* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #890 / Revived #110 on 2025 05 07*

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 (almost 17 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!

LAYERCAKE

Last week I shared an image from the last stretch of our hike around Manderscheid.
This is another one from that hike in the Vulkaneifel region of Germany.
This was roughly halfway, down from Mosenberg and on upwards to the crater lake of Windsborn.
On the way back down to resume the main path, the view in the distance just caught my eye.

I was happy that I had brought the tiny 40-150mm olympus telephoto kit lens with me to mount on my equally tiny GM-5 camera.

(That Panasonic camera with a few small Olympus lenses ranging from 9mm (18mm EFL) to 150mm (300mm EFL) is a camera combination that is hard to beat for weight in a backpack that you are going to carry all day. The only thing it lacks is image stabilization. So you have to keep the shutter speed up, especially at long focal lengths and even then the image can be just a bit fuzzy. It is a combination for good light.)

The Bell's MilkBar. Again. Broken Hill. NSW.

Downtown

It's an image which puts a smile on my face.
Love the uneven yellow patches interspersed with green sections and various line of trees. It's all like a painting. Fabulous capture indeed.

Very classic shot of a typical and unique coffee or milk establishment where one sees inner workings of staff etc.
I particularly like the line of cups with various colours above the counter. Such a simple but highly effective image.

Pictures along the path

Once again, we are now planning for the next round of pictures for our open air gallery. Every year there’s a village event here, at the beginning of July, where we walk around the 3.5km long gallery together with all the guests and present the new pictures. It’s always a lot of fun with some music and lots of chatting with friends and neighbours. The gallery itself stays open in Pilsbach, 24/7, all year round.

Here’s a few shots of some older pictures from previous years.

Off to the next picture

Can I Come In Now?

From a series, SoCal Rainy Day.

Rich

"Layered" landscapes are all around us, but most people just don't notice the abstract (or non-abstract) shapes.

This is a good one. Yellow triangles, green and purple swaths, trees, marching back and forth.

Rich

The very wide angle shot gets a lot of activity into the frame. Lots of color to emphasize the nature of the place. In a shot like this, with all the converging perspective, I think it's important to get the verticals straight. Hard to do in the shooting, but possible in post.

Good shot.

Rich

Well-executed "Cityscape abstract." It's obvious what the subject is, but the distortions are what give it real interest. Silver and blue.

Rich

Well, that looks like a lot of fun. And probably fun to have put together.

How were the huge prints made?

Rich

yep, it is fun to prepare, and nice to get the feedback from the people in the village and other visitors.
I've been doing this together with another local photographer for nearly 10 years now.
The photos are weather proof, the basis of the print is a 3mm thick alubond composite plate. The images are printed onto a self-adhesive plastic film that's then stuck onto the plate. There are two type of glue "permanent", as used in road signs, or the "semi-permanent" type that we use so that the film can be peeled off and replaced next year with the new print. They are completely UV resistant even after several years. The resolution and colours are good. I sit with the professional printer and adjust if necessary.
The frames are just wooden posts with metal caps. So it's all very simple to mount, but long lasting and robust. It's survived nearly 10 years of all the weather thown at it so far !
Choosing the photos is the hardest part ;-)

Hwy 49S Roadside Market

When there's nothing else to take pictures of, take your camera to the market...

Eyes

Well Minnie, with this extraordinary selection of fresh fruits and vegetables one would assume you will be busy creating some tasty meals for yourself and your partner. They all look "market fresh" and you can certainly use them in your culinary exercise.

Nature's anomaly could be totally open to imagination.

Word fun comes to mind. I like the last shot most. All these participants against fields.
Perfect scene.

The Dwarfs of Wroclaw

This is a typical scene in Wroclaw, Poland. Not the attractive Art Deco front, but the little figure to the left of the door, one of the over 800 Dwarfs of Wroclaw.

They are a huge attraction for the kids, who have sticker books and try to collect as many as they can.

So what is with these dwarfs?
In European fairy tales dwarfs come to help people in need (think of Snow White, for instance). In Wroclaw in the 1980s Waldemar Fydrych led the Orange Alternative, a protest against the communist regime, arguing that a protest movement with absurd satirical elements and accessible for everyone would be effective and difficult for the authorities to counter without ridicule. They overpainted communist slogans with pictures of dwarfs and used pictures of dwarfs to indicate the site of a happening, where they would distribute "luxury" items, which were not always easy to obtain, such as toilet paper, cut flowers, sanitary pads and also orange dwarf hats. He argued (correctly) that the police would be too embarassed to arrest dwarfs, and if they did, they would be ridiculed(correct again). He also argued that the West was more likely to pick up and publish an article if he was arrested for distributing sanitary pads than for clever intellectual reasoning or a violent action. It was a success and even spawned, and supported, the Orange Movement in Ukraine. (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Alternative )

The dwarfs are in their honour and many continue the slightly subversive and humorous themes. Others are sponsored by shops, businesses and even official institutions. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wroc%C5%82aw_Dwarfs

A Solidarnosc grafitti dwarf...

Two dwarfs sawing a police baton...

Others are pictoresque...

Outside the German Consulate, two dwarfs are downing a beer, having whacked a hole in the Berlin Wall...

But this guy wasn't so lucky...

They fascinate children...

And adults too...

Finally a dwarf to commemorate the Wroclaw Guitar Festival.
Every 1st May, guitarists gather in the huge market square (one of the largest in Europe) and strum along to, or freak out to, or try to copy Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" and other Hendrix classics. In 2023 they earned yet another place in the Guinness Book of Records with 7,967 guitarists playing Hey Joe. A week ago they broke that record again with 8.122 guitarists!
heyjoe.pl/summary/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUffwZJ98aU

And this must be getting close to a record for the longest post. Sorry!