* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #879 / Revived #099 on 2025 02 19*

Lovely ice abstract. The lines are so much more sinuous and curvaceous than ice lines usually are, probably because of the thaw/refreeze sequence. It looks like a polished steel sculpture. Nicely composed using the lines it gave you, but you were artful enough to find.

It is amazing what can be made from these little blocks. The size and detail of these creations is awe inspiring.

Conspiring with my husband, my grandson made me a bouquet of roses for Valentines day. I'll show them these!

You have a good eye. The figure is within a tree-created tunnel. He has moved past one puddle of light and is headed to the bright opening within that circular form of the weathered limbs. I have a less picturesque tunnel at the back of my property in the country and I am forever using it as a photo op. Yours is much nicer!

I think the photo would benefit from some selective brightening to aid the viewer in discovering its secrets. I have attached an sample edited version that illustrates what I mean. I tried to retain the mysterious darkness but reveal some detail here and there in the beautiful old trees, I brightened the area around the man just enough to distinguish his jacket from the trees near him. I patched part of the bright spot in the upper left corner but was careful not to close it off completely. I warmed the light circle at the end of the tunnel just a bit. I added some clarity to the footprints leading into the tunnel to give a hint about the man's journey. These are all very tiny adjustments to try and make the story more accessible to a viewer. These adjustments are easier on a computer screen with a full featured editor but mobile apps are becoming more sophisticated all the time, and much is possible with them.

Of course in the end, you are the artist and it is your own preference that matters. I'm just sharing a bit of my own thinking.

Yup. There was no doubt in my mind you would see the Easter Island connect! The "lollipop" is indeed a stop sign on the road. I had painted it out at first, but liked the image better as is.

Rich

The Palio traditions of Italy are a visual picnic for photographers. We bumped into them in unexpected places. Somewhere there must be a listing of all the Italian Palio events? I'd guess they play an important role in building social cohesion at a local level.
As a Palio affectionado who had never heard of the Taranto event, I googled. Looks like a lot of fun.
There are several ways of looking at these photos. As individual images, 2 stands out for the communication between foreground igure and the crew, the repeating boat shapes, line for dock out to the harbour and of course the joyous blue all the shots have uniting boats, crew, sky and water.
All the shots share the colour unification of these elements and this unification will be the essence of the palio.
As a series, it's a taster and it works on me. Add another to the never shrinking buckey list.
2

Interesting. I don't think I've ever seen a shot like this. The upright metal fingers catch the tiny particles. You also get the crystals on the base. The black area at the top - roof or window line? Not that it matters. I'm undecided about whether or not a little might be cropped off the top. Possibly nearly half of the solid black area? And maybe not. Taking some off gives a bit more horizontal eye movement and more attention to the fainter particles on the right edge.
I've spent quite a while looking at and enjoying this image

When I look at the photos from Fireplace, the same phrase comes to mind. I'll use it here and I'm probably going to use it again.
Classic landscape.
A road, a river, a path connects the foreground to background. This being Austria, we will feel the presence of the mountains.
Someone (probably many) will have done a Ph.d on the influence of those mountains on the country's architecture.

Sometimes, the text makes all the difference. This is one of them.
When I first looked at the shot it was mildly interesting. Foreground subject, repeated shapes behind, similar shape from the signpost.
Then I read the text and the experience utterly changed. Without the text, I'd never have made an association with the figures on Easter Island. Add the tale of the disappearing bollards. Now we have a small gem about mankind and the passing of time. Even the light on the bollard has taken on significance.

Thanks streamdream for noting the difference between the reflections and the reality of the far trees. It does exactly what you say it does to the image. I presume the tops of the far trees are much closer to the camera in the reflection and so are in sharper focus with minniev having focused on the nearer trees. What f stop were you using here minniev?
I saw Xrays and bones and joints. Perhaps it is- the essential framework of the country.
A shot I'd like on my wall.

It is pointless to look at this shot without looking at it large.
Bigger, we can see into the shadows and the figure emerges, The size of the figure gives scale to the arch. Rather than making the figure the subject, the viewer discovers the figure framed within the setting. The bright point at the end of the tunnel and the smaller area of light on this side of the figure, get us looking in the right direction.
Well, you didn't want an "in your face" image did you?

You hit it. The Salvadore Dali animals. I saw some of his spindly legged animal sculptures recently.

All the feel of Arctic ice (while we still have some) from space.
Also, as minniev says- at first I thought this was melting ice on a car body.
The photographer didn't snap this. I'm quite sure that considerable thought went into the framing to get the sinuous curves in these positions.

Love this one. I have to agree with everyone else that this barely looks like ice. It has a very rocky quality. Of stone that has been ground down by a river for millions of years. In a way that is correct. The outer layer of the crystalline formations of the ice get carried away by the thaw.

I love the colours here. This vibrant blue ans cold gray and deep black, with the occasional tiny bit of white at the edge of the crack to imply a reflective smooth surface. I think it's especially those tiny flecks of white that gives these cracks their unusually liquidy appearance.

Also love the use of the 1x1 format. I think it works really well for abstracts. I use it quite often myself. It manages to pull away the attention from the composition (though that is obviously important) and directs it to the quality of the texture and colours. I think an abstract rarely benefits from more space to occupy

A nice story, must have been a real surprise to find them all suddenly gone :-(
Good that you got this shot just in time.
The image looks better for me when I imagine it without the stop sign. All the attention is then on that Rapa Nui head :-)

You and the mist have done a great job here. The detail and clearly defined texture on the foreground tree trunks is nicely contrasted to the ever fading trees further in the distance. The reflection of all that is wonderful too.
Someone mentioned “bird legs and knees” and I can see them too now😊
It’s a peaceful and relaxing image, but at the same time, also a bit eerie

A good image. Looks like a slow stroll through a dark and mysterious forest,... but there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Hope the hangover wasn't too bad !

looks like they are having fun, in both shots!!

Yes, it's an abstract with a good patterns, texture and shape. Interesting how there are rounded edges on the ice blocks.