Overexposed & Undersharpened - Huh?

[AdamCKach]

Hi folks,

I was told this photo was overexposed and undersharpened. I took it in "auto" mode. Can you explain what in the photo shows overexposure and undersharpness? I am relatively new to this 'good' photography thing (I take pictures, but never noticed quality).

Thanks folks.

http://www.kachurak.com/d9.JPG

[AMDnut]

It appears as though it could be "Overexposed" a tad, but I personally like the shot. It could be tweaked in Photoshop a touch, but I really like the shot. As for undersharpended, I am not a pro and really can't see it...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...:)

[AdamW]

It looks plenty sharp to me. As for the exposure, it does look to me as though the lights are a little blown out. For example, look at the bushes next to the empty track, on the right. See how they're so bright white that you cant see any detail? That's over exposure. I opened it in Photoshop and adjusted the levels slightly. Now you can see slightly more detail in the lighter parts of the picture (like the tree branches in the sunlight) and the shadows are a little less washed out. However, the changes are small, and the shot was very nice to start with. I like the angle--where you on an overpass?

Adam

[zmikers]

I suppose someone could say it is slightly overexposed because the trees are quite light. But as far as I'm concerned, Ilike the shot too. Over and under exposure give photos different moods and it is up to the photographer to decide what mood they are going for. Your pic, to me shows a bright fall or winter day as it is bright but there are some long shadows. Good shot, keep it up!

[AdamCKach]

Thanks folks.

Yep, it was taken from an overpass outside of Harrisburg, PA. The train just crossed the Rockville bridge (google -- it's quite impressive).

The site I uploaded to, Railpictures, relies on multiple reviewers. I scanned some of their archives, and there are photos with less clarity, worse light, etc. than this one. I suppose I just got a tough eye on my submission.

Photography sure is more difficult in the winter than the summer, though. The light never seems to be "perfect." This shot was taken at about 3 p.m.. I suppose for the perfect light, I should have taken it at 11!

[truflip]

I think the shot is great as is. I touched it up a bit, not sure if you will like it but personally, this is how I would prefer a shot like yours to look.. hope u dont mind :o

[zmikers]

Photography sure is more difficult in the winter than the summer, though. The light never seems to be "perfect." This shot was taken at about 3 p.m.. I suppose for the perfect light, I should have taken it at 11!

In my opinion, I prefer winter light as you always get really long shadows and it really makes for different photos than just typical summer sun. Every situation and lighting has its pros and cons for sure, but for the creative side, not typical light is better. You can even try backlit subjects from low sun to create yet a different mood. Be creative and try everything........

[steveLe]

well yea... the shot is a little bit over exposed because there were blown highlights at several areas. if you're taking shots for someone and they didn't want blown highlights, then it is best to fix it. but for personal reasons, over exposed images can create different moods, such as high key portraits. it is all a matter of taste really. as for the under sharpness, i did find it a bit under sharpened. for example the trees looked didnt have much definition in the branches. this can be fixed, but pixelation will happen.

well here is my attempt to fix the picture... im not sure if this is what you wanted but i removed the blown highlights in the more obvious areas and sharpened the entire thing a tad bit. added some tonal corrections to increase contrast.

also, for this type of railroad shot... a sepia or old style look to it is always nice =)

[AdamCKach]

How can I get the S3 to take a better picture? Can I? Or is that one of the limitations of the point and shoot?

[steveLe]

its rather hard for a point and shoot to take great photos... blown highlights is really common for these types of cameras. i would try to under expose a shot and then fix up the picture later in photoshop. if that is not your workflow, maybe try an HDR photo. the s3 is a great camera, and it can take GREAT pictures... but there are just some things it cannot do. happy shooting =)

[truflip]

use the live histogram. thats about the best thing u can do to get the best shots with the s3.. do u know how to use the histogram? also, always underexpose.. because u can always brighten the images on software. its a lot easier to do that than saving blown highlights =)

try not to use any of the in camera image enhancing features.. such as sharpness, contrast etc.. if u want to do that its fine but to get the best results its better to process the pics on the PC with Photoshop or PaintShop Pro X.

What else.. .dont use my colors also. also if u dont have a problem framing at full zoom, use the shoot only mode for IS.

also use the most basic settings =) it will give u the least artifacting and defects on your pics overall =)

hope this helps! :D