* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #822 / Revived #042 on 2024 01 17 *

Welcome to the Wednesday Comments and Critique (No Theme & No Brand) thread!

We are dedicated to continuing the great tradition of this C&C thread because we are convinced that looking at, and talking about images is vital for better photography.

Our tried and tested concept (15 years and running!) is a weekly "peer-to-peer" photo comments & critique encounter, in which you GIVE and RECEIVE.

The idea is simple: you post an image and get critique on it, and in return give other people your opinion of their images, or vice versa.

Any Theme, Any Camera, Any Style, Any Subject.

We are still figuring out how to create the convenience of threaded view on this new forum. For now, let us agree that you post an image with a title and short explanation, and that all comments include the image as a quote. Replies to comments may or may not include quotes.

THREAD GUIDELINES – THE SHORT & SWEET VERSION
• This thread does not care about brands. It’s not about the tool, but the image.
• Post one image that you would like to get comments on (exceptions: see below).
• Add a clear title to your post to reflect the image’s title and distinguish your entry.
• Look at the other images and give your comments on at least one of those.
• For comments, try to go beyond a simple pat on the back or a short dismissal.
• Do you like an image (or essay) ? Try to explain WHY it appeals to you.
• Negative feedback is OK (we all want to learn), but be polite and constructive. Try to explain why the image (or essay) does not appeal to you and how it might be improved.

We will start with single images.
Re-establishing our C&C for essays will be a next step.
Please limit any individual contribution to a single image. This avoids confusion.

The critique you give is vital.
What was your first impression? What catches your eye about an image? Why?
What do you like, and what distracts you? What would you change?

Fiddle with the image in your head - composition, perspective, color balance, exposure.

PLEASE NOTE CLEARLY:
It is understood that unless the original poster specifically states that they do not want an altered image posted that you are free to alter the posted image and repost it in a reply for C&C purposes (no use for other purposes!). That reposted image may remain permanently or you may remove it after a short period of time if you prefer. No copyright disputes here!

Encourage - it is a scary business putting your work up for other people to judge!

More general feedback is also welcome.
Do you know something about taking the same sort of image that would make matters easier - share your own as an example in your reply.

And finally, here are some useful hints for navigating and familiarizing yourself with the forum mechanics of DPRevived:
• Unfortunately, there is no threaded view (yet). We can’t simply keep images and their related comments together like we used to. So please make clear about which image you are commenting.
• To do that, you may make good use of the “quote” feature. This allows you to keep the image in your reply. Excess content can be deleted. The “preview” button allows you to look at what you are going to post.
• There is a difference between the “reply” button that sits at the top of the forum, and the reply buttons under every post.
• A few threads in this new forum with useful navigation information:
dprevived.com/t/how-to-use-this-site/387/
and
dprevived.com/t/how-to-embed-photos-into-your-post-directly-from-flickr/456/
(this applies also, with modifications, to other photo hosting websites)
and
dprevived.com/t/how-to-quote/1014/
Have fun and let’s stick together!

ALHAMBRA

It is too soon after our return to have even looked at the RAW files of roughly 2000 photos I made (with Oly EM-1 and Pana LX100Mkii) during our travels in Andalucia and a bit of more eastern Spain (Valencia, Murcia province).
But I can share an Iphone image (or a few of them).
Last week's one was a quite heavily processed image (desaturation etc) from an indoor scene.
This one also had some tweaks (colour, contrast, etc) but it is an outdoors scene on a glorious day.

I have two shots to share, quite different and also made with very different lenses. Both were used outside of their intended application:

A fleeting visit only... by simple.joy, on Flickr

This was shot with an USSR cine lens (made for a smaller movie camera format).

Old lenses? Mount em, shoot mountain. by simple.joy, on Flickr

And this one captured with a 1950s repro lens from Germany, optimized for a magnification of around 1:1.

2 Tone reflection

Weather was certainly on your side. Brilliant light, water, very still reflection and the angle - it all plays very well into great shot.

Love that single bright red leaf. Brilliant!

Hard Working

Gangtok is built on a steep hillside in the Himalayas. The main streets are fairly horizontal, but there are alleys joining them with steep flights of steps, which simply follow the slope of the hill. This means the multi-storeyed buildings have a ground-floor entrance to nearly every storey into the little shops, bars, restaurants, workshops and homes. The living and working conditions look hard, but the alleys are fun (and tiring) to explore.

Pete

Most of the image is dark and out of focus, except for the lenses at its centre. Here the world is sharp and we see bright colours, and some of the shapes are organic, and not straight and rectangular as they are in the surrounding area.The shapes and colours are attractive in an abstract way. This contrast between them focuses our attention and interest, but we can still only guess at what we are seeing. A room with blinds and plants, provide clues, but not answers. I like having my imagination aroused and left to ponder.
The spectacles are designed to help us see sharply, but this plays no role here. The sharp areas are simply reflections, and the sharpness comes from the lens of the camera focusing on the plane of the reflection and not on the object itself. It adds another little twist to the image.
There is even a little philosophical point, if you like. Human ingenuity has invented a device to help us see sharply, but it doesn't tell us what we see. That is still left up to us.

Pete

Yes, its colour and sharpness in a world fading into blur and grey. Even though the red colour reveals it is only one step away from death, it seems vibrant and full of life.
The bokeh of the lens is very attractive and you have shown if off well with your choice of subject. Nice one.

Pete

A Study of Winter Leaves -
The country house over the weekend doesn't provide dramatic opportunities but makes me look a little closer. This set does have a purpose though, as I'm trying to identify the trees on my place, and leaves are the best help. These are all really big leaves, thought that was as good a place as any to begin.

Food Mart

WhyNot

Interesting .. a bit Etcher like, a bit disorienting.... I find it difficult to understand where I am standing -- apparently on street level with another street/alley below. I originally thought the man was hard at work in a basement workshop but with the alley below I can't be certain. I thought that I would have gotten down to a lower angle to keep the cord from intersecting the man but then I wasn't there and really have no idea what options there were or how such would change my view ... Not sure I like this but it certainly keeps my attention which is all we can really want here ....

WhyNot

Great series. You have provided us with amazing array of leaves in various stages of decay. But, among grey, brown and beige there is this beautiful yellow example of Flora, which to me captures it all. Excellent.

Thank you for kind synopsis. We all see and interpret simple objects differently. This image was just asking to be captured...

Great eye you have to capture this highly unique contrast of dark environment vs lonely figure bathed in light. Signage on the right is an excellent addition to the whole scene.
Well done!

Like your pp. It's like an image from a different era, but given the name very current.

"The Bright Lights From The Cold Ground"
Looking up at the lights doesn't help any more than looking down at them.

Tasty!

Rich