* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #951 / Revived #171 on 2026 07 08 *

Please accept my apologies for starting the thread half a day later than usual: I was occupied and on the road earlier today.
But now : we take a leap and we are off!

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!

Fire

Apologies everyone. Last week and possibly the coming week have been difficult and I didn't get to make responses to the posts from y'all. No promises for the coming week but I'll post a couple anyway.

Men Reading. Still my old 1974 negatives. Spain.
Edit note. I have no idea why the images are out of order and the last image shows twice

Impact by the bucket load. The vertical shape through the middle is repeated through the lines in the grate. The coals at the bottom add weight to the composition and contrast to the flames.
Some fabulous textures here to be explored.
Great shot.

JABBA

I've had hardly any free time in the past week (combination of work with family matters and preparation for a long travel as from next Sunday).

So I will just continue on with showing another animal portrait, this time not recent, but from March 2013.
Once again in a zoo and shot through glass in a night-dark habitat.

Shot with a long fast lens (at 212mm in four thirds, thus 415mm EFL) on the E-5.
Shutter 1/500 at f-stop F3.2 (iso .800)

I don't recall exactly which lens, but probably one of the very fast top range F2.0 lenses (I had a couple of those).
The 1.4 teleconverter results in an even longer fast telephoto F2.8 lens.
(I am guessing: the 150mm F2 x 1.4 = 210mm so that could be it.)

Taken in Atlanta Zoo through plexiglass and processed with LrC and Topaz Photo AI.

Robert's Gourds

My cousin's husband is trying his hand with gourds this year, to make birdhouses for our plentiful birds. It's his first crop so of course I wanted to make photos of them. When you live in the country and don't go many places, you really have to get excited about photographing each new small thing you find! They are in varying states of blooming, ripening, and of course have become a part of the overall country environment, inviting a couple of indigo buntings to build their nest. Four eggs, but the parents won't sit for their portraits. I'm still trying to sneak up on them.

Heat Sleep

One way to survive oppressive heat is to find a patch of shade and avoid movement.

Watching a burning wood fire, imagining shapes in the flickering flames, has a universal appeal, so it is strange there are so few photos of the subject. This one really captures the destructive ferocity of the flames and I can sense the heat. Technically it is very well exposed, controlling the brightness in the fire, leaving rich colours.
The post in the centre could be disturbing, but for some reason it works, maybe because it creates a diptych.
A very cool photo of heat.

1. People read newspapers. Not a mobile phone in the world. These are reasons enough to make these worthwhile documentary photos.

In the first, the awkward way the man grips the newspaper, lifting it towards his face to see it better, and the walking stick alongside him, are little visual accessories to underline his age. On the other hand, perching confidently on a table instead of a lower, more comfortable seat suggets he is still young at heart.

The second has a touch of humour with the juxtaposition of the reader and the pile of crumpled newspapers. Has he read them and disposed of them, or will he be there for a while as he reads his way through?

Very enjoyable.

Yes, a great portrait of Jabba, although it is a shame you missed Princess Leia!
I also thought about Alice's smiling Cheshire Cat, turned into a frog by a wicked witch or by use of the caterpillar's hookah.

This could be a still from a science fiction film and certainly doesn´t look like a zoo. You have caught the reptile in a wonderfully proud pose, made more impressive by the low angle.

Your photos certainly prove you don't need to visit exciting venues to get good photos. The round shapes of the gourds against the harsh geometry of the fence are very appealing. I also like the colour palette being reduced to a wide selection of greens.
Good luck with your attempts to photograph the birds.

Egret, surveying...

I really like both photos and find them interesting.
The old man is reading the newspaper in such a way that it is completely crumpled.
And the other one is likely solving a puzzle.

We certainly read a lot into photos like this.
To me, the frog seems to be saying: "You're taking my picture—I'm beautiful, aren't I?"
A lovely photo!

I experienced a mass nap like that in Paraguay.
Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo.
Here, you show us that it can make for a very interesting photo.

A very interesting series.
As you described, there are plenty of opportunities around us to take good photos.
All the photos have quite dark backgrounds.
Did you take them in the dark?