Sorry, Mike. No damsels in undress for this dragon. It was no King Kong, and had obviously just eaten them, as there were none around. I guess I could ask AI if it can find any.
Thanks to everyone else too for the comments. I think everyone saw the mechanical monster as intended, but actually I also see a robot gunslinger from a low angle. Two dangers for the price of one!
Pete
This is Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal, Canada. Sorry, did not mention this before.
It is human, but one under great physical manipulation to fit into an outfit. It's funny you mention jazz when the title is from one of the most famous country songs ever written. Still, I feel ya. This has a certain jazz feeling to it.
Sagitarius, allow me to comment a little critically on your photo.
The exuberance of the color immediately catches the eye, but it seems oversaturated to me (look at the red shirt).
It's too flat (it looks like exaggerated HDR) and lacks the contrast to give it more volume.
Asymmetrical, if your intention was to highlight the side pulpit, it didn't work because my gaze goes to the altar and the composition is unbalanced.
This is a view that many Paris visitors know: the back of the Notre Dame with its small garden/park, and the bridge between Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis.
An "original" perspective on the cathedral, i.e. not its usual front facade. That front is currently quite a bit less attractive.
We see the scaffolding that has been in place since the devastating fire and will certainly remain there for a long time.
What makes this image beautiful, is the combination of factors surrounding the cathedral itself: a couple making a selfie, with their shadows nicely visible on the gravel, the autumnal trees and a perfect sky: not just blue but with clouds that form a aura around the church's spires, almost like the friendly version of the smoke clouds that surrounded them on that awful day of the fire.
I like this image that is both a good representation of a wonderful ceiling, and a comment on tourism, with the flagbearer displaying his own banner under which he leads his group into sightseeing battle.
The dragon is obvious. I've photographed the destruction of an old bridge over the Albert Canal in my hometown, and the machines used to cut through reinforced concrete do indeed look like dinosaurs or dragons.
Your image is more successful than any of those that I made back then, because you have framed the dragon against a really cool background that looks like recent devastation, and the clouds of dust can function as the smoke associated with a fiery breath.
I don't think I will be the first in mentioning how that perfect reflection of the tree makes the shot. The tree is a relatively small object (as opposed to an enormous building), but its positioning and the reflection gives it equal visual weight as the building. The fog helps to make the atmosphere even better.
Now that is perfect timing.
Not only will it have to do, but it does indeed. And nicely so.
I concur.
That is a great intervention by Minnie.
The right-most tree was not fatal for the composition, but it was a distraction. And it reminded us of OTHER natural elements besides the reflection-tree.
Removing it, enhances the impact and message of that (now single) tree.
Thank you for the comments. On my wide gamut calibrated monitor image does not look over saturated. I did not know that symmetry is a requirement for the image. As to unbalanced, I do not feel it is. YMMV.
Thanks to all who commented! I know you may get tired of this ratty little fishing spot but it's close and when nothing else can be found, I see what it has to offer.
Thank you Chris, I had the same feeling about it with the lighting, that it seemed painterly in a classical landscape way. Fog does that! It's like a big soft box.
Thank you. I'm glad the painting impression wasn't just wishful thinking on my part. This little fishing spot is one of a half dozen local spots I go to when there's fog. Sometimes none of them look great, sometimes I find a prize. I was glad I picked this one this day. Every fog is different, depending on various factors including the sky above the fog. My favorite atmospheric!
Thank you!
Thank you SJ, I'm thrilled so many others saw the painterly feeling. Living in a place that lacks iconic scenery, I have to use every trick in the book in terms of composition and lighting conditions and careful finishing in post.
Thanks Bryan, and a special thanks for taking time to show me what you meant. Some of our fogs are very bleak, but some carry a little color - this one from the early morning light and the blue sky that eventually burned the fog off. I did actually shoot some like your crop, and some in portrait orientation, which I expected would be the better ones. Why I went with this version was because of the full reflection of the limbs that form a kind of Pac Man figure, almost a full circle, and the little clump of orange bushes in the lower right corner. I didn't realize how important that circle would be till I got it on screen.
Thank you Rich
Thanks Mike. Our fogs are rare and they are all different. But many of them start burning off early, from the top down, leaving a blanket of fog that's thicker over the water or low lying area. Yes, I liked the lean. I've taken hundreds of different shots of this set of trees and never got one I liked as well.
Thanks Pete. I feel like I'm always struggling to find beauty in our un photogenic location, and the fog rewarded me this time. I sometimes feel shortchanged that I don't get much chance at the iconic spots, but I'm grateful when I find a hidden treasure.
Thanks Roel
-Rich