* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #850 / Revived #070 on 2024 07 31 *

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 a photo or photo-based image that you have made and get critique on it.
And in return you give other people your honest but constructive 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 or essay 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 or essay that you have made and would like to get comments on.
An entry can either be a single image or a short essay. With an essay we mean not a collection of random images without any connection, seeking C&C on more than one of them. We mean instead a limited number (3 to 10) of connected images that together try to tell a story, create a fuller picture of a situation, event or location, etc.
• Add a clear title to your post to distinguish your entry.
• Look at the other images/essays 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.
• Please stay on topic, i.e. concentrate on the image and the photographic comments, without getting into politics or other distractions. No non-photographic arguments.

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:
Unless the original poster specifically states (for every individual posting offered for C&C) that they do not want their image(s) to be downloaded, altered or reposted, it is understood that within the context of this thread, other participants are free to download and alter the posted image and repost it in a reply for C&C purposes. That reposted image may remain permanently within the week's thread, or you may remove it after a short period of time if you prefer. The downloaded and altered images are not to be used for any other purposes nor uploaded anywhere else than within the context of the C&C in this thread. 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.

Have fun, be respectful and let’s stick together!

TO BE CLEAR - SOME GENTLE REMINDERS

In an ideal world, one would hope that further guidelines for respectful forum behaviour are not necessary.
But apparently this is not an ideal world, so here are some additional gentle reminders about how to behave in this thread.
I hope not to have to repeat this every week.

A. This thread is open to all images that are photo-based and the personal creation of the contributing poster.
Meaning :
1) "straight" (documentary style) photos are welcome, whether they are straight OOC or have undergone processing for a certain look.
2) equally welcome are images that have undergone extensive creative processes (collages, composites, layered photos, whatever)
(Basically, anything visual and 2D that has a photo as starting point, just to distinguish from straight drawings and paintings and other processes that do not involve any form or degree of photography.)

B. Discussions on all aspects of the entries are welcome : content, visual impact, technique.
Suggestions for improvement are welcome.
(If the poster agrees, you may work on his/her image.
This agreement is implied. If you do NOT want it, please be explicit.)

C. There is no right or wrong, just differences of opinion.
The point of this thread is not only to learn to get (and accept) feedback on our own images.
But also to learn to express our opinions on other people's images in a motivated and respectful manner.
(I have been doing this for 15 years, and I have learnt as much if not more from GIVING feedback and having to think about it, as from GETTING feedback.)

D. Our skill levels are varied. Some are good at composition, others at processing.
We admire in others what they do well and try to help them within our own skill set.

E. With our differences in skill, comes a difference in focus and attention for what we value most in images.
Something that is not good for a person with processing focus, may be alright for the person who just looks at composition.

F. Ideally we can learn from eachother.
Learning (and tutoring) requires respect.
There will be no looking down on someone nor on his/her work (images), nor on his/her comments.
Be constructive, not disruptive.
Say what can be improved, not what is "wrong" or "bad".
Don’t call eachother offensive names.
In general, do not post any comment that you yourself would be offended by if it was written about your own images or opinions.

G. Just like our photo skills, our language skills are also not equal.
Keep that in mind when the desire hits to jump to conclusions about how someone expressed his/her thoughts.
(Native English speakers are bound to have a linguistic advantage. Do not abuse that.)

COASTLINE TRIP(TYCH)

Last Saturday I cycled almost the full length of the Belgian North Sea Coastline.
That may sound like an impressive feat, but actually it is not really spectacular.

Belgium has roughly 65 kilometers of coastline, most of it sandy beaches and dunes (no cliffs in Belgium).
The cyclable paths are not glued to the geographical coast, but obviously just a bit inland (or a few kilometers, where the coastline is protected nature reserve).
Cycling the full length is probably 70-85 kilometers, if you take the small ferries that bridge a few rivers and canals (and the Zeebrugge harbour inlet).
(The Schelde, one of our biggest rivers and the artery that connects the Antwerp harbour to the open sea, actually reaches the sea in the Netherlands.)

Cycling along the coast and sticking as close as I could to the beaches (which means little detours inland where there are nature reserves with dunes) I rode for 75 kilometers between Koksijde (not the most western town - that is De Panne) to the center of Knokke.

I carried not a real camera but only my iphone. I made a few images along the way and these are three of them.

Two images depict fragments of the stretch of the nazi's Atlantikwall fortifications that are still present for visit in Raversijde (just west of Ostend)
The views show these bunkers as seen from the road and bike path that now run between those fortifications in the dunes and the actual beach.

The third image is a view from the center of De Haan, one of the most picturesque of seaside towns.
De Haan as preserved some of its Belle Epoque and interbellum charm, with protected period buildings and newer constructions that respect the same style.
(Most other towns have a coastline that is almost totally filled with apartment buildings along a boulevard.
Those are so ugly that they become a sight worth seeing in its own right...)

Obviously the images are not shown here in the chronological order of my trip
Riding west to east, I encounter first both views of Raversijde and then later the view in De Haan.
But I like the order to present them as shown below, as a triptych for symbolic reasons.

The images are made with Iphone 11PRO and have been processed (crop, toning, etc) on my phone with the native photo app tools.

This is one of the canals winding through the preserved historical block in Wuxi, China. This area is now a residential area with the canal on one side of the homes and a road on the other. This preserved historical block dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Wuxi.

Tourist boats pass up and down the canals fairly regularly.

I need a break

Morning at the rez

A 2 shot early morning panorama of pretty much nothing at the local lake. Foreground is sorrowfully kind of ugly due to ongoing dredge work but the clouds were nice.

Exotic, bright and cheerful. I like the light on a boat and virtually empty of humans and traffic space.

Nice and serene scene with beautiful colours. Looks like a painting.

Love the architecture. It's obviously from a different era, so reminicent of the time gone by.

Thank you Chris.

Interesting photos but most would have a bit more punch on my screen if a little more contrast was added. The sky is too light in a couple of them.

Yes, the foreground doesn't really add anything to the scene and if anything, detracts from the lovely colours and clouds in the sky and the scenery on the right side of the frame.

I feel the sky and right side of the frame need to be emphasised more to give "punch" to the scene.

Perhaps crop out the foreground and turn the frame more into a panoramic aspect to add pop and punch. Maybe something like this below?

Just some food for thought and thank you for sharing 😊

Potentially a very nice composition but as is, is a little too busy and confusing for me because of the title "I need a break".

At first glance my eyes went to the two people at the lower part of the stairs and I didn't initially notice the man at the base of the scene sitting down which I then assumed is the subject.

The huge vertical circular pillar along with the two people at the base of the stairs are also a bit of a distracting eye-magnet for me.

Perhaps the relationship between the title and subject would be more obvious if the man sitting down was highlighted much more.

Perhaps a crop to a panoramic aspect would add punch to the scene by emphasizing the man taking a break. Maybe something like this (after a bit of straightening as well)

The way your processed this, with the juxtaposition of extra blue versus an orange highlight, is very effective in creating atmosphere and leading the eye.

It may be a strange comparison / association, but this image reminded me of a few I made myself in Venice two summers ago: standing on the Ponte dell'Accademia around sunrise and looking towards the east where the sun came up behind Santa Maria Della Salute, with a vaporetto on the Canale Grande.
Worlds apart, and so much alike.

I lifted the shadows on the (near totally dark) bunkers, but could not lift more.
Noise would be excessive. OTOH, that subject can use grain and grit.

I see what you are getting at for the sky, but am puzzled by the actual suggestion.
I don't see how adding contrast, can make the sky less bright vis-à-vis the bunkers.
Wouldn't more contrast result in an even brighter sky?

Or do you mean micro-contrast (definition) in those few clouds?
To an extent, the bright sky is a result of the high-contrast and low-saturation toning that I chose for an "old-fashioned", "faded colour slide" look.

Red Fox

Recently we visited the south-western corner of Germany with friends. The vineyards were spectacular, with great views and banks of poppies and other wild flowers amongst the rows of vines, and, to my delight, we discovered Bee-eaters, which I had never seen before, as they are rare in Germany. However, hiking with friends did not really allow me to spend the time I would need to get some reasonable shots of those colourful birds, so I decided to make time before dinner on our last evening and spend an hour chasing bee-eaters. As I turned a corner in the path, I saw an ownerless dog blocking my way further on. Since ownerless dogs can be tricky, I froze and quickly realised that the dog was actually a fox. We stared at each other and I was able to slowly raise my camera and take a number of shots.

I never did get close enough to the Bee-Eaters, but on my way back to the hotel, the fox and I met again in almost the same place. This time we were even closer, but, although the fox was even bigger in the frame, it is the photo of that initial meeting, which still catches my breath, with the bank of poppies, the vines and, of course, the fox.

Pete