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

Hi,
This is an interesting image as you have to look for a while. With a quick glance only the beholder will miss your old man, perhaps even miss all the value of seeing the quiet and peace in the wood. Great archway. In this case it seems apt to have the back of the man as focus point.
Possible improvements? Not much but playing with cropping may help to get rid of the distracting bright spots at the top left. I don't think there is much to gain be playing with the levels - it's probably much better just to look at the image larger.
A simple image to take perhaps, but well observed and taken!

Nice Ice

After a dreary, rainy period, we have now had dry, sunny, sub-zero weather for days. The little puddles in the forest have frozen, thawed slightly in the midday sunshine, then refrozen. This has caused cracks, which form pretty abstract patterns.

I like the shades of blue, which are both attractive and act as a second common theme (apart from the obvious subject matter) to link the photos in the series.
The leading lines in the first are clever, with the edge of the pier and the gaps between the plamks, and in 2 to 4 the coloured oar blades draw attention, and lets the eye follow the oars into the image.
The event , also described in your text, is interesting too.

I haven't seen photos of falling snow shown like that before. Usually it is white blobs or streaks, but bever the random tracks you managed to capture. Presumably it was the very fine snow, which is almost a frozen mist, that we get sometimes. In any case, I like the effect, and it makes an unusual and delicate image.

You might want to look at the top third of the image. On my screen it is almost pure black, even in the enlarged view, which looks a bit strange, but close inspection reveals details, showing the shape of the top of the lamp, for interest. Maybe raising the brightness slightly to reveal some of the detail, and break up the black, would be an improvement. Of course the problem could be my screen or maybe you just prefer it that way.

I particularly like the first and last.
The first has quite a dynamic leading line. Between the rather non-descript buildings in the foreground, over the bridge to the attractive looking town on the otherside of the river, up the street between the buildings and then straight up the church steeple to the mountainous countryside, which is hiding its charms behind dreamy layers of mist.
The third shows a beautiful row of trees, whose colours suggest early Autimn, and out of their midst rise three very attractive towers, with their details shown well against the sky. But wait, there are faint outlines of trees in the sky! .... I enjoyed that little trick as I realised the sky was really the side of a mountain.

Your project has led to a photo, which causes a viewer and to actually think about bollards. They are there, we see them, we make an effort not to drive into them, but we do not actually study them.Your photo reveals an interesting shape with a head a neck and a body, which could be interpreted as some kind of being. The soft light, complementary colours and peaceful, central composition suggest the being is harmless. The smooth surface of the concrete has air-holes to create a good texture. The narrow depth of fielddoes its job well, keeping attention on the bollard, but allowing the other bollards and sign to give a bit of background interest without any danger of becoming distractions.
It was a project worth repeating.

Thanks so much, Pete.

You”got” it.

The “being” you see in the bollards, I felt resembled the enigmatic Mo’ai statues of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island.

Rich

Yes, I can see why.

Mmm, I like this one. The B&W treatment, the fog and the bare trees create a surreal image. There is no obvious horizon, so whilst looking at the larger version, it is easy to let the conscious mind ignore what it knows to be a reflection, and allow the subconcious to fly through slender pillars descending into the unseen valley below. The imagination is awake now, and sees the knees of thin legs. Insects, maybe? Or giant giraffes? Or the spindly legged animals from one of Salvador Dali's paintings? What fun.

You've created a striking photo, where the viewer is drawn through that dark tunnel towards the light. The bright area with the branches arching over it seems to form an eye staring back at us, which is quite eerie, especially as the surroundings are quite dark.
I like those dark shadows and the uncertain, slightly threatening feeling they create, but maybe you could try brightening your Dad, but only very slightly, to make it more obvious there is a person at the centre of the maelstrom. It might be an improvement.

The scenes mayhave been taken thousands of miles apart, but they tell a story.
In the first it seems to be the calm before the storm. The group at the table are sitting quietly. Even though the glasses are emptying, there does not seem to be any alcohol induced hilarity or animation. The group with the megaphone seem to be in the process of gathering together too.
Meanwhile in Bangkok, night has fallen and that dramatic speed blur suggests action, and so does the little Fever sticker on the Tuk-Tuk. The gestures of the women are now looser and so are their clothes. The adventures of the night can now begin!

Some more from the LEGO exhibit

Ha. The girls in Cordoba weren't sitting quietly. Those glasses had already been drained quite a few times. The girl with the megaphone had ringleader duties. No prisoners were taken and passer bys were likely to be dragged into the activities and the more screaming the better. It must be a Cordoban tradition. We came across a number of groups like these marauding the streets. You have been warned.
I'm most pleased that the little fever sticker has been spotted.

The rich blues of the boats, the sea, the sky, and the clothing dominate the images and make it all about the color. The story is secondary, but complementary, because it's a story of water in this particular place. Nicely captured and presented.

What a fascinating image. Creative and well done. An action abstract, written small.

Gorgeous fall cityscapes with amazing architecture, great color, beautiful background scenery, fit for a travel book or brochure. Love the curving smooth water canal in the second one, all leading to the distant mountain.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this was Easter Island. Inescapable visual connect.

And also a pleasing abstract if you can avoid Easter Island. (Not sure how I feel about the anomalous lollipop on the right edge, but it looks like a stop sign and the posts nearest it appear to have put on their brakes so...)

If you added shots from Nashville and New Orleans you'd find many similarities - young ladies with matching outfits riding in various hired conveyances toting refreshments. You caught the (colorful) spirit of the universal trend.