* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #835 / Revived #055 on 2024 04 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!

TIVOLI - VILLA ADRIANA

Any visit to Rome is a treat for all the senses.
If you are there for the first time or for a short visit, there is plenty to discover and enjoy within walking distance from the big landmarks. Don't bother spending time going anywhere else.

But if your visit is a return visit or if you have more time available, it is a great idea to venture a bit outside of the city.
Taking a car into the surrounding Lazio countryside is a breath of fresh air.
A town worth spending a full day is Tivoli.

You can visit Villa d'Este there, a renaissance country palazzo of one of the rich families, with magnificent gardens.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_d%27Este

And you should certainly plan a stop at Villa Adriana, the sprawling estate where Roman emperor Hadrian created his private paradise.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian%27s_Villa

An impression (shot on an overcast and rainy day with dull light, in February 2015):

Musical Improvisation.

On Yucatan last month...

Buds are out

Went to a local garden in High Park, Toronto and saw the first sign of Spring. It was balmy +18C and just could not resist...

Been there and saw it, during film days...

I like your framing - the figure and the tree.
But, what if you lopped off the rhs and we would be left with image of the portal. I know context is great, but as an example of a different take...Maybe?
Image taker has a final word though.

Those colours!!! Love them. Hot and almost hazy. Very appropriate.

Great take on the musicians. Not a criticism, but I wish lhs had a little more...

Excellent b&w rendering.

Blue

When I worked with color reversal (slide/transparency) film, one of our favorite techniques to increase saturation on a rainy day or in dimly-lit situations was to very slightly underexpose. The dark, underexposed slide contained a lot of saturated color dye in the shadows which could be "dug out" with over exposure during the drum scan. It was tricky. More than 1/3 to 1/2 stop too much under-exposure and the color just went muddy and grainy. When it worked it could really "pop," with brilliant color against an otherwise grayish scene.

Digital sensors don't work in the same way. They don't like under-exposure. There's no excess of saturated dye material from a chemical reversal process in the shadows waiting to be exploited by a bright drum scanner light. Under-exposure usually just looks drab.

I made this exposure shortly after I had gotten my Fujifilm GFX 100S medium format camera. The lens is a Fuji GF 45/2.8 which I think is one of the greatest lenses the optical industry has ever made. I was just "test shooting."

The blue wall is in deep shadow as the sun is setting on the other side of the building and there is another building right behind my back, blocking skylight from that direction and adding gloom. The exposure is influenced a lot by the bright sky, so the shadows are really underexposed.

I'm amazed at how well I can dig color saturation and detail out of underexposure with the sensor of this camera. I like how the two spots of deeply-saturated red jump out and vibrate against the blue. And how the pool of yellow light from the overhead bulb and the sky tie together.

The "exposed construction" geometry of the wall just tops off the whole thing.

Rich

What an incredible scene. If I had come across this. I would fall all over myself photographing it.

The color and mood is wonderful. That sky and the clouds!

But . . .

I think there is too much here, with distracting elements. I completely understand that you wanted to get as much of the scene into one image. Yes, that's is extremely tempting. It's very hard to eliminate parts of a great scene. Sometimes it's painful. We never want to throw away anything. I would make this a "panoramic crop" of the bikes and shop.

I love the sky, but here's how I would edit the image . . .

Rich

There is a rhythm at work here in poses and attention in the eyes.
Almost like a musical rhythm of notes on music paper.
The unusual crop (cutting through some the musicians left and right) adds to the inspiration to look for pattern rather than for subject.

I did make a few images of only the nearest statue.
But I liked this version better, because of the added 3D depth of looking in the distance on the right hand side.
And I liked the reflection and the pattern it creates as a counterpoint to the nearest statue (which would be "just" a statue).

I hope this helps in understanding the creative choice.
Exchange of ideas is always fertile ground.

Learning Today, where Buddha once taught

Varanasi, or Benares, in India is the most holy place for Hindus, who make pilgrimages to take the water of the Ganges and to cremate their dead. It also happens to be the place of Buddha's first sermon, so it is a place of pilgrimage for buddhists too. Finally, it is a breath-taking and captivating experience for (western) tourists, who also make pilgrimages here!

Whilst in that third category, I photographed this group at the site where Buddha first preached.

Pete

Yes, I that was good thinking. If you block off the right hand half, then the statue suddenly gets mixed up with the arches and columns on the far side of the pool. Those statues and their reflections on the right not only balance, but give the brain some reference points to construct a mental 3D image of the scene, and then we see the statue standing in front of that far side, even though nothing has changed! The piece of railing coming in from the bottom right sets the angle and leading line continued by the statues and is an important element, not just an intrusion.
On the left, the large arch frames the tree, whose shapes fits into it so perfectly, and a second arch which frames the statue almost perfectly. Almost. It is a shame that the plume of the helmet cuts into the arch, but I guess perfection can be boring!

Pete

Yes, and I like the rhythm of the forearms.
I also think the tight crop cutting into the two women is pretty severe and sends a signal that they, and the group as a whole, are not really the subject. They funnel our attention towards the man, his fine bass and, most importantly, the roller-skate support, which is very amusing and no doubt the improvisation referred to in the title.

Pete

Special offer!! Two for the price of one!!

I actually like both Minnie's original and Rich's crop, and the results are different enough that they feel like two separate images.
I agree that the original has plenty to see, causing the eye to wander. However, the different elements of the paved and unpaved road, the building, the vehicles, the tropical trees, the construction work and the lovely sky, are all interesting enough in themselves, eaching adding a further facette to the picture, that I don't feel distracted, just invited to explore. Even the cables and posts running through the frame tell the viewer about the type of place, and form a frame of sorts at the same time.

That said, Rich's version cuts straight to the heart of the image and viewing this is a different experience. It is concise and to the point, but still leaving enough to project the character of the place and enough details for us to study. Maybe it feels a bit too cropped, although I haven't played to find a better, slightly wider one.
I agree, such a drastic crop is easier to do as a third party. The author sees the scene as photographed, and perhaps even has a mental picture of bits outside the frame, triggered by items inside, so it is often difficult to cut so much off the scene you saw.

In any case, the result is two fine photos.

Pete

I like the buds framed by the out of focus bare trees. I also like the fact that the left hand buds are a wrinkly! If the had all been perfectly formed, like the bud in the centre, it would not have been so interesting!
What worries me a bit is the focus. The buds on the right are not really important to the composition, but they are the sharpest and draw attention to that pasrt of the frame. I think it would be better if the wrinkly bud on the left was perfectly sharp or possibly the big one in the right of that group, as then the wrinkly one would still be acceptably sharp.

Pete

This is yet another quiet little unpretentious scene, which would normally be overlooked, but which works so well. The lines combine well and the colours are delicious, as too is the mixture of warm artifical light with warm natural light. The sign is all we see to tell us what this is, and the hint of an open door entices our mind's eye to enter and imagine what could be inside.

Pete