* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #797 / Revived #017 on 2023 07 26 *

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!

Where we are... (and why I have not been much online last week).

There is no wi-fi up there on the pre-Alps, and even cell phone reception is terrible.
But who wants to be online when you can have these views in real life?

Montepulciano. Italy. The Town Band. TheTown Square.
We heard the band tuning up so out we went. I saw this, realized what I had and fired away. Smugly proud of the shot I showed it to the horn player during a pause.
"Good, he said, but it isn't a new idea. Another tourist took the same photo two years ago."
Here it is complete with the Montepulciano Town Square, anyway.

Great shot and a really nice combination of colors. It's a kind of image which reminds me of my childhood, where I was way more often on meadows at higher elevations. I enjoy living in the Alps, but I've got to admit that the view in the pre-Alps with its lower peaks is very nice... Hope you have a great time there (I guess you're in Bavaria/Germany from the title?).

That's a funny story - always great to get a reality check 😂. I like the shot and the combination of golden tones from the instrument and the matching yellowish buildings + the muted nuances of the sky above are really nice. I also like the distorted shapes of the buildings, creating your own tiny version of the historic town square... and perhaps, if you find a way to get into this magical world, you may find a (somewhat distorted looking) tourist in there, who has been wandering around since two years, in this golden and frankly quite roundish square! 😉

It's nothing special really and quite a simple shot, but enjoyed creating it and I had SO much fun thinking of a matching title ("Gotta catch‘em all!"), that I have to show you:

Capturing a Bokeh-moon by simple.joy, on Flickr

Lava on East Beach
Here’s another one of my old favorites.
Taken on a visit back to England, looking over East Beach, Shoeburyness at low tide.
The sun was setting. The sky really was so orange/red that day, it was if lava was burning in the shallow water!

The pier on the right is “Barge Pier” and I have childhood memories of often going fishing there with my Dad and little brother. It was on MOD land and you needed a special permit to get there, but we had one :-)
Caught a few nice fish for dinner, and even caught and rescued a sunken boat once, but that is a different story 😉

Lovely shot.
Looks like the area where I live in the Pre-Alps in Austria.
You're right of course, the views are breathtaking, the air is clean and fresh, that blue haze in the distance gives lots of possibilties to show off the layers of the receding hills. It's nearly always a little cooler than down in the valleys below, but hiking keeps you warm and fit too. The cows add a nice touch to the shot, and I guess there's probably a mountain hut not too far away for a cool refreshing beer :-)

Nice idea, & perfectly executed.

Yes, looks like it was fun to create, but your title makes it special. Sort of other worldly :-)

Run, bike or sit...

Classic "nature" shot. There is something peaceful about it.

Great placement of the sun in this shot.
Wonderful atmosphere to end the day.

Great reflection in this trombone.

I like your experimentation with simple objects. Very effective.

Havana Rerun
Last week's heat emergency here gave me a lot of daytime hours to play with old pictures, so I fiddled with my 2018 Cuba images many of which were grabbed through the windows of speeding buses or from lurching carts on uneven streets and roads. So I tried out new LR and PS tools to see if some of the crooked and fuzzy shots could be salvaged and edited the way I'd originally hoped.

Oh I like your blue on blue interpretation. Blue '50's car against blue window frames works really well indeed. A rickshaw on a side of the street also adds interest.

University library located on Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein in Leuven - Belgium with a view on arches of the long corridor below.

The long corridor of the University library behind the facade on ground level.

Enlarge >click image> click downarrow