* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #840 / Revived #060 on 2024 05 22 *

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!

A MURDER IN ROME

By coincidence, it was March (a few years ago) when I was in Rome to photograph a few hundred places for the book "The 500 Hidden Secrets of Rome".
So inbetween my schedule of getting shots of bars, restaurants, shops, culinary places and hidden cultural gems, I made sure to find the time to attend the annual reenactment of the murder of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March (and subsequent his funeral procession through Rome onto the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
.
My two big cameras and a dose of bravura got me past the velvet ropes to keep the audience at bay and really close to the action.

It resulted in a series that I am still fond of: IDI di MARZO

Here is an image from seconds after the actual killing :

A congregation.

Love & Hate

The scene is difficult to interpret visually at first, not only with the two tiers of paths, but also old and new, natural and man-made, and I think, or hope, it gives an uneasy feeling to the viewer. This would be appropriate as the scene is the River Spree in Berlin, where some people are enjoying the fine weather as they stroll down the path along the western bank or are simply relaxing on the steps, whilst others, on the footbridge over the river, take photos to remind themselves of one of the best days of their life. But it wasn't always like this. The bridge wasn't there and the Spree was the border between East and West Berlin, and those eight crosses remind us of eight people, who were shot at various times as they tried desperately to reach the riverside where they stand, shot from watch towers that have been torn down and where Parliament buildings stand in their place.

Pete

Bollard, Oil Depot

Kodachrome 64, early 1980s

Rich

Serenity

Excellent contrast of red against ink blue background.

Classic juxtaposition shot. You could not ask for a better example. Well seen.

Superb contrast- background vs foreground.
Really like those arches bathed in exquisite light. Fab shot.

Excellent picture of historical event from the past. The light beaming on the participants in togas and the main actor is outstanding. The texture of the cobblestones adds so much to the whole image. Great capture.

Don’t think we have ever had a murder scene to comment on before! It is certainly dramatic and you have caught it at the high moment of the successful assassination.

Shooting against a low Sun could have been a problem, but it is definitely a huge bonus here. It highlights the dagger raised in triumph by one of the murderers, but not only that. It throws a long shadow, which acts as a great leading line towards the body and the centre of the action and then it also creates a row of coloured flare balls, which also act as a leading line.

Excellent.

Pete

This is a lovely shot of a fine church and with a message too. The congregation is almost non-existent and the foreground is dominated not by praying people, but empty chairs. Not only that, but the chairs are stacked and moved to one side, and we can guess that is probably to make way for the tourists, which seems to be the main purpose of beautiful churches nowadays.

Pete

Thanks.

This is a very powerful graphic image, curtesy of the bright red, freshly painted bollard. The very dark blue background sets it off very well, and adds to the feeling of power of the bright against the darkness. Had the bollard been bright yellow, it would have stood out just as well, but the symbolism of the colour red would be missed and the sense of raw power gone.

Pete

It’s a nice scene, which works well as a panorama. I assume those trees are dead, as the others in the background are green already. In any case their stark forms contrast well with the rest of the peaceful scene.

Pete

A phone snap from yesterday's visit to the state historical museum with the grandsons, nothing special. The original is below it. So I tried out the new Lightroom tools for removing annoyances on it to get rid of the museum fencing and screens, and alter the lighting. The new toys work well I think, even working with a phone jpeg... This was done in seconds. I would not have tried such a thing last week because it would have taken a hour of painstaking work and still wouldn't have worked out right. So count me impressed.

Your efforts are great. We get the idea of a historical carriage. Love the green coloring and the shadows. There is a sense of mystery to the whole image which makes it more interesting. Atmosphere is there. Well done.

Thanks.