as we intend to run this each year, your chance may yet come so keep snapping through the year.
A big :thankyousign: to Steve Flint of Railway Modeller for taking time out of his busy schedule to judge the entries.
Congratulations to d-a-n and Burton Wetmore on their winning entries :thumbsup:
cheers John.
Thanks for sorting them out Steve. It must have been difficult to do. Congratulations to the winners
Dave
Congrats to the winners and thanks to NPN, for organising the competition and to Steve for the judging.
:thankyousign:
What fantastic news to receive! Thank you to Steve for judging my photo, it means so much to know there are people who rate and enjoy my photography. I'll be posting the news and a larger version on my facebook and website
www.danbarlowphotography.co.uk (http://www.danbarlowphotography.co.uk)
I may even send it off to print to celebrate!
Thank you to everyone who organised and entered this competition.
:NGF:
Well done, winners! Just had another look at your photos and your wins are well-deserved. Congratulations!
Just well pleased to be in the shortlist. Well done everybody!
S
well done d-a-n and 60038, great photos, and worthy winners. Thanks to newportnobby for organising the competition and to Steve Flint for the judging. :beers:
Andy
Congratulations to the winners :beers: and all other forum members that posted :thumbsup:
Congrats to the winners - nice job :beers: great atmosphere on d-a-n's shot and incredible clarity on the Class 60. I wish I could take photos like that :worried:
Having looked thru all the entries I have to say I was impressed by the quality overall. So I will extend my congratulations to all who entered :thumbsup:
Nice job!
Mike
Congratulations to the winners!
Very enjoyable to see so many excellent photos. Kudos to the winners especially when the competition was so good.
Ye, big congrats to the winners, cracking photos, like Shaun, pleased to be short listed. Looking forward to next years (hint, hint). :thumbsup:
Again, well done to the winners. As Caz says, I can't believe that one of mine was shortlisted either.
W :goggleeyes: W! To be shortlisted, I'm truly amazed.
Well done to the winners and a big :thankyousign: to Newportnobby and Steve Flint for your work.
Like others, I'll look forward to next years. :thumbsup:
Where can I view the pictures please?
Dave
Dave,
Click on the Media button on the top tool bar, go to Albums and you'll see the 2 sections there.
Enjoy :thumbsup:
Here are the links:-
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=324 (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=324)
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=317 (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=317)