Wednesday C&C * Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #914 / Revived #134 on 2025 10 22*

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!

CRADLED MOON OVER UMBRIA

Just a few weeks ago, we enjoyed the hospitality of a gorgeous location in the countryside hills just south of Perugia.

I woke up early one morning and went for a quick walk in the olive grove on the hill below the property, enjoying the sight of the early sun warming the colours on the centuries old walls of the main villa (we stayed in a cosy appartment in a side building).

The moon had been full the night before, when we were still in Siena.
But this moon, about to disappear in the morning sky, was still good enough for a few shots combining it with the walls, the trees, the ancient vases, etc.

More editing of last year's photos

That's a really good shot - it's all about the color contrast and balance for me. Hard to spot and even harder to nail, so great work!

Nice shots! I would try cropping this one from below. Same with the shot of the helicopter. I think the small hut is slightly distracting, while the rest of the background is very nice with all the lines.

I know... flower shots are not the peak of creativity. It's fun regardless, particularly with a lens that might create something unexpected.

Light the flowerworks by simple.joy, on Flickr

Abandoned silo

Touring the countryside in Northern Ontario i encountered an old silo on a farm all covered in autumnal leaves.

Actually I like this shot for it's simplicity and visual interest.

Very interesting capture we do not see very often on this forum. There is certain attraction in watching planes take off and this one certainly has it.

You have certainly captured a moment in time where all 3 features were aligned to create very interesting composition. Each of them is entirely different, but together they generate great visual image.

Autumn Colours Along the Red Rocks River

We affectionately named the Dientenbach stream “Red Rocks River” during our first visit a few years back.
Since then, we've returned time and again, each visit offering something a bit different. The seasons bring their own charm, of course, but the valley itself is ever-changing—shaped and reshaped by each passing storm. This time, it was the autumn colours that truly stole the show :-)

Haven’t been on many trips in the last couple of months, so haven’t posted here for a while, but hope you like these from last weekend in the Hochkönig region, at about 1300m

Looking down to the valley floor below

In the valley

The river sneaks by in the shadows

Many colours at the Red Rocks River

This time there was a thick layer of fine sand between the bolders here, like at the beach

There's loads of fascinating rocks, I'm not a geologist, who knows what this one is ?

They are all outstanding shots. Beauty of raw nature is undeniable: rocks, sky, water , trees - all these elements you have captured expertedly. Some are like paintings.Well done.

Fayette Ghost Town, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Fayette was an iron mining/production "company town" from the 1860s to the 1890s on the shores of Lake Michigan, at the west end of the UP. Its remaining buildings, and ruins of those lost over time, are now the property of the state parks system and open to the public. This is what's left of the "company store" where all residents bought their food, clothing, and necessities.

I love abandoned buildings. There are always some forgotten memories, stories to tell. This particular capture contains great background with water and blue sky, which plays a major role in appreciation of the image. We are looking through the frame onto other frames. Lots of lines to admire. The bricks in various colours are big draw here.
Great photo.

Nice!
It's the soft and colourful background that makes this flower shot interesting.

That's certainly better than haviing to look at an old silo ;-)
The view you got "looking up", with that impressive sky and the green meadows behind, make this composition good

A nice action shot taken at the right moment, especially good with that "mist" thrown up behind the plane.
It looks like it was taken on a dull day, but I think the image could be edited to make the mid tones just a bit brighter

The helicopter shot does not do all that much for me (although I like the diagonal layers in the background landscape.
But the airplane shot is a really dynamic capture, with all that humidity being swirled about behind the plane.

I wonder what the view from the other (sunlit) side might have been.
Maybe gorgeously lit autumn colours?

As is, the silo looks a bit like a monolith (2001 Space Odyssey, anyone), becasue it lacks some definition in the dark areas to properly appreciate that it is overgrown.

The shadow in the frame can be considered a bonus, but there is probably not enough of it to make it a real deliberate feature.
(You stand fairly close, IN the shadow itself: when I include shadows resulting from backlit objects of people, I usually try to get the whole shadow.)

What makes this image special is the double natural framing: looking through (but not above) a window in a ruined wall towards another window that we again look through (but also above).

It's a photo essay that makes me want to come over and hike in that region, especially in autumn it seems, when the multicoloured leaves bring an extra bonus to the landscape (although the mountains, boulders and that rushing stream are already enough in their own right to justify the trip and hike).

Love them all, without very specific standouts. Each image helps to tell the whole story of this place.
But if I was forced to pick a favourite or two, it would be numbers 2 and 3, because they are best at capturing and combining the features of the area in a pleasing single composition.

Crazy Horse Concert

I don’t have access to my photos at the moment, so here is one from my phone this week.