* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #785 / Revived #005 on 2023 05 03 *

This is an exquisite image with excellent clarity and detail. Saying the photo is sharp is valid but does not do it justice because it's more than sharpness that makes it so appealing. It's also the rich contrasting tonalities that make the image jump off the screen at us. It has a vintage feel to it that makes us willing to overlook those cars. The composition is nicely chosen, with the two tall masts on the left echoed by the two architectural peaks on the rigtht and a well angled waterway with a line we can follow, and a bit of reflection to savor. A really nice image that should print well.

Andrew, this is just wonderful. I have never seen a more appealing capture of dance recital. The warm/cool light/dark contrasts, the subdued but focused lighting and atmospherics set the state, literally, for wonderful photography opportunities. (And I am sure you used your PP skills to sculpt those conditions for the best possible use in your finished image). Catching this particular formulation with the central trio in their dramatic acrobatic moves was brilliant, with two totally airborne and the central one maintaining the lightest touch with the watery-looking surface, casting a shadow that grounds the group. The other dancers are arranged in a compositional line with the two on the ends as living parentheses. A really nice image that would be a delight to the parents of these young ladies.

Anyone who loves sports or loves someone who loves sports will recognize the crazed pride of local excitement that precedes a sport event between rivals, or the wild celebration after a win. Fans (short for fanatics) are packed together in their frenzy. The backdrop of nicely blurred flagwaving and historic buildings tells us more about where we are. The ubiquitous selfie-taking completes the moment. The V shaped opening suggests that this scene goes on forever...

And on they go forever - the rusted poles and their feathered guardians. These kinds of man made motifs like poles, wires, windmills, are ugly in their own right, and sometimes offensive intrusions into a beautiful landscape, but spotted/approached from a design standpoint, they do create interesting opportunities for photography such as what you've done here.

The odd object that appears to be a giant bristly robotic caterpillar crawling across the top of the foremost one and hanging down from it adds a little mystery. Either the others don't host their own caterpillars or we are too far away to see them.

Interesting shot.

Doesn't look like you're having too much trouble with black and white here. You have a full range of tonalities and a large very dark triangle occupying the upper 1/3 as a compositional device to focus the eye on the subject. I'm not entirely sure what it is but seems to be a stringed musical instrument. Focus seems to be constrained to a very narrow plane across the top but then there is a thin diagonal band of focus on the wooden understory that I don't quite understand you did it. Nonetheless I find it a quite pleasing image with some mystery to it.

Thanks so much for taking a look and commenting.

All the poles can be seen to have their own "caterpillars" (in various states of submission to the elements).

Rich

Glad to see you here Dodie, and hope you'll hang around. Share your images and your thoughts! I appreciate your detailed feedback. Such info always helps me take a step back from my images and my own feelings about them and see differently. With the Dam Birds, I am always interested in how a single image comes across as I tend to thnk of them as part of the larger body of work and not individually. Ideally, each should be able to stand alone.

I am not happy with the angry white egret, so removing him might be one option to try. He is not as thoroughly focused as I would like. Birds are often very disobedient models. I expected the blue to bolt first so I had him on focus tracking, and it was the egret who bolted instead, leaving me to try to clean up motion blur in post. Elimination is worth a try! But I am charmed by their squabbles so there's that.

This is a shot where I would defintely look at some post processing. You have an interesting composition with repeating bare limbed trees diminishing in size as they form a zig zag shape from front to rear. Unfortunately, the pattern isn't working as well as it might because the green foreground is too dark and the shape of the trees is lost against it. Consider brightening the foreground greens until they match the green of the mid ground.

Paula, I'm so happy that your dam birds are back, and that I get to enjoy them also! In this image, I wouldn't hesitate to add a face and beak to the GBH on upper left. Its absence is a little unsettling 😀

I tried cropping out some of the left side, but I kind of prefer a horizontal flip (see below). It's hard to express why I feel that way - something about access and balance, and the steps leading up and out in the direction we read and often view photos (left to right). I also would love to see more water action, though that is likely related to the many previous images you've captured at this unique and endlessly fascinating venue!

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Thanks Linda for the detail and the example. Yes it does work from that side, even to my familiar eye because that set of construction pieces is the same on the other side of the river and photos taken from that side might look exactly like this. I like encountering the squabbling birds first because they are the most interesting (and most of us read photos left to right). The other two are window dressing literally and figuratively. the top guy is paying no attention at all to the fight, has his head turned to see if there's a fish coming down the chute for him. The birds are attuned to the noise the chutes make as they open and close, and come "when called". Like ringing the dinner bell. I have other shots of him in profile in the set, so I could easily swap him out for another version of himself.

Appreciate your feedback!

I agree with Linda. The softer focus and darker areas work together to make the small brighter, sharper centre our subject. They provide a soft vignettebthat makes the image feel comfortable to the viewer. As does the predominating warm golden tone. The edges of the pool or river give further lines to the brighter centre.
Quintessential Autumn.

*Everyone, you need to look at this. the winner of the German Nature Photographer of the Year Award.
www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/stunning-symmetrical-kites-image-wins-nature-photographer-of-the-year

Rich42, Your shot is so close. As a nature shot the Award shot wins because the birds are closer and look in opposing directions. However, much of what gained the award for that German shot is also in your shot. As an image Rich, the repeating posts give your shot a strength of its own. Life/Infinity/fragility. It's there.
Well spotted.*

I am honored that you went looking for the dam birds. Yes, you are right that I miss being able to scramble down the riprap to the river's edge. It afforded me a different angle and a few feet closer but the new fake hip joint is not as trustworthy as the OEM and I'm not ready to put it to the test. I have a longer lens but the 50-200 I used here is much better, so I stick to it. I should start experimenting with the new enlargement tools in PS and LR to see if those will let me crop a bit further in and get by with it. For the most part, though, I prefer to shoot the dam birds with considerable context. I never intend them to be typical bird portraits. The construction you refer to fascinates me: the strange concrete shapes, the corroded iron pieces, the rocks, the everchanging water and light. I've always considered the dam as a stage set and the birds as the actors. And it is a treat to hear someone describe their initial impressions of the scenes by making a story of it!

SO- I very much appreciate the country family gathering view you shared. I constantly anthropomorphize the birds, assigning them human traits and motivations. It's part of the fun I have there beneath the dam. Should you ever want to see more of these things, or read about the project, here's a link to the closing report.luminous-landscape.com/the-dam-birds-luminous-endowment-grant-winner/

She's a very beautiful young lady. The composition with the use of the diagonal line from the bow along the nose and then the soft focus of the instrument along the other diagonal, works very well. The lighting is perfect in bringing out her perfection.
But it isn't an image I like. It sort of falls uncomfortably between two stools. Is it a glamour shot where the instrument is simply a prop? Is she really a musician? She may be, but if so here she looks directly at the camera and I'm not convinced that this is a musician at work.
You see my dilemma? Others of course may not feel the same. No problems at all with the technical expertise, to me, the subject simply doesn't ring true.

Thanks, Mike!

Ya want birds on poles? We got 'em. We can't keep 'em off the damn things! 😉

Rich

*So do I. A photographer needs a special eye to see the potential in a moment as every day as this. I can look at it two ways and I like them both. Firstly, no interpretation, simply appreciation of the observation of the patterns formed.
Secondly, my imagination goes into overdrive. The black shapes suggest capes and demonic beings. A nether world that sits hidden but lurks barely below the everyday. *

Quintessential Autumn photo, taken on April 30th. Lol.

Thank you for going into detail with your thoughts. I really dig what y'all saying with the contrast between the two types of focuses. I gotta keep an eye for similar situations again. I've stumbled into the idea, but I'm starting to understand it better. Shame finding good stuff to shoot is hard....or you know where exactly where it is less than a quarter mile from your house but it's dangerous and you're probably trespassing to go there...

She is an excellent musician.

www.instantencore.com/concert/details.aspx?PId=5089382

www.discogs.com/artist/7017356-Karina-Fox

I also made the publicity photo she used for those, which is more conventional.