* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #903 / Revived #123 on 2025 08 06*

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!

WÜRZBURG VARIATIONS

Like last week's old images of the Sächsische Schweiz, here is another exercize in getting different images from (roughly) the same spot.

We visited friends south-east of Munich last weekend and to break up the +900 km drive over German highways full of road construction sites, we turned the visit into a four-day mini vacation.

Our one-night stop on the way south was Harburg, a lovely little town dominated by a massive fortress - I may post photos of that place in coming weeks.

On the way back north we decided on Würzburg, a bigger city with a university and rich history, surrounded by the vineyards where the grapes for Frankische Wein are harvested. A very pleasant surprise that will certainly get another visit if we have to travel south or north through Germany again.

The Franconian wine is an ingredient of one of the city's enduring traditions: Brückeschoppen.

Roughly translated as "Bridge-Drinking", it is a phenomenon (Bridge Apero Time) that takes place every evening (already afternoon actually, starting 11.00 AM until 22.00 PM) on the oldest city bridge over the Main (the Alte Mainbrücke). This stone bridge is now strictly pedestrian, with lifesize statues of saints, like on Karoly Most in Prague and Ponte Sant’Angelo in Roma. Locals (and tourists) gather there with BYOB wine (or glasses purchased from the nearby winebars) to celebrate life and toast to … whatever!

We obviously participated, but I also needed some physical action, so while Els enjoyed another glass of Sylvaner or Riesling on the bridge with her book, I hike up the Marienberg on the opposite bank of the historic city center (Altstadt), to get some panoramic views of Würzburg. The Marienberg has impressive fortifications and a Castle that reminded me of the gastle in Budapest. Every available slope of the rocky hill is planted with wine. A great walk.

And as I had anticipated it yielded some pretty good views of the city, first from the top of the Citadel, and then on the way back down through the vineyard..

Here are three of those views, all made with the Iphone (camera photos are still on my SD card and not even on my hard drives yet).

First, a vertical composition overlooking the city from an altitude and concentrating on the Alte Mainbrücke leading into the city to create depth:

Second, a horizontal composition from almost the same altitude but more to the right, focusing on the city's many bell towers within the cityscape (notice how the white Rathaus tower and the cupola of the Neumunster have switched places as compared with previous image), and showing some vineyard and houses on this side of the river:

Third, having descended a bit along the path that meanders through the Marienberg vineyard, a closer look on (most of) the towers (except the red sandstone tower of the Marienkirche and the white belltower of the Rathaus), combined with the nearby church on the foot of the Marienberg. This one was made with the phone's 2x camera from a vantage point where I could get them in a nice alignment:

Another fishing photo, this of grandson #2 bringing his boat into the dock...

Encouraged by the fun my family had with the last batch of fishing photos, I took the camera to my last summer meetup with the 13 yr old. He takes his little john boat out at dawn and fishes his way to the bait shop where there's a great country breakfast. After we fill up on biscuits and eggs he fishes his way back to home. School started next day, so that activity will be shelved for a while. I wished for better atmospherics, wished I'd thought of this earlier in the summer, and hope he doesn't outgrow it before next summer!

The illusion of Chiaroscuro

Yesterday, I went for a walk in the local forest, looking for a photo that is generally relatively dark, but has a bright area that shines out brightly.
I found these two shots.

There is a technique used by artists called Chiaroscuro which uses strong contrasts between light and dark to make the subject really stand out.
Perhaps used many years ago for paintings that were hung in darker places?
I wanted to test this method out and make a large print for a wall in my house that is often only dimly lit,... with the hope that the print will still look bright under those dim conditions. After all everything is relative , right?
I can't add a spotlight to this particular area, so maybe this technique will work instead.
After testing with A3 sized prints The second shot works better than the first; it gives the feeling that the sun is shining and lighting up those leaves despite the dim lighting in the room. (The final print will be 60 x 90cm)
Only problem is that my wife doesn't like it, but I think I'm on the right track.
I'll just have to find something, with a similar lighting effect, but a bit less "messy" and with a simpler somewhat more minimalistic pattern, that fits better to the curtains ;-)