* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #823 / Revived #043 on 2024 01 24 *

Tried my new table top light box

Bottle holder

Flower

A great line from Fireplace. It seems so obvious but it hadn't occurred to me either.

There are two Donatello Davids. One in bronze and one in marble and both are in Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence. I was going to make this a comparison of the two Donatellos but I preferred the bronze version, although they are very similar.
You are right about the treatment. Usually when I do B&W I go heavier with contrast. I experimented with tones and contrast and decided on a softer treatment for exactly the reason you deduced.
Curator's must drool over the possibility of a touring exhibition with the Michelangelo, the two Donetallos and the Bernini all in the same place.

I really like the repeating arch motif in this pairing. The detail, the varying sizes of the arch motifs, the contrast of light and dark all add to the enjoyment of this set.

Well taken and well titled image of this famous statue. I laughed out loud at Fireplace's excellent comment about Joe Cocker's song, and will add that Right Said Fred had something to say about it too, in "I'm Too Sexy (for my hat)".

Monochrome is a great choice, really lets the sheen become a significant component of the image.

Lovely image, well envisioned and constructed pano. I like how the spit of land is farmed to point to the troll, then the water is spread out before us. I DO see the troll as well as the grazing Icelandic horse shape. The time of day allows the troll to wear dark pants, which makes me smile. Good clarity and color.

I love Iceland, and am still hoping to return one day. It's an amazing place for a photographer to explore.

And the road goes on forever...

The wintry condition of the trees lining the road contributes to the emptiness and never-ending-ness of the mood this picture invokes. That is one heck of a leading line you've caught there Chris. There's all kinds of philosophical paths we could go down with this one. Compositionally it is a winner with its bisected matching halves, its brooding loneliness, and its tiny spark of brightness at the end of the road. Would make a nice cover for a book of meditations or poetry.

"The Struggle To Hold It All Together"

Hope feels like putty. Stretching until you don't think it can go any further, as your arms are stretched as far as they can go and the pressure still hasn't stopped.

I'm in awe of the art you create with these obscure lenses but also in awe of your knowledge of their characteristics and potential. You have become a master at a niche no one I have encountered has even thought about. That has to be a lot of fun.

That image is a zipper? What a masterful and artful rendition, with depth and detail and beautiful blur plus great color. Excellent work, as usual.

An interesting image in that the processing has rendered the living humans in a manner similar to the cartoon type artworks on the wall behind them: their faces are oversimplified, missing certain details, or distorted. The fact that some of the artworks hang askew and the building appears weathered in layers adds to the effect. An image that's more complicated than it seems on first look, this one requires some thought.

Wonderful travel photo that gives us a window into not only how things look in this place, but how people feel in this place. We see the green mountainous landscape, the shafts of light that may represent rain, the village laid out across the valley. But our primary attention is to the boys, enjoying their music and companionship, and we are struck by the universality of those qualities: boys, still dressed in school uniforms, dallying on their way home for a moment of freedom between the demands of school and family.

The landscape enough would be enough, but you have made it more.

A spider dressed for a spider-ball, in silks and taffetas? Nice colors and shapes.

This is an image under challenging circumstances: the sunlight hits the rock that is our main subject, and there is less direct light on the far background, but the foreground is in shadow. You managed perfectly to balance everything.
Yes, emphasis is on the outrageously shaped rock, but the other elements of the image merit a closer look too : the subtle ripples and shapes in the water and sand.
I also love the format/ratio that you used here.
It's a cinematic, glorious view and your format allows us to savour it, going left and right and back again with our eyes.

Nice geometry and repeating motif of botanical figures, lines and squares. I think I'd like it better if the red flowers and their foliage were in sharp focus. But that may just be a personal preference.

I don't need to add anything to Minnie's words of appreciation. I just want to square them.

You've used your new toy quite well. I can tell you are going to enjoy it and we will too! Both are nice, well focused images with plenty of detail and rich color. I look forward to seeing more of what you invent with this!

Interesting if a little creepy with those elongated fingers and nails.

These are well taken and presented photographs .... I usually resist comment, I confess and I'm sorry ... These got me to go back a reread Janson but that is what they mean to me -- a page in an art history book... or perhaps remembering a day in an art appreciation class .. or maybe remembering one of my frequent trips to the Art Institute in Chicago .. the classical statues were in the basement at that time as I recall, but of course no David ....

So why is David wearing a hat??? and boots .. and nothing else .. How do I relate this statue to the Biblical David?? I don't and that is a problem ... Why "David" ? ... maybe the name of the subject posing for the picture??? I don't really do critiques (and I have read the 5. 7, 10 steps that should be taken but just can't do that) I generally try to find meaning in pictures and relate them to my life and understanding ... My interest in classical art today mostly consist of interest in the transition from ancient to Renaissance perspective which was then destroyed by Cezanne and the cubists ... and then lost in abstraction ... Photography cannot escape Renaissance perspective,, IMHO .. (of course my understanding of art history is also questionable .... so I always accept critique!!)

Sorry but pictures of architectural detail and classical art rarely keeps my attention ..... or thoughts ... but that is just me .... So why have I shared this stream of consciousness?? ... probably because I like both of your photography when your not in a museum frame of mind ... so entertain those who appreciate this more, I'll come back later and I'll resist further critiques or whatever this nonsense that I have written is ......

WhyNot

Thank you for the time spent looking at my photograph and the critique -- much appreciated .... I confess that I often take considerable time to find meaning in the pictures that I post. Occasionally I get enamored of a picture just taken and post it and then wonder later what I saw in it ... This one is from a set taken in January last year and I'm still not sure exactly why I liked it (but I do like it for whatever reason.) .... My pp treatment of humans on the street has evolved a bit but I usually do the same whatever the situation in the picture .... I think it makes them closer to everyman and gives them some anonymity where the viewer can fill in the details and concentrate more on the meaning or memory they might find in the picture ....

Thank you again

WhyNot