The following are tips and tricks to help the photographer get images accepted on the site. It also outlines some photo editing techniques required to submit images here. It is impossible to cover all aspects of photography including photo eidting in a short paragraph of the written word, it is also impossible to summarize what can only be gained by experience. But in any event, the following are our suggestions

Note that if you are submitting substantially older photography (1960′s or earlier) we will give you significant leeway and/or offer our services to help you improve your digital editing skills – many of these guidelines need not apply.

First you need photo editing software. Microsoft photo editor/MS paint or the built in tools in most Windows/MAC systems do not cut it. However, there is a free Photoshop package now available that does MOST of the basics to get started available at https://www.photopea.com/
It’s completely free – no sign in, no sign up, no installation, nothing. We also don’t run it. It’s just a great site! just go to https://www.photopea.com/ and play with it. You want to learn: re-size , transform (rotate), and smart sharpen. Also try ‘auto’ in the ‘image’ menu to learn some of the automatic tricks.
If you have Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, or any other decent photo editing tool (Nikon or Canon tools are also good) then you should be able to do most of what you need. Please use online resources to learn how to edit or ask a friend who may be able to help you.
If you are scanning photos using a slide or flatbed scanner you’ll still need photo editing tools once you are done scanning.

Second, when submitting, make sure your photo is clean, levels adjusted (if it’s crooked, you will have to rotate until straight), re-sized using your photo editing software to 1280 pixels wide, and use ‘smart sharpen’ if you can in Photopea or Photoshop (100% 0.3 pixels for 1280 pixles wide) then save your photo. This gives you the best quality.

Third, if you are taking photos now you’ll need a high quality camera.
This means a removable lens Digital SLR or Mirrorless camera. If your camera cannot have the lens removed, then it’s not a high quality camera. The glass is the most important part of a camera and if you can’t remove the lens, what you have is cheap glass. Point and shoot (fixed lens, cannot be changed) and phone cameras do not presently elicit the best image quality – not to say we won’t consider a good looking shot from a point and shoot, but it has to be GOOD. Video captures? Forget it please, they just don’t have the sensor and lens quality of a still photography camera, even with a 4K Video rig. Phone camera? Also highly suspect quality – again very tiny sensors, poor glass, dust, dirt… it’s an uphill challenge and you have to be on top of your game to get a phone-camera image approved.

For the folks scanning prints or slides:

Scanning a print or slide is VERY hard work to get right – not only are you scanning a photo, it will be dusty, off colour and might even have edges of the slide/print. It has to be substantially cleaned up before you can submit it and it’s a LOT of work. Need help? We can offer help – contact us. We have a team of experts and volunteers willing to help for peoples’ collections.

General photo editing tips that apply to all photographers:

* Always sharpen your photo AFTER re-sizing, digital or slide/film scan. 1280 pixels wide, use PhotoPea/Photoshop smart sharpen, 100% 0.3 pixels after re-size.
* Make sure your image is properly exposed, paying careful attention to the main subject matter. Avoid lost highlights or shadows where possible. If a slide scan, adjust exposure in scanning software if too dark. If a photo is under exposed, brighten it.
* The main subject of your image must be sharp, and in focus. Some slight focus issues or sharpness issues can be solved with sharpening. Try it.
* the photo must be level. It’s easy to make a photo crooked, even when scanning. But it’s just as easy to rotate in photo editing software. (in Photopea, file -> free transform). Do know almost every photo posted by some photographers is rotated.
* We do not accept photos with obvious objects added or removed on this site.
* You are permitted to make corrections to the photo such as: colour, exposure, white balance, highlights, shadows, dodging/burning, but please avoid use of HDR, if it looks obvious that you use HDR we’ll pass.
* if you push your shadows too far and we think it looks unnatural we’ll pass.
* White balance must be correct – for both digital and slide scans. Tutorial for correcting found here:

http://www.eyefetch.com/tutorial-white-balance-ps.aspx

And photo composition tips such as the below:

* Make sure your image lacks clutter, such as poles, wires, weeds or other obstructions that are superfluous to the scene.
* Try not to leave too much dead space in your image, such as too much forest or brush. Do include buildings or structures though that add to the scene.
* Any content that is not deemed worthy of the subject matter of railpictures.ca may be rejected
* Photos that put crews at risk of reprimand from management, and photographers obviously trespassing and/or in dangerous situations may not be accepted or even removed after acceptance.
* The editors/moderators reserve the right to reject a picture for any reason, submission and re-submission will NOT guarantee acceptance.

And of course, the stuff that you can’t see until it happens:
* If too many photo submissions from the same location occur, we’ll start to pass on over-shot locations. The first good photo may get in, but any afterwards may not if a group of people stood in the same spot and you all submit your photos on the same day or on the same week. We may ask you to hold your shot for later even if it’s perfect. (First post will win!)
* The same for certain trains or subject matter types – if we grow tired of something, you may not be accepted. We may also ask you to hold onto it for later.
* The same for types of weather – while we never grow tired of sun, cloudy shots have their limits.
* Also drone shots, if you submit too much of the same thing, we may grow tired of it. Whatever you do, don’t over do it! Have variety in what you do.
* If you are going to shoot from the same locations or the same station platform, sorry, but we want you to get out of dodge and show some variety in your work. We have limits. We’ll tell you when it’s too much. Station platforms are also horrible places to shoot trains on a regular basis. One or two OK, after that, sorry, no.

* We are a group of volunteers, and each moderator may accept or reject different pictures. We also may make a mistake. So it does not hurt to try again later if you think your photo is as good as what is otherwise on this site. We appreciate your patience. If you have any questions, don’ t hesitate to contact us.

For moderator policy, see site terms and conditions.

One Comment

1. Stephen C. Host

   April 24, 2018 at 5:39 pm

   See moderator policy. It outlines what we’re looking for Jerry.