Amtrak Dual - Variations of a Photo

As I stated in my previous post, HDR Photography Visually Explained, here is a post showcasing an HDR photo which has been processed with different effects. I was trying out different techniques to sharpen my skills and different styles to see what appeals to me.

The original photo, shown below, was taken as a series of 7 exposures and then combined into an HDR photo with HDRsoft’s Photomatix Pro. I like the photo very much. I feel it conveys the scene accurately and it is sufficiently detailed. (You can click on the photos to see a larger version.)

Amtrak Dual 1 - Variations of a photo number 1 - Original HDR photo. AMTK 460 (EMD F59PHI) and AMTK 161 (GE P42DC) are the power for their respective trains sitting idle at Los Angeles Union Station. [11/26/2011 - River Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

As I looked at the photo I thought the clouds lent themselves very well to a monochromatic treatment to I converted the image to a dark sepia version.

Amtrak Dual 2 - Variations of a photo number 2 - Dark sepia overall. [11/26/2011 - River Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

I am really fond of a lighter sepia treatment and some vignetting but I think in this case it doesn’t work well because the image is cropped too close on the right side to make this look work.

Amtrak Dual 3 - Variations of a photo number 3 - Light sepia overall. [11/26/2011 - River Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

Back to the darker image, I wanted to emphasis the trains a little more so I gave them a light colorization - which is one of Deb’s favorite looks.

Amtrak Dual 4 - Variations of a photo number 4 - Dark sepia overall and lightly colorized trains. [11/26/2011 - River Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

Finally, back to the lighter sepia version, I applied a heavy colorizing treatment to the trains without regard for the vignette and even applied a drop shadow to the trains themselves to make them “pop” off the page.
Amtrak Dual 5 - Variations of a photo number 5 - Light sepia overall and colorized trains. [11/26/2011 - River Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

I like photos #1 and #4 the best.  Which photo(s) appeal to you?