* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #954 / Revived #174 on 2026 07 29 *

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 (18 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!

ILHA GRANDE - GOING FOR COFFEE

This image was made two hours ago, a bit before sunrise on the beach of Abraao, a cute hamlet on the island Ilha Grande (between Paraty and Rio de Janeiro).
(Shot RAW with OM-1, converted to my standard JPG settings in-camera and uploaded to my phone for emailing.
Slight adjustments of the JPG with the Iphone Photo App.)

Two close-ups

The last of my rediscovered old negatives I'll be posting.
I'm not sure of the year, probably 1967, perhaps 66 or 68? It shows in the style.
At the time I was mainly shooting fashion and model portfolios. Taken with a Yashica 635 TLR. We didn't have the luxury of a proper studio, lighting and backdrops for the seamless photos that were much used. It all had to be improvised. On the second, I have left in the clues to the improvisation. This would have been cropped out in the final print.

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Clarity - waters of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada are very crystal-clear and sometimes turquoise in appearance. Sunlight reflects off mineral particles and gives it bright blue and green shades.

Simply magnifico!

TOP prize indeed.

Both amazing, but flower is my fave. So bright and visible.

After Breakfast

This is the most boring of all. I was reduced to taking pictures of my kitchen, last remodeled in 1928.

I'll introduce you to some of the clutter. My father's ancient binoculars. The carved cat that spent 20 years on my mother's office door. The dug-up lemon juice container (first edition) produced in Texas in 1930. A glass full of bits of iron tools the grandsons found with their junior metal detector. Mishmash of dishes old and new. Dishtowel stitched by grandmother. The bottom half of a sugar bowl now used for grandson's paint projects. An action figure left by the last child who was actually born here in 1991. A stemmed glass of unknown provenance but it holds the carcass of the biggest spider I ever saw.

There are autobiographies in our surroundings.

Oh, I really like your assembly of bits and bobs from the bygone era. They all represent everyday items manufactured years ago, but amazingly could all be used today.
It's an incredible viniette to the past, but so enchanting. Running water and coffee mug...it's all there. The whole picture makes me smile

Impressive photo.
The morning atmosphere, the silhouettes, the landscape—simply beautiful.

It’s a shame that these are the last photos from those earlier years.
I found them all very interesting—this one included.
It’s news to me that you used to be a fashion photographer.

This photo is incredibly good.
At full size, the beauty of the interplay between textures, colors, and layers truly unfolds.

I find the composition very good.
The eye wanders slowly from the sink to the nearby objects and the window.
The photo has a strong sense of familiarity.

A big fish that has eaten too much plastic in a sea of light

Taken in Busan, South Korea

Holy Ghosts?

Whilst in Mainz two weeks ago, we also went to the medieval cathedral. Workman were busy in the apse, behind the altar, and were in the process of assembling or repairing a lighting gantry, ready to be suspended from the ceiling. They had covered the statues of saints and holies with sheets of plastic to protect them from the work. In the afternoon light they looked like so many ghosts and some seemed to have undergone a transformation and no longer looked holy at all. The place of soothing prayer had taken on an eerie disquieting edge.

I like the point bits of the background peaks then the further line of pointy boat silhouettes stretching across the frame. The human shapes are large enough to enable their activities to be easily seen and interpreted. The shapes and colours have an attractive exotic touch for us at home and it feels appealingly warm.
Like the image from Sagittarius last week, I'd suggest strengthening the east/west sweep by cropping a little off the bottom.

A wonderfully soothing travel image with good balance and lots of interest to look at. There are enough details in the silhouetted boats to make us explore them, and the contrast between foreground water, mid ground boats and background mountains is strong enough to make us appreciate them both separately and together. The paddling boater on the left adds a touch of movement into the mostly static scene. Well caught.

These are surreal images. The water lily seems to be exuding light from within, and the brown exterior of the butterfly's nearest wing looks like fur. I did look it up on a butterfly identifier which says it is a European Peacock butterfly. They are brilliantly colored and deadly sharp images but slightly unsettling.That spot on the butterfly's farthest wing is the same set of colors as the lotus flower! Wonderful to display them together!

I would say 66-67, as a child of that era myself. These are cute and funny. You clearly had mastery of the camera you were using, to get results like these with improvised tools.

A big plastic fish in a big electronic sea. Examining the fish in closeup is fascinating - It reminds me of the great Pacific garbage patch but turned into an artwork. I'm curious whether the sponsors were promoting clean water awareness.

My local environmental group sponsors fundraiser art shows and fashion shows where everything must be made of recyclable trash.

While it may have been disappointing not to see all most interesting statues, the process yielded a fascinating (and well taken) photo. I know from experience how hard it is to photograph dark cathedrals and their beautiful windows from within. Though you'd be giving up the gorgeous colors, I'd have to play with monochrome conversion and toning to make the ghosts spookier. Love it.

I'm pretty sure that enviromental reasons like clean water awareness was a big part of that open air exhibition. Some was described in English
But a lot was written and described in Korean which I can't read.