Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #836/Revived #055 on 2024 04

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.

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

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!

Peruvian Pipes. Canberra.

Great colours in this very authentic capture. The wristband adds to understanding the event.

Waiting

I was lucky to find locally what seems to be a pretty good 2nd hand copy of a MFT Pana Leica 100-400mm, to pair with a 2nd hand G7 I had bought later last year.
I never thought I would crop tight like this and it is an experiment open to discussion, but seems appropriate to highlight the in focus areas (DoF is much shallower than my FZ300 bridge camera and is going to take some learning to get some depth).

Well, ideally we would like to see this specimen in full, but you must have had a reason to concentrate on this particular section of it. To me, the most interesting is the intricate wing shape and design. It's rather incredible, together with the rest of the torso and head. It's a study in entomology.

Eye Contact

A street photo from the crowded streets of Varanasi, India, taken whilst on a night walk to the Ganges.

Pete

The symmetry is what stands out at first. In fact it almost looks like the right-hand side is a mirrored clone of the left. Of course, that is not the case.
The arrow of the quay points across the water to the low shore and the attractive sky. The benches look as though they are no longer talking to each other, but they balance the composition and, by facing across the water as well, invite the viwer to do the same.

This is an attractive minimalist composition, and, good as this version is, I wonder if a less contrasty and saturated sky and water would help that quiet, minimalist scene.

Pete

Yes, and I like her expression as she seems to concentrate on her music and is lost to the outside world.

Pete

Three roses
.

Barber Shop on Roatan -

Kids with iPhone

My grandkids, 2010.

The good old days when cell phones were not quite as ubiquitous as today and kids had to share their dad's phone when they were allowed for a few precious moments.

Rich

I love pan pipe music, so it's interesting to see a close up image of a musician playing one. Looks like she's wearing traditional clothing as well. You chose a nice angle, got lighting and focus just right. Nicely done.

A couple of your signature lonely benches! Cleverly composed with the corner of the pier angled so that it forms a peak pointed at the horizon, and the two benches face away from each other. The benches sit on the two far edges of a barely visible diamond shape that is nestled inside the pointing corner, lending the image an understated geometry that is very engaging. The limited colors are bright and rich, and the clouds lovely.

I think this one would yield an interesting monochrome conversion as an alternative.

Well done.

Congrats on finding a good lens that's affordable. New toys take some getting used to, but it's a fun learning experience. It's a nice closeup, though I find myself missing the rest of the wings and being a bit distracted by the slightly OOF rear parts. It might help to darken the light coloring of that part. I think the brightness is more distracting than the OOF. The OOF area is expected.Background is nice and colors are lovely.

Good titling helps secure a viewer's understanding of the photographer's intent. The man we are facing, who takes up half the frame, is not the subject, but instead is context for the real subject, who peeps at us from behind her extensive coverings as she walked unseen by men who are in modern dress. There is a depth of emotion in those eyes but it's hard to read. Thought provoking shot.

Three lovely spring rose blooms in glorious color and detail, with beautifully unfocused backgrounds. The middle one is my favorite even though it is not technically the strongest due to slight loss of focus in the middle/top petals; the colors are so beautiful, the contrast with the background so interesting, and there's that wonderful little hole in the speckled leaf. Thanks for a lovely set.