* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #833 / Revived #053 on 2024 04 03 *

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Rich42
Members 760 posts

April 4, 2024, 6:26 p.m. April 4, 2024, 6:26 p.m.
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@PeteS has written:

@Rich42 has written:

@RoelHendrickx has written:

@Rich42 has written:

Palm Frond and Rain

Rich

This is very minimalist, but also very effective.
The diagonal slant creates dynamics and tension.
The red background makes the green stand out perfectly.
And the stalk in the lower left background fills negative space and creates an echo of the main subject, adding to the dynamics and tension.

Thanks Roel,

It's always interesting to read critiques. When I'm photographing, I'm never aware of the kinds of things you're describing in the image! I know what has attracted me to the scene, but I just move around until I get what I want in the viewfinder, and comments such as yours are enlightening and somewhat surprising (after the fact).

Rich

I think Roel has summed this up very well, but I think there is another thing that attracts attention. The water drop is sharp and contrasty, which always draws the viewer in, but it also looks like an eye, a somewhat sly and aggressive eye at that, and our subconcious always analyses eyes with alacrity and interest.

Pete

In that case, I give you this, just a few seconds later in the shoot . . .

Eye

Eye.jpg
JPG, 2.5 MB, uploaded by Rich42 on April 4, 2024.
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PeteS
Members 537 posts

April 4, 2024, 8:34 p.m. April 4, 2024, 8:34 p.m.
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@Rich42 has written:

@PeteS has written:

@Rich42 has written:

@RoelHendrickx has written:

@Rich42 has written:

Palm Frond and Rain

Rich

This is very minimalist, but also very effective.
The diagonal slant creates dynamics and tension.
The red background makes the green stand out perfectly.
And the stalk in the lower left background fills negative space and creates an echo of the main subject, adding to the dynamics and tension.

Thanks Roel,

It's always interesting to read critiques. When I'm photographing, I'm never aware of the kinds of things you're describing in the image! I know what has attracted me to the scene, but I just move around until I get what I want in the viewfinder, and comments such as yours are enlightening and somewhat surprising (after the fact).

Rich

I think Roel has summed this up very well, but I think there is another thing that attracts attention. The water drop is sharp and contrasty, which always draws the viewer in, but it also looks like an eye, a somewhat sly and aggressive eye at that, and our subconcious always analyses eyes with alacrity and interest.

Pete

In that case, I give you this, just a few seconds later in the shoot . . .

Eye

dprevived.com/a/oHNgJ8j0x0kEMvMnyY3tKj0jpwwKeavUP8HU0C7rtMvvbWUWiEFKXDRnhxMv7nQa/22387/

😀 Nice!
There’s something a bit creepy about this eye, even though the other has a bit of an evil squint.
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Sagittarius
Members 696 posts

April 5, 2024, 12:08 a.m. April 5, 2024, 12:08 a.m.
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I will tag along for monkeys pictures.

Vacation 2022 MX 220628 - 22-Edit.jpg
JPG, 2.4 MB, uploaded by Sagittarius on April 5, 2024.

Vacation 2022 MX 220628 - 21.jpg
JPG, 1.7 MB, uploaded by Sagittarius on April 5, 2024.

Vacation 2022 MX 220627 - 17-Edit.jpg
JPG, 2.0 MB, uploaded by Sagittarius on April 5, 2024.
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RoelHendrickx
Members 820 posts

April 5, 2024, 10:29 a.m. April 5, 2024, 10:29 a.m.
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@PeteS has written:

@RoelHendrickx has written:

@minniev has written:

Spotted this little fellow napping in the tree above us while hiking in a historical site in Yucatan. My grandsons were so fascinated with monkeys romping around in trees and not in cages.

From the few times that we have encountered monkeys (mostly small ones) in the wild, I remember what a fascinating wonder that always was, also for us adults.
Small monkeys can be naughty little fellows (especially if they are used to human visitors) and sometimes they are equipped with teeth that you could not even imagine fitting in those little mouths.
I remember that we stumbled upon some monkeys that were feasting on duriyan fruits in McRitchie Reservoir NP in Singapore and they made very clear that they had no intention of sharing their bounty with us (although we had zero intention to invade their space). I got a shot of the display of teeth that I might share later (I need to de-archive the online gallery).
But all that is just anecdote.
This fella here seems harmless in his supremely human pose.
It's a lovely pose and shot.
Still, I would advize not to get too close....

This is a lovely shot, with the monkey at ease on a perfectly formed branch. It is unusual to see a photo of a sleeping monkey, as they are usually alert when humans are around, but as Rich and Roel have pointed out, that may not be a bad thing. I recently saw a report showing monkeys snatch a mobile phone and then sat there with an outstreched hand, baring sharp teeth if anyone tried to get it back without entering into the bargaining process. A banana may not be enough, nor a bag of nuts, but, if a deal of banana and nuts was struck, the monkey would take its goodies and hand back the phone. This was not a fluke, but learned behaviour.

Pete

I have read about that behaviour for the monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar.

BTW, I had promised some Monkey Dentist images from McRitchie Reservoir in Singapore.
The gallery is restored so I can now share them.

Here is my cutiepie :

... and seconds later, with mouth open:

He moved position to go relax on a branch, again looking innocent and cuddly:

... until he decided to open up even wider to show his fangs:

These fellows were pretty wild in a fairly unspoiled nature reserve.
They see humans (no doubt) but do not interact with them (I think) like on Gibraltar.
And I had zero intention to enter into an experiment of "get to know your nephew".
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minniev
Members 1648 posts

April 6, 2024, 1:17 a.m. April 6, 2024, 1:17 a.m.
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@RoelHendrickx has written:

NORTH COAST

Last week I have been reviewing images from our 2022 trip to Scotland (our 4th bi-annual hiking adventure) for two reasons:
1) anticipation for the fact that in a few weeks we will embark on our 5th edition;
2) a search for a suitable cover image for Luster's next edition of "Hidden Scotland" for which they want to replace the previous cover image.

I've submitted 20 possible cover images.
This is NOT one of them (it is too abstract and not colourful enough), but for some reason I really like it.

The view here is somewhere on the far north shore of the Highlands, shortly after taking the ferry from the Orkney Islands to Thurso and driving west to Bettyhill:

Lovely image of the wild highlands. I can't wait to see the new images. Scotland is such a wonderful wild place. I like the view of the receding lakes and mountains, and can appreciate the recommendation of cropping, but I wouldn't go quite that far, I'd stop with a square frame rather than pushing it to landscape format, using the bright yellow comma as an entryway into the image. With any crop or none, it's still a nice image.
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minniev
Members 1648 posts

April 6, 2024, 1:19 a.m. April 6, 2024, 1:19 a.m.
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@Rich42 has written:

Palm Frond and Rain

Rich

Complementary colors always work well. The placement of the sharply defined drop within the red oval makes us appreciate the details even more. Well spotted and caught.
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minniev
Members 1648 posts

April 6, 2024, 1:30 a.m. April 6, 2024, 1:30 a.m.
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@PeteS has written:

Impression of Rainy China

By coincidence, I have just seen two collections of pictures taken in China in the 70s and 80s, and it made me want to have a look at the slides I took in China in 1984 and have since scanned. It was interesting to see them again after a long time. Obviously they are technically not as good as modern images, which is partly due to being shot on film, partly to the fairly ordinary scans and then to the ability of the photographer 40 years ago.
This was taken in Souzhou and doesn't tick many boxes in the hard technical perfection list, but, for me at least, it ticks plenty of boxes in the soft feeling and atmosphere boxes.However, we are inclined to see our children in a positive light, so I will be interested to see what you think.

Pete

A beautiful and elegant impressionist painting done with a camera. The muted pastels of the clothing, buildings and foliage, the blurred details and darkened windows/doors, the umbrellas (!) make me feel like I'm looking at a late Victorian artwork by Sisley, Boudin, or Corot. Additional saturation would spoil that effect. Wonderful image. Print it on a good cold press paper and frame it.
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minniev
Members 1648 posts

April 6, 2024, 1:32 a.m. April 6, 2024, 1:32 a.m.
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@Rich42 has written:

@PeteS has written:

@Rich42 has written:

@RoelHendrickx has written:

@Rich42 has written:

Palm Frond and Rain

Rich

This is very minimalist, but also very effective.
The diagonal slant creates dynamics and tension.
The red background makes the green stand out perfectly.
And the stalk in the lower left background fills negative space and creates an echo of the main subject, adding to the dynamics and tension.

Thanks Roel,

It's always interesting to read critiques. When I'm photographing, I'm never aware of the kinds of things you're describing in the image! I know what has attracted me to the scene, but I just move around until I get what I want in the viewfinder, and comments such as yours are enlightening and somewhat surprising (after the fact).

Rich

I think Roel has summed this up very well, but I think there is another thing that attracts attention. The water drop is sharp and contrasty, which always draws the viewer in, but it also looks like an eye, a somewhat sly and aggressive eye at that, and our subconcious always analyses eyes with alacrity and interest.

Pete

In that case, I give you this, just a few seconds later in the shoot . . .

Eye

Another nice one, a little more abstract-feeling with great shapes.
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minniev
Members 1648 posts

April 6, 2024, 1:34 a.m. April 6, 2024, 1:34 a.m.
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@Sagittarius has written:

I will tag along for monkeys pictures.

Oh my you have quite a collection of monkeys! the melancholy one in the middle is my favorite. Well taken.
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minniev
Members 1648 posts

April 6, 2024, 1:37 a.m. April 6, 2024, 1:37 a.m.
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@RoelHendrickx has written:

@PeteS has written:

@RoelHendrickx has written:

@minniev has written:

Spotted this little fellow napping in the tree above us while hiking in a historical site in Yucatan. My grandsons were so fascinated with monkeys romping around in trees and not in cages.

From the few times that we have encountered monkeys (mostly small ones) in the wild, I remember what a fascinating wonder that always was, also for us adults.
Small monkeys can be naughty little fellows (especially if they are used to human visitors) and sometimes they are equipped with teeth that you could not even imagine fitting in those little mouths.
I remember that we stumbled upon some monkeys that were feasting on duriyan fruits in McRitchie Reservoir NP in Singapore and they made very clear that they had no intention of sharing their bounty with us (although we had zero intention to invade their space). I got a shot of the display of teeth that I might share later (I need to de-archive the online gallery).
But all that is just anecdote.
This fella here seems harmless in his supremely human pose.
It's a lovely pose and shot.
Still, I would advize not to get too close....

This is a lovely shot, with the monkey at ease on a perfectly formed branch. It is unusual to see a photo of a sleeping monkey, as they are usually alert when humans are around, but as Rich and Roel have pointed out, that may not be a bad thing. I recently saw a report showing monkeys snatch a mobile phone and then sat there with an outstreched hand, baring sharp teeth if anyone tried to get it back without entering into the bargaining process. A banana may not be enough, nor a bag of nuts, but, if a deal of banana and nuts was struck, the monkey would take its goodies and hand back the phone. This was not a fluke, but learned behaviour.

Pete

I have read about that behaviour for the monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar.

BTW, I had promised some Monkey Dentist images from McRitchie Reservoir in Singapore.
The gallery is restored so I can now share them.

Here is my cutiepie :

... and seconds later, with mouth open:

He moved position to go relax on a branch, again looking innocent and cuddly:

... until he decided to open up even wider to show his fangs:

These fellows were pretty wild in a fairly unspoiled nature reserve.
They see humans (no doubt) but do not interact with them (I think) like on Gibraltar.
And I had zero intention to enter into an experiment of "get to know your nephew".

Fine shots, all of them. He looks so benign and cute in the first and third, but in the others! The stuff of horror movies. I had no idea they had such fierce teeth!
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RoelHendrickx
Members 820 posts

April 6, 2024, 9:29 a.m. April 6, 2024, 9:29 a.m.
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@PeteS has written:

@Rich42 has written:

@PeteS has written:

Impression of Rainy China

By coincidence, I have just seen two collections of pictures taken in China in the 70s and 80s, and it made me want to have a look at the slides I took in China in 1984 and have since scanned. It was interesting to see them again after a long time. Obviously they are technically not as good as modern images, which is partly due to being shot on film, partly to the fairly ordinary scans and then to the ability of the photographer 40 years ago.
This was taken in Souzhou and doesn't tick many boxes in the hard technical perfection list, but, for me at least, it ticks plenty of boxes in the soft feeling and atmosphere boxes.However, we are inclined to see our children in a positive light, so I will be interested to see what you think.

Pete

Pete,

You certainly have reason to view this image in a positive "light." I'd like to see more color saturation, but a whole series of such images with all the "technical problems" of subject movement, camera movement, soft focus, all of which enhance the experience, would make an interesting wall display of prints.

Rich

Thanks, Rich. I tried a more saturated version before posting, but it quickly looked very bad and overdone. I have now used a slightly different technique, and post the result(lower image) together with the original(upper image) again for comparison.

I actually like the less saturated photo better in this case.
It conveys the rainy atmosphere better.
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Sagittarius
Members 696 posts

April 6, 2024, 3:40 p.m. April 6, 2024, 3:40 p.m.
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Blooming tree

Blooming tree.jpg
JPG, 2.0 MB, uploaded by Sagittarius on April 6, 2024.

minniev and davidwien like this.

favorite 2
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Rich42
Members 760 posts

April 6, 2024, 6:36 p.m. April 6, 2024, 6:36 p.m.
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