* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #855 / Revived #075 on 2024 09 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 a photo or photo-based image that you have made and get critique on it. And in return you give other people your honest but constructive opinion of their images.

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 or essay 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 or essay that you have made and would like to get comments on.
An entry can either be a single image or a short essay. With an essay we mean not a collection of random images without any connection, seeking C&C on more than one of them. We mean instead a limited number (3 to 10) of connected images that together try to tell a story, create a fuller picture of a situation, event or location, etc.
• Add a clear title to your post to distinguish your entry.
• Look at the other images/essays 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.
• Please stay on topic, i.e. concentrate on the image and the photographic comments, without getting into politics or other distractions. No non-photographic arguments.

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:
Unless the original poster specifically states (for every individual posting offered for C&C) that they do not want their image(s) to be downloaded, altered or reposted, it is understood that within the context of this thread, other participants are free to download and alter the posted image and repost it in a reply for C&C purposes. That reposted image may remain permanently within the week's thread, or you may remove it after a short period of time if you prefer. The downloaded and altered images are not to be used for any other purposes nor uploaded anywhere else than within the context of the C&C in this thread. 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.

Have fun, be respectful and let’s stick together!

VELDSTRAAT SWIMMING POOL

I shot new images for an upcoming update of the book "500 Hidden Secrets Antwerp".
One of the newly featured locations is a renovated Public Swimming Pool in the Veldstraat.

The pool dates from the early 20th Century and is a nice example of functional art deco style (not TOO many ornaments but done tastefully).

This image is an outtake that will not be included in the book.
For the book, more "objective" and less arty images are preferred.

It is very rare that a fisheye image gets selected by the publisher.
In this case, other, more classic images of the pool and some of the decorations were chosen.
I still like it though.

EXIF is incomplete because the Rokinon 7.5mm fisheye is a manual lens that does not communicate with the camera.
Aperture was probably close to wide open. Shutter speed was just good enough for hand-holding.

GOD'S RAYS

For much of the coming week I will be on planes and trains and exploring new places at all hours. I'll be back in a week or two.
Happy clicking everyone.

Happy & Safe Travels on your Planes, Trains etc.:

Early cast off

Funny, first 3 images today have water as a main component...

No doubt first shot is more interesting (imho) due to the fact that sun rays beam directly on the surface of the water and as a result lead viewer's eye towards the sky. Very calm and a appealing capture.

One of the best "feel good" movies out there. Highly recommend.

Had this lens in the past and switched to Oly 7-14 f2.8...

Great capture, looks like seen through the porthole window. Love the symmetry, water colour and the surroundings. Site may be older, but it's a classic and will never be repeated due to the architectural simplicity it evokes.

Abstract Distractions 2 - Revenge of the Graffiti.

Another set of abstract photos. This time it's is closeup details of multilayered graffiti. I was trying out my new 90mm macro lens while looking for things that caught my eye. Not sure if these are quite as successful as the water abstracts from last week.

Imprisoned

Much of nothing, the usual fare for a morning walk at the country house, bindweed and spiderwebs on the garden fence

Evidence of the ceaseless and inexorable push of life of all kinds, usually un-noticed. Until we stop and look.

Rich

Moving Bird

The last three weeks were spent on a family holiday with young grandchildren and no spare time or computer access.I didn't have much timefor photography, except very early. when everyone was still asleep.
The first week was spent on the Baltic coast, near a lake separated from the sea by a smill strip of land. At dawn, dozens of cormorants left the lake one or two at a time, flew out to sea to eat, then returned. This gave me ample opportunity to shoot hundreds of photos of cormorants, many of which looked good enough in camera, and I didn't want to shoot yet more. So I decided to set myself the challenge of shooting with a slow shutter speed to show movement in the wings, but still keep the head sharp. Needless to say this yielded a vast collection of blurry cormorants, some of which looked quite interesting, and a handful more or less as I envisioned. This is my favourite, with the cormorant lit from the front by the low rising sun.

Pete

Two tenuous shoots reaching for the sun. One seems to have found the way, producing a bloom in the process. The other lost it's way and was sidetracked. Is this an example of Darwinism in it's purest form? Even the spider web adds interest. Nicely seen!

Life at the Lagoon

Cormorants

Ducks

Damselfy

Dog

Top potion of the Amicolola Falls. To get close one has to go a quarter of a mile on steep uphill trail and than 175 steps up.

More of the waterfall

Pinocchio

I like the "grid overlay" caused by the wire mesh.

But I wonder if experimenting with shots from different angles (down low looking up for example) could make a more compelling image through the use of the perspective aspects of the mesh when viewed from different vantage points.

Below is just a basic simulation of what I mean which might give you some ideas to experiment with next time. I can't push the simulation too much because too much of the image would be lost in the crop.