• Members 1529 posts
    Aug. 26, 2026, 7:39 a.m.

    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 camera brands (or even smart phone 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!

  • Members 1529 posts
    Aug. 26, 2026, 7:44 a.m.

    A FISHERMAN & A FISHER OF MEN

    A view on Rio de Janeiro, just after dusk, from across the bay, strolling on the boardwalk of Urca, the quarter that sits on the edge of Pao de Azucar.

    roelh.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1586435111-6.jpg

    (Somebody gave me the advice last week that I should tell you to right-click on my images and then open them in another tab to view a bigger version. At least for the images that are embedded from my zenfolio pages. On the ones I upload directly to this site, you can just click to enlarge. Thanks for that pointer.)

  • Members 2292 posts
    Aug. 26, 2026, 9:30 a.m.

    The approaching army

    I stumbled across this old image taken many years ago on a walk though our little country village.
    It somehow made me think, despite the plastic, of an army from the middle ages waiting, just behind the hill ;-)

    DSC_6314a.JPG

    DSC_6314a.JPG

    JPG, 1.4 MB, uploaded by Fireplace33 on Aug. 26, 2026.

  • Members 2292 posts
    Aug. 26, 2026, 10 a.m.

    A clever title ;-)
    I think I remember you saying that you like the portrait orientation. I think this one would however benefit from perhaps something approaching a more square format with half of the leaves at the top cropped off