* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #859 / Revived #079 on 2024 10 02 *

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.

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!

BALANCING ACT

Another phone edit. Working on my compositions. I still feel like I'm just missing the shot.

Do these come out over saturated or low res or anything like that? I can't tell.

** GOING HOME **

Mother and father taking the kids home after a big day out 😊

It looks ok on my screen but how it looks on other people's screens depends to some extent on if your and their the screen is calibrated and profiled properly and/or the screen settings/configuration.

This is a great basic shot, which you can easily refine when you get home. (I assume you have raw files also, which will help.) The only thing I notice here is over sharpening, seen particularly at the junction between the mountains and the sky.

David

Could that be from a mask on the sky? You can see in the reflection the sky has been manipulated. I couldn't figure out how to fix the reflection at the same time in lightroom phone edition.

Sorry! I dont use Lightroom at all. The good news is that you can fix it at home. Keep taking 'em!

David

Pool Play

It's a very compelling scene. It does appear to have some inconsistencies - the clouds seem too dark for the ambient light in the rest of the image - as noted re the reflection. I am not sure why, but it just seems to be a bit over processed.

I hope you revisit it when you get the chance. I can't imagine trying to edit a pic on my phone...

Wow. You have captured some intriguing abstracts there from pool water, sunlight and reflections. Lots of questions as to what is happening in each scene.

I took this a few days before the one I posted some weeks ago. This one came up a lot better after some DxO de-noise.