• Members 1585 posts
    Aug. 5, 2023, 9:17 p.m.

    Nice catch. I especially like the houses nailed to the sky.

    I love upside down pictures. One of my favorite kinds of fun shots. Yours is done your way with color work, putting your own now recognizable stamp on it.

  • Members 1093 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 6:09 a.m.

    Excellent capture of a gallery window and gallery subject. Given the history, the window could be considered a subject as well. Were the walls pure white or achieved in pp? Either way it is a good effect highlighting the b&w sculpture and the stained glass colours.

  • Members 787 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 7:35 a.m.

    I appreciate this for the experiment: two photos of a beach or two beaches, made from what I presume to be a moving train, and showing us two different atmospheres: one bright and sunny, the other overcast and more gloomy.
    In both, the nearby scene is motion-blurred, while the farther distance seems sharper (as is normal with drive-by photography). The fleeting character of human presence versus the stability of the bigger nature forces?
    The photos give me something to think about. But I don't particularly like them beyond that.

  • Members 787 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 7:38 a.m.

    I continue to be amazed by the universes you find in your kitchen.
    May I make a special mention of the quality of the light in this one.
    There is light reflecting of and being absorbed by glass (I think).
    And there is light reflected by sheet metal.
    Their quality is very different one from the other. And they work perfectly well together.

  • Members 787 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 7:41 a.m.

    The difference between two treatments of the same image is interesting because both invite to look closer, but the center of attention is different.
    In the colour version, it is the house/cabin for me.
    In the toned B&W version, my gaze is drawn towards the mohawk haircut that comes over the hill.
    In both, I like the fog, but it has more of a visceral presence in the B&W.
    And of course, I always like a nice diagonal leading line from the bottom left corner to draw the eye inescapably into the image.

  • Members 787 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 7:45 a.m.

    This is a wonderful way to combine modern art with classic architecture, emphasizing the similarity of a see-through quality shared.
    It's perfect also that the sculpture seems to be looking towards that window, leading the viewer.
    Really well done: a masterclass in how the best way to show an artpiece is not always the most conventional way (the conventional way being a frontal or sideways frontal view). It helps to consider the artpiece as a "living thing" and to consider its own feelings and perceptions, and then to express these. Love it.

  • Members 876 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 8:40 a.m.

    Lovely image. For me, it shows what hiking is all about; great views, walking along well kept paths, mostly fairly safe but always having to be careful, especially as you get tired after a long hike.
    In this shot we also have the anticipation of heading towards the "unkown" hidden inside the mist. Great how the path leads our eyes through the various layers in the image. The person adds the hiking with a friend context, and tells the story!
    Looks very similar to the types of hiking I do with my wife here in Austria :-)

  • Members 876 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 8:52 a.m.

    Good shot !! I like it.
    I prefer the B&W best.
    The toning looks OK to me, but maybe I would have pulled the darkest shadows down a bit to make that dark hedge row line even more contrasty and distinct from the rest of the bright mist. IMO it does needs rotating a bit to the left to make the building and trees stand up straight.

  • Members 876 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 8:54 a.m.

    Nice place for a well earned rest!

  • Members 876 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 9:05 a.m.

    The cheerful pastel colours of the houses here make up for the darker surroundings and foreboding sky :-)
    Images like this of Scotland remind me to go back soon for another holiday. And, if you go there expecting rain you are certainly not going to be disappointed.
    That rain makes the times when the sun comes out and the light is fantastic even better :-)

  • Members 876 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 9:06 a.m.

    As others have mentioned, it is a great portrait !

  • Members 876 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 9:15 a.m.

    Very good!
    Nicely composed and processed, Good title.
    The gentle pastel colours of the window and the B&W sculpture contrast well with each other.
    That completely white space between them keeps the image simple, not allowing any distractions to cloud the message,...
    For me, all the symbols make up a person of learning, still looking through the window for inspiration.

  • Members 1662 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 9:27 a.m.

    Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful comments and interpretations - I'm really glad you found it interesting!

    As @RoelHendrickx correctly guessed, the main thing in this is glass. It's actually only glass (& light), but I get why a couple of people guessed there's metal involved. It's a beer glass shot from the top and there's a big crack in it. It's a glass like this, which creates the nice round shapes:
    stoelzle-lausitz.com/cdn/shop/products/2100019_800x.jpg

    It was fun experimenting with the lighting and I was very surprised to find out that it's possible to get the shape of the crack relatively well defined.

  • Members 876 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 9:32 a.m.

    I like the first best.
    Maybe a bit ragged at the edges, but still strong enough to offer support and protection for that little spotted beetle ;-)
    Hope the family situation can be solved soon!

  • Members 876 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 9:34 a.m.

    Great compostion and colours here, especially the first. Well spotted!

  • Members 523 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 12:22 p.m.

    Thanks very much! I've come to appreciate how many ways there are to edit this. Regarding the slight leaning, someone pointed that out in another forum, but my unorganized self chose the unstraightened file to re-edit for this critique. Next time 😀

    Many thanks, Roel. I really like your description of the fog. And you're the first to mention a mohawk haircut!

  • Members 711 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 3:22 p.m.

    Thank you!

  • Members 533 posts
    Aug. 6, 2023, 7:32 p.m.

    One of the Fellowship is heading out of the Shire towards the Misty Mountains and on to the mountains of Mordor. If you have read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit you will know the green, fertile, friendly Shire and the dangers in the Misty Mountains and the horrors of Mordor, and that is what this photo suggests to me. The foreground is homely and friendly, with a path leading to the mysterious, mist-shrouded hills and the high, gaunt mountains in the distance.

    The pathway winds its way through the layers of landscape and takes the viewer’s eye with it and the image would have been fine without the mist, but it is so much better with it! We cannot see the entire landscape and can only guess what is coming, which is an experience similar to the walkers themselves would have, as every turn, clearing and summit of high ground reveals new sights.

    It is a delightful landscape with a story, but very different stories for the walkers themselves and the non-participating viewers.

    Pete