* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #800 / Revived #020 on 2023 08 16 *

Hasselblad 501c, 40 mm lens, TX.

Excellent capture! He looks determined to persue his freedom, despite the arm behind him reaching for/trying to hold him… Can‘t argue with the happy face though! Some people need to stay on the road and don‘t like to settle down… 😉

More rock

Good "street" shot with a pose you couldn't have asked any more of than they gave you unknowingly. You have all four faces with interesting expressions unblocked by obstacles or by one another. I have never been able to get reconciled with selective color but this one sort of works for me, so much so that I was persuaded to try it on one of my photos. I might still like the one with the pretty green foliage best though. Whatever way presented, though, I'd be tempted to get rid of that white spot at the top edge of the frame that's a kind of eye magnet - could be cloned or cropped without losing anything of value.

Ruby Falls intrigued me as a small child, and intrigues me still as a photograph. I can still find all kinds of magical shapes - animals, plants, goblins, fairies, hiding in the flow of the formations. Photographically, you have captured the vibrant colors and tones in there, and created a scene that's easy to enjoy because of the way the different sections interact with one another, and also because of the way the three areas of dark shadows bracket the natural design forms allowing us an easy exit on the open right side. The lower advanced edge gives the eye a path to follow or the feet a path to walk. It is not easy to find a composition in a cave, but you've done so.

I am not sure whether to laugh or run away in fear. And with your quirky creativity I am not sure you found a real birdhouse decorated this toothy way or whether you found the birdhouse and decorated it as part of your editing. Either way, it is eye catching, both comical and ghoulish at the same time. The colors enhance whichever route you take. I'm a little squeamish about it since I've spent much of this week in the office of my oral surgeon, and having nothing at all to smile about. Thanks for an interesting offering.

Observing indeed, in two different ways. We have one praying/meditating, one taking a ritual bath (I think) and two (three if we count you) people observing the observers and taking their pictures.Compositionally the various observers (except for you) are set in a stair step formation, each slightly above the next creating a diagonal that goes right to left then hits a switchback and turns back right. The geometry is marvelous, the cultural illustration is excellent. It is a great capture.

The rich greens are so dominant that they become the subject. The backdrop of misty sinuous peaks recede into the distance and a beautiful, dreamy backdrop. It's how one who's never been there (like me) would imagine a lesser-developed Hawaiian paradise. The capture looks pre-digital, which suits the subject matter. Beautiful.

Your old cars are always masterful, Andrew, and this lemonade-colored Pontiac is certainly one of your finest. Though the monochrome is elegant and period-perfect, I still prefer the color because the hues are so perfect and the contrast between the pastel yellow and the rich blues in the sky is so striking. My parents had a Pontiac convertible of similar vintage when I was a small child, and it was the first car I remember, so there are some familiar features that grab me on a personal level. I like the perfectly balanced symmetry, and the low angle of the shot right directly into its "eyes". Lovely work.

BTW I too have bought a stuffed puffin in Newfoundland, though on the other end, in the gift shop at Anse-Aux-Meadows I believe. And, as I added grandsons, others on Grand Manan and in Port Clyde ME. I love puffins and wish I'd had more luck with them photographically, but similar to you, had my only chances from boats that could have been featured in "Dangerous Catch".

The model is an interesting fellow, and the shot is well set up and well taken. I suspect the colors of his attire were created in the same way the foliage and bench were (your creative color magic wand), but he seems a man who would feel quite confident wearing purple polka dots if he wanted. His casual position in the enclosure of the bench lets us read the photo left to right, and follow the line of his thoughtful gaze beyond the boundary of the image. His sight line is parallel to the lines of the bench, making the composition very harmonious. Nice work.

Welcome back Jim, we've missed ya!

This is a fun image to consider. The young man is clearly on the run and happy to be so. Whether that disembodied hand is someone trying to catch him or some artifact left over from himself a few seconds earlier is a question for the viewer to decide, though the photographer knows the answer. An impediment he is joyfully escaping? A trap he's unaware of? A spirit being in hot pursuit? The urban background is as solid as a stage set, and he is quite alone in it, except for the ghostly pursuer. Fine visual puzzle, thanks for sharing.

Well composed cityscape that could almost be "real" colors if we image these are cherry trees in bloom. I suspect they are not, and instead are IR renderings of leafy trees against a bright sky. The clouds have lost some detail and I don't know if that is because of the capture or the processing. I like that you have the leading line of roadway coming in at the lower left and advancing to its vanishing point at the enter. That makes for an easy-to-read image, and good locations for those bushy trees.

I'd glad to be out of skilled nursing, where I was recovering from a fall.

The disembodied hand is the smiling guy's girlfriend, from the way they were acting. Glad you picked up on the solid background. This series is called Alone in a Crowd, and is about travel, loneliness, the permanence of the old train stations, and the evanescence of those who pass through them.

Thank you for your critique ... I'd like to read more opinions on that bright spot as I think I deliberately left it it.. My thinking now is that that bright area gives a reason for the two participants looking up -- one with sun glasses and the other squinting. Also it made the viewer -- you -- look up, imitating those two! ... What I thought when I did it is long forgotten .... but maybe ... What do you think???

WhyNot

As I emerge from the leftover fog of a surgery I had yesterday, I share in your celebration of escaping the medical complex one more time.

I believe that one sign of a good image is how much story it permits the viewer to write. This one allows a great deal of latitude while providing great props, character, and setting.

I'm a big fan of ambiguity in photographs.

I like your portrait - it's quite experimental because of the colors, but I feel like it does work. However in its current state it is a little bit too drastic for my taste. There's just too much contrast and not enough which keeps the person connected to the surroundings. Here's how I would try to solve that:

Of course if your intention is to make him feel out of place there, than that's not a good idea... 😅

Once more a really interesing and unique shot - excellent work!