* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #804 / Revived #024 on 2023 09 13 *

It's intriguing. The image is dominated by symmetry but I have no idea what the object is. because the dof is very narrow, I can't make out even enough further detail to begin to unravel the puzzle. I feel (and here I'm guessing) that it might be necessary to interpret the object so that the symmetry inn the photo can be appreciated.

I think its an old axe or tool or something.

I like it and I think Salvadore Dali would have liked it as well. Everyday and homely objects from one world overlay another world. The white is especially effective in creating a dream like presence for the objects misplaced in space and time.
A landscape draped with surrealism. Nothing should be taken for granted as normal.

So I suppose this was on a ferry ride from Napoli to Sicilia.
Fond memories for me.
We were invited to the minuscule island Panarea in the summer after we had spent the winter in Bologna.
We slept on deck, woke up near Stromboli and enjoyed the view. Two weeks of bliss ensued.

Your image is minimalist and geometric.
Which is the only reason why I pay close attention to the geometry, and it feels like your railing is slightly off kilter.
Nothing that a minimal perspective correction in the horizontal plane could not fix (but your actual horizon is straight, AFAIKT, so it's a difficult one).
I would consider cropping this square, because the top of the sky does not add much further and it would become even more geometric.

I continue to be mesmerized by your wonderful macro images.
Here we have a magical surgeon at work, delicately closing up a skin wound with a thread made entirely of light and magic.
Love it.

It's good that there is a deity (or several deities) keeping a watchful eye here, because that electric connection is disaster waiting to happen.
Some people don't need lightning bolts from the sky to remind them of their mortality. They will gladly create their own.

Such a simple and effective representation of youth and decay.
Memento mori in flower form.
And technically very well done, with excellent DOF and exposure on the flowers, and a background receding gently.

We are quite firmly Through the Looking Glass here.
But is it Wonderland?
Or Neverland?
Or just Neil Gaiman's Underground in Neverwhere?

Fairy Tales are often Scary Tales.

In my personal experience, some of my best experiences have resulted from bad ideas.
'nuff said.

Instant Nostalgia.

This looks - to me - like a scene one might find on an old viewmaster frame.
Once upon a time, the colours were vibrant and realistic.
But they have faded (not all colours equally) and it creates a totally different, dream-like vibe.

We've had a few experimentally processed and composite images this week.
This fits in the row. But sadly, it is the one that resonates least for me.
I am basically just confused by the intention and execution.

I really want to learn what I am missing here.
Because it is not so that I am ONLY interested in straight-up documentary photography (although that is my preference).
I am also interested in ventures into more experimental graphic art with photography just as the starting point.

Sorry to disappoint, but we are all about honest feedback here,
so I feel that we should also (occasionally, gently, politely) say it when we don't get or even dislike an image.
Also that can spark an interesting discussion, even if it can be painful for the maker.

Interesting trip and well captured in your images.

Oddly, I am totally in love with the patterns that those pesky beetles create under the bark.
It may be damaging for the tree, but it looks really artistic, much like fossils in rock can be artistic.
I would not hesitate to take that piece of bark and frame it.

I really like quite a few of these, but the drill bit is genius.
I have never seen bokeh that was shaped quite the same and it is stunning.

I'm going to discuss these as a series put together to communicate a point. In doing this I may have misunderstood the purpose.

The series begins as though we are off on a ramble through the forests with an expert guide who will help us understand issues of forest management (and I very much enjoyed the paper map image and text.) It ends with photos around a specific beetle and the damage it causes.
All of that is fine. Plenty of interesting information with appropriate images.
My point is about the way the whole thing fits together. It feels like two photojournalism pieces within the one article and they sort of lose their way. One is general about a walk. One is specific about particular issue. As a series, it needs to be brought together with an introduction and rounded off with a conclusion. that links everything together. Probably it would be simpler to make them two separate series, or perhaps make the second a clear subseries?

Make one series and split them up like episodes. I'm interested to see it.

One of Australia's trees that I like a lot is the scribble gum. They have bark markings with much the same cause and show on the outside of the trunk. It was a fast search for the following and far more elaborate example are easily found in the bush.
www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/plants-and-animals/scribbly-gum

Before we start, that's a heck of a surfboard. This is either a very old photo or surfing fashions are changing or perhaps its a sailboard and not a surfboard?

Great title. We are between elements. Built for one but in transit in another. An intersection. The positioning of the surfer helps us feel the awkwardness.
Outstanding.

Lou, where has the image gone? I remember a boat at night and the lights. I have been looking for it to comment but it has disappeared?