* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #945 / Revived #165 on 2026 05 27 *

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 or critical 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!

BAG LADY (Dunhua, China, 2010)

Last week's edition of this Wednesday C&C was special.

By coincidence, it involved a fair number of street photography images, showing people (and dogs) in different situations.
Some of the people shown were clearly not fortunate in life.
This resulted in a number of fairly long, well motivated and very considerate comments on the ethics and morality of street photography.

It was a thread worth bookmarking.
This is roughly where the relevant comments started:
dprevived.com/t/wednesday-cc-no-theme-thread-944-revived-164-on-2026-05-20/8221/#post-117319
(That's a link to my comments on Mike's first image, but please explore further down the thread.)

In the discussion, I mentioned that many years ago (probably in 2010 or 2011 already, I posted an image of a woman on the streets in Dunhua (China), shot on my long late night or very early walks through this totally not touristic Chinese city. I was there to photograph the surrounding area with its organic soy fields agriculture and that kept me busy from dawn till dusk, but as this was my first travel to China, I was keen to explore also urban life in this provincial city.

This was a posting on DP Review, and the image invited a similar discussion on the do's and don'ts of street photography.
I was frustrated not to be able to retrieve that previous debate in order to share a link.
But in the meantime I have found the image back.

Here it is :

BAG LADY

(Panasonic 25mm F1.4 prime lens on Olympus E-3 -- 1/50 sec at F1.4.
I show the image here as it was processed at the time. It's on my web pages in that form.
I would probably tweak it a bit more nowadays (white balance, noise control, shadow lifting, ...).
But the processing is part of my history and journey in photography so there you go.)

White flowering field

I'd be interested to know which one of these (if any) you find attractive.
This particular farmer grows several different types of herbs.

It's the same field, from more or less the same position, taken on 2 different days with different conditions.

Thanks

The face on the bag belongs to a well-known actress in Hong Kong, who also models for a famous cosmetics company.
I don't see what a new edit would achieve.
It is already very good just as it is.

f/8.0 seems to be better with this lens.

No one should ever be ashamed of honest work—even if it involves a job like this one.
I have great respect for these people.
This photo honors the woman who does this work.

For Memorial Day

The Korean War Memorial Wall. Taken a decade ago when I was in DC on business often.

Take a Seat

In Baodingshan near DaZu in Szechuan, monks carved figures into the low cliffs to illustrate Buddhist teachings for illiterate people. It is a long horseshoe shaped cliff, with room for hundreds of figures.

Red Lilies in our yard

I want to continue discussion from last week but I'm a bit busy. I'll get to it.
Meanwhile:
Craftsman

The photo works with the rich ironies of life. It's a universal reality that applies to us all. Humour helps everyone in coping with the inevitables.
I wouldn't hesitate for a moment in either taking or sharing this shot.

Hi Kumsal
Thanks.
Normally I have the Z 24-120 glued to my camera, but in this case, for the second shot with F/13, I used the Z 24-70 lens.
So there are two different lenses here, but I'd say they are generally about the same in quality at 24mm.
The biggest difference between these two was that the first was shot on a day where the white field was in shadow from a big cloud and then processed to make it look brighter , whereas the second was taken 2 days later when the sun was really on the white flowers.

Definitely prefer the second. It's clear they were both shot in bright sunny conditions, but the 'natural' brightness of the foreground in #2 lifts the whole shot. I also feel more comfortable with the composition - we don't always need 'comfort', but in this case, yes.

Quite a nice catch, replete with gentle irony though nothing that would offend. The color palette of the main subject and her surrounds is pleasingly rich, and the lovely young model is a shade brighter which emphasizes the message further. I would probably have brightened the shadows and straightened it a bit, but 15 years ago, who knows? Our tools were different, our skills and taste were different. How we capture and present images is an ever-evolving journey.

That is a hard question. I prefer the clarity of rendering of the flowers in the first one, but the sky in the second one. Through no fault of the photographer, the odd formation in the clouds in the first one have created a composition that is harder to read, The second one is very rhythmic and the V shape is easy to follow, integrating well with the shapes in the field.

It would be interesting enough without the statues but they take it to another level. The repetitive splashes of blue are good punctuation in the composition.

Nice lilies, I rarely see red ones. There's a little bit of blurry something. on the right of the next rightmost flower that is a minor distraction. Maybe a bug? I might clone that out.

I am unsure what those things are that he's making but his equipment and tools are fascinating, as is his arrangement of them in perfect order. The composition is pleasing, as are the colors. Well done.