* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #792 / Revived #012 on 2023 06 21 *

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!

PARIS

Finally I have again a computer that allows me to select and process large numbers of images efficiently.
This will allow me to finally get cracking on my backlog of images from travels in the past few years.

These two are from a short break in Paris, almost two years ago.
The period when Christo had gift-wrapped the Arc de Triomphe.
But I was not only interested in that temporary installation.

When visiting a city that I (and millions of other tourists) have visited before, I try to find new angles on well-known sights.
Getting the exactly required elevation for a vantage point that I have previsualized in my head, can be a tricky proposition, but very rewarding.

Excellent - I really like both of these. Very impressive that you were able to line them up so well. I feel like the first one might look wonderful as silhouettes as well...

I thought, I'd continue with the theme of striving for "world-peas"... shouldn't be too hard, I hope. 😉

Someone didn‘t get the dresscode… by simple.joy, on Flickr

As with most of your previous macro adventures, there is much to enjoy here : technically well executed shots of an interesting concept and always with a general sprinkling of visual and verbal humour. I really loved how you created the illusion of small peas being large apples in a previous week.

In this case, there is less of an illusion of size and scale, because of the spoon.
But that is not really a problem, because we see here a good collection of peas-in-a-pod (err, spoon).
I like it that you have not selected only perfect specimens : the most prominent pea is clearly a bit crumpled.
But that just adds interest. There is a story of inclusion and tolerance beneath the surface here.

The pink little ball with its almost polka dot pattern creates a good visual contrast and tension.

But what appeals to me most here, probably, is actually the pea-shaped light bulbs and bokeh below the spoon.
Those take this image to the next level.

I do hope that you will continue surprising us with your visual smiles.

[quote="@RoelHendrickx"]
PARIS

Finally I have again a computer that allows me to select and process large numbers of images efficiently.
This will allow me to finally get cracking on my backlog of images from travels in the past few years.

These two are from a short break in Paris, almost two years ago.
The period when Christo had gift-wrapped the Arc de Triomphe.
But I was not only interested in that temporary installation.

When visiting a city that I (and millions of other tourists) have visited before, I try to find new angles on well-known sights.
Getting the exactly required elevation for a vantage point that I have previsualized in my head, can be a tricky proposition, but very rewarding.

First of all, it concerns the preference and that is the first photo, both the combination of colors, the light on the Eiffel Tower and the composition.
I personally find the second picture less aesthetically pleasing because the image of this queen comes across as suggestive from behind rather voluntarily dominant, which detracts from the composition, but the first one is truly masterfull.

Lou

YELLOW

A sudden accumulation of pollen (from pine) appeared on Lake Huron this summer, site not seen in 25 years. Probably global warming is the cause...

I prefer the first one more.Tall and long, towers complement each other very favourably. The light in the middle is very pleasing. Well captured.

Peas and more peas.
The inclusion of a pink ball among peas is a winning ticket. And all bathed in wonderfull bokeh results in very interesting capture. Well done.

Hello SJ,
I am into polyhedra: Platonic, Archimedean and Johnson solids and the many more irregular ones. Do you know the name of that particular one? I can decipher the shape from your pic two weeks ago: octagonal ends, a row of florets and a row of hexagons either side of the centre. I used to spend many hours playing with 3d software modelling different dome types as a structural shell - but never built one...
And the pic is your usual captivating style. I particularly like the shiny reflection under the front edge of the spoon. An idea to expand on?

Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same

Malvina Reynolds
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cjk0zst3Cs

As I took the shot, the song popped into my head. However, I am not at all confident of my execution of the concept.

Your comment about new angles on well known sights (and sites) is great advice for hobbyists too, and I thoroughly enjoy viewing the results whenever someone does so.

Attempting such is a great reward in itself. I've enjoyed the challenge on a much more modest, local scale, usually with weekly themes on Create 52 Photography Project (Facebook).

Thanks so much for the continued inspiration, Roel.

Utterly delightful!!

Including the yellow tie-off is a detail I'd probably not have thought to look for and I admire your keen eye very much! Crumbling concrete and the rust are visually powerful. I think we do need the descripton of what's on the water in order to understand fully what you were shooting. Part of a storytelling series, perhaps?

I wrote some Matlab code to do some more processing on the graffiti images:

Wave Jumpers

(Sorry, but I'm obsessed with the birds again so you'll be inundated with them till I get through this phase. Old friends know I am addicted to the birds).

As always, I am unsure about the crop, but have already removed some dead space right upper quadrant. I'm also unsure about straightening. None of the dam angles are actually straight, they are all tilted to allow water to move downriver, but it is distracting from a visual geometry standpoint.

Better viewed large.

I look forward to your images every week. I love what you're doing with the OOF areas.

The pollen you see along the lakeshore is most likely tree pollen especially pine. High pollen amounts and prevailing winds have caused this cumulative affect.
The amount of pollen can be affected by factors such as temperature, humidity and wind. An American study found that pollen amounts from all sources have increased up to 21% between 1990 and 2018.

Climate change is probably a contributing factor. Warmer weather signals plants to bloom, pollen seasons are starting earlier and lasting longer. Additionally, greenhouse emissions increase the atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, a gas that stimulates plants to increase the production and release of pollen.