* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #828 / Revived #048 on 2024 02 28 *

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.

PLEASE NOTE CLEARLY:
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!

Encourage - it is a scary business putting your work up for other people to judge!

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.

And finally, here are some useful hints for navigating and familiarizing yourself with the forum mechanics of DPRevived:
• Unfortunately, there is no threaded view (yet). We can’t simply keep images and their related comments together like we used to. So please make clear about which image you are commenting.
• To do that, you may make good use of the “quote” feature. This allows you to keep the image in your reply. Excess content can be deleted. The “preview” button allows you to look at what you are going to post.
• There is a difference between the “reply” button that sits at the top of the forum, and the reply buttons under every post.
• A few threads in this new forum with useful navigation information:
dprevived.com/t/how-to-use-this-site/387/
and
dprevived.com/t/how-to-embed-photos-into-your-post-directly-from-flickr/456/
(this applies also, with modifications, to other photo hosting websites)
and
dprevived.com/t/how-to-quote/1014/
Have fun and let’s stick together!

SANTA MONICA PIER

Last week and the week before, there seem to have been some interest in my use of fisheye lenses.
So here is another -- older -- example, from a family vacation in summer 2013 to California and parts of S-W USA.
(The fisheye lens used here is not the 7.5mm Rokinon on a Micro-FT body, but the Olympus Zuiko 8mm fisheye on my big lumbering Olympus E-5 FT camera.)

Last gasp of winter

We had -15C last week, today is +14C and I see some buds on the trees...

Love those colours on the ferris wheel and all around. Pure magic for the child and us. The framing is excellent too and gives us impression of almost being there.

A shower at dragon lake

Promenade

WhyNot

Swamp In Winter
By next week there may be some buds popping out on the bushes or even some small wildflowers starting to show. But last week it was still the dead stark natural monochrome of winter. I toned it a bit to enhance the muted browns.

I like the framing and pp. Nature at it's best.
Your pic ID has a lot of edit, edit... Funny?!

Something will turn up

Sitting on a train looking for something to post is a bit limiting, as I can only use what I happen to have on my phone, so the title of the photo also describes my situation! Actually I was reserving this photo to be part of a series I have had on the back burner for ages, so you may see it again, together with a couple of others I already posted in a similar situation. Oh well.

Pete

Wheels within wheels. The ferris wheel is enclosed by the track of a roller coaster, which was probably already curved, and is even more so now, thanks to the fish-eye and the circular base of the telescope. No wonder the little girl looks a bit giddy!

This is rather cool (the pun was not intended, but I will leave it unchanged!) The lighting is great, lighting up the frost, but so too is the contrast between the neat, orderly, man-made mesh and Nature’s wonderful frozen chaos.

Pete
Pete

Big wheel keep on tuning... by simple.joy, on Flickr

Not too many dragonflies there today. It is a nice scene, but is a shame the rain isn’t more visible. In front of the dark tree it can be seen quite well, so possibly there is scope for a crop, bittest would mean losing part of the lake.

Pete

Very well seen, as the board neatly describes the ducks. There is also the poignant realisation that the advertised desirable residence may actually drive away those duck families.

Pete

We seem to be peeping between the curtains formed by the two trunks. A very subdued party of trees is going on.
Visually this could be extremely complicated, but since most of the lines are vertical it works quite well.
In any case that seemingly dead, but peaceful, feeling just before spring has been caught nicely.

Pete

Ordinary Things - Bedroom Door, Morning Sun

Rich

A far greater area of the frame is in sharp focus than is usual for your creations, but this too works well.
The blue around the “paddle wheel” helps plant the illusion of Proud Mary in our minds. So successfully, in fact, that it seems impossible to see anything other than part of a boat!

Pete