• Members 1653 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 2:13 a.m.

    This looks anything but clumsy It's most graceful. It works marvelously in black and white. The visual puzzle of the spiraling stairway draws our eye down whether we follow the white, the gray or the filigree lines. Placing the composition at this angle makes the downward journey more rhythmic and thus more visually pleasing. It might could stand a small crop from the left to limit the white space to more of a triangle and keep the geometry more balanced. Lovely.

  • Members 1653 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 2:17 a.m.

    Beautiful trio that works so well in a grouping arranged just as they are, with thee left and right bookends pressing inward and the central image pressing upward. I love the colors here. That mixture of green and white, hidden light and subtle shadow, is just beautiful. There is a tactile softness and a sense of movement that is very compelling. Great work.

  • Members 761 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 3:09 a.m.

    Clumsy? I wish I were so clumsy. I love this beautiful composition and tones.

    Rich

  • Members 1662 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 6:24 a.m.

    These two are particularly great! Love the light in both of them - a wonderful reminder of the beauty all around me. Excellent work!

  • Members 1178 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 12:24 p.m.

    Your pictures capture the scale of the cathedral and I immediately think of the effort that must have gone into it's construction. Although the people are focused on the fresco, the stained glass captures my eye. I found a reference to the blindfolded busts but no mention of what they represent.
    Your pictures of the two towers portray a sense of their height and are nicely contained by the archway. It was good to find a pic from a distance to get another perspective and learn that the taller is 97mtrs high with 498 steps...

  • Members 1178 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 12:44 p.m.

    Very nice series with exceptional detail and nice sun star. I am looking at and reading about MFT. It has a place but your pics really show what FF can be about - just way outside my budget...

  • Members 861 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 3:38 p.m.

    "Let the waves up take me down"
    p1331239_$40_96dpi_web.jpg

    p1331239_$40_96dpi_web.jpg

    JPG, 1.8 MB, uploaded by OpenCube on Nov. 3, 2023.

  • Members 523 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 3:46 p.m.

    You've captured what I find so appealing about ornamental and wild grass: delicate textures and tones that flow beautifully in a breeze. A triptych is an excellent way to present IMO.

  • Members 1517 posts
    Nov. 3, 2023, 11:50 p.m.

    The sharpness of the foreground tree accentuates the fog behind. The white trunk however stands out against the darker bushes and grasses behind that section of the tree. The water channels form lines repeating the white line of the trunk. Add the Autumn tones. Landscape to be enjoyed.

  • Members 1662 posts
    Nov. 4, 2023, 12:51 a.m.

    Wonderful color combination and a very interesting experimental look at the top! Is it some relfection? Makes the image very dynamic.

  • Members 1517 posts
    Nov. 4, 2023, 4:04 a.m.
  • Members 1517 posts
    Nov. 4, 2023, 4:29 a.m.

    Of course we make the jump to the Sistine Chapel and the immortal moment. I like the scale of the hands and your positioning of the forefinger. What I like most of all is the attitude of the wire man. This is no limp forelock tugging Adam. Our man is fully aware of the moment. He's involved in the transaction and exploring as well as receiving. Michelangelo could learn a thing or two here.

  • Members 1517 posts
    Nov. 4, 2023, 4:56 a.m.

    I'd guess that the church has been extensively rebuilt and probably re-clad as well. The stumps wouldn't be original and possible suggest that this is a flood prone area. The photos give the feel of the place and a pleasant spot to live it would be. I like the bookending of the house between an Australian eucalypt and a South American Jacaranda. Pairing the photo with the second shot with the detail of bird in the Jacaranda was a good choice. The dawn bird chorus here would be worth hearing.

  • Members 1517 posts
    Nov. 4, 2023, 5:10 a.m.

    I agree Chris. And we didn't have to lug back packs.
    Number 1 with the future concealed in the mist is a good starting point. The series is an effective mix of pathway, wide vistas and crags. A classic hike.

  • Members 822 posts
    Nov. 5, 2023, 10:47 a.m.

    It looks like you made this from the metal wire that encapsulates a champagne cork, right?
    Once again, you deliver a stunning feat of creativity.
    The creations themselves are always fun and original.
    But you take them to the next level with your photographic choices in lighting (or lack thereof, in this case).
    A simple silhouette, pardoxically, really brings the little critter to life, and the fingers almost touching is a nice nod to Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.
    Love it.
    Keep'em coming!

  • Members 822 posts
    Nov. 5, 2023, 10:54 a.m.

    I have spent six months of my life (in my formative years) in Bologna (as one of the Erasmus pioneers: not the first year of the program but close to it), so of course your images resonate.
    The Due Torri is a staple of Bologna sites, mostly photographed from a bit of a distance that makes them stand out above the lower roofs surrounding them.
    Your choice of framing them under one of the ubiquitous arches over all the Bolognese sidewalks, is a very good one: it brings one specific Bologna landmark under the umbrella of a much more universally present characteristic of this great city.

    Your two images of restoration work in the city's main church are at first sight quite similar, but in fact they are quite different.
    For your first image, I guess you move kinda close to a barrier and then shot up and under it.
    For the second, you moved back and used a longer lens, incorporating the top of that same barrier in the lower part of your image.
    The effect is striking, with two blindfolded statues now joining the two human artists who are using eyes wide open to explore their work ahead of them.

  • Members 822 posts
    Nov. 5, 2023, 10:56 a.m.

    I truly love this whole photo report of your awesome hike.
    Reading the captions and viewing your gorgeous images, I want to grab my hiking boots and head there straightaway.
    Most of the images are really good, but the ones that combine layers of landscape for much depth (2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11), are the standouts.