* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #835 / Revived #055 on 2024 04 17 *

Glad to note that you see I took care with composition (diagonals, as always; minimal overlaps etc).
The position from where to shoot and line everything up, was this one and no other.

Getting the plume of the helmet also enclosed in the far arc was something I (honestly) did not even consider additionally at the time.
Good catch.
It must have been possible, not by changing place, but by lifting the camera just a bit higher.
But then I would not have been able to look through my viewfinder.
There was not a little ladder immediately available.

Pete,

I understand that you wanted to capture the surroundings because of the special significance of the place. I'm not sure the overall image does that. I would crop the image more tightly. I actually tried to crop even tighter on the right side to eliminate what I think is distracting in the vertical edge of the low wall. But that's too close to the kneeling figure . . .

Rich

Chicago

Very nice panorama of an architectural wonderland.

Rich

Some careful composition to make the most of the curves. The arches, classic Roman pine, shield, helmet. chains and I think we have to include the buttocks here as well. All have been positioned by the photographer for maximum, interaction with each other.
The railing on the right isn't co-operating. It introduces angles that feel jarring to me in the rest of the image. I'd suggest cropping on the left between the railing and the first statue on the right. It would also give more prominence to these figures and their reflections - giving more relationship to them and the central figure.
Such a crop would change the proportions of the shot however. So, step two would be to increase the height of the image while adding a bit more breathing space above the top arch.
B&W would work too (I'm on a bit of a B&W binge at the moment.) The green/greys however add a suitable feeling of quiet age.

Having made my post, I then read what others had said. We are all thinking around the same things which is interesting in itself.

I agree with Rich and I like both the original and his crop. With the crop, I think I would have taken a bit more off the left so the post on the LHS house is closer to the LHS edge, more or less matching the distance on the right from the red cone. I would have experimented with including a little more of the roof as well.
Wonderful colours. Kind of aged and seedy and nostalgic and hot moist tropical all at the same time.

It must be the mood I am in this morning. This is the third photo I have looked at and in each case my response has been to crop.
The strong colors and vertical buds of the central magnolia flowers make the statement. They are strong and vigorous. Spring is here and it is ready to go. The forked shape of the branches on the left picks up the pattern. The buds on the right drag the eye back from this connection. Would you consider bringing the right border in until it just crops out the lumpy bit on bottom right horizontal branch?

In previous lifetimes I never worked with colour. Your introduction discussing the tweaking of colour reversal film was all intriguing new ground for me. I'm going to have to spend some time looking at this image and coming back to it. My thoughts keep changing.

It is, and all those corporate statements of importance embedded in impressive architecture is striking too.
Interestingly, the buildings are rendered in relatively low contrast, which is unusual for such scenes, and rather attractive.
But the thing that really catches my eye are all those glorious clouds in that big sky. They totally dwarf those buildings, and seem to put overconfident corporations, and even humanity, back in their rightful place in the grand order of things. Very nice.

Pete

If you had raised the camera with the assistance of the convenient ladder, you would have cut off the top delineation of the pine tree within the arch. I feel it is worth paying the plumed helmet price to keep the pine tree where it is within the arch.

With this image I prefer the original uncropped version. The size/age of the tree is important in conveying time and place. I like the feeling of space out to the right, the direction the faces tilt towards. There's a feeling of a future and placing the figures within a wider world that seems appropriate. It's one of those images that I suspect is very much influenced by our tendency to read from left to right. If culturally we read in another direction the image would feel quite different.

Agreed. All the pale blue (including the haze over the buildings) comes as a surprise. It jolts my preconception of Chicago. I very much like your positioning of the strip of buildings between lake and sky. The clouds add a reminder of the scale of nature as they dominate the skyscrapers.
Great shot.

I see some suggestions about cropping but I wouldn't crop it. Of course most of you know me by now, and my proclivity to include everything in the frame, including the kitchen sink. I like the near statue where he is beneath the arched portal, and the view of the lineup of distant statues and their reflections visible through the next portal. The near statue's outstretched arm and his invisible leading line of vision aligns perfectly with the line created by the reflected heads of the other statues. I also like the way the arched shape of the tree is tucked inside the arched shape of the stonework.

The visually bothersome element is hard to remedy: I don't like the looping visitor-containing chain, its posts and the modern metal railing on the right. But these things, of course, are part and parcel of visiting sites that must protect art objects from wandering feet and hands.

Interesting group that looks good in monochrome. Well focused and exposed, excellent tonal range. It feels cropped in a bit tight for my taste, especially on the left. I'm guessing that there were "interferences" that we cannot see now. Of course, I like having a lot of stuff in the frame, so that may just be me!

Of course you couldn't resist, when presented with an announcement of spring and great color contrast with the pinks and blues in this scene. The buds are beautiful, and the fact that they are a little worse for wear being the early beacons of spring after a harsh winter makes them more appealing. I think the image might have been more effective with the focus on the front center buds rather than the middle and far edge ones. But you do have to look closely to see the difference. Happy springtime!

The color and the exposed geometry are the story here. It's an image as much fun as a new box of crayons. Love the richness of color, and the variety.

That tree looks old enough that Buddha might have sat beneath it. The gorgeous ancient gnarled tree steals the show, even though the human subjects are certainly interesting. Situated just back of the tree, they are supporting actors (and actresses) to the scene itself, and the main character who is no longer visible but clearly the reason for the image. Nice one.