Wednesday C&C * Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #920 / Revived #140 on 2025 12 03*

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!

LOGISTICS

An image from more than 15 years ago, in April 2010 on a wonderful trip to North-Vietnam.

While still in Hanoi (prior to moving further north to Ha Long Bay and on to the area of the Chinese border with Lang Son and Ba Be on our schedule), we visited a city (or settlement) in the neighbourhood of the capital.

On the muddy banks of the river was a community of pottery makers, with small handicraft operations and also some larger scale stoneware factories.

I don't recall the name of this settlement, but it was worth a day long visit to the diverse pottery operations and to daily life in Vietnam in general.

(I remember a tasty lunch somewhere at a stall on a sidewalk: a woman sold food and had the whole "restaurant" with her in two large baskets, carried with a wooden pole over her shoulder. One basket contained the (burning) stove that she unpacked and on which she cooked, together with her vegetables, rice noodles and condiments. The other basket contained three minuscule plastic table and 12 even smaller plastic chairs. It was a "Bring Your Own Bottle" type of restaurant.)

And this is how transport of the finished pottery product was organized.

PS.
As an afterthought, I was frustrated at not remembering the name of the village.
A quick google search for "pottery town near Hanoi" revealed that is was the village of Bat Trang on the banks of the Red River, with its centuries old pottery tradition. The river being called "red" is probably an indication of where the ceramics industry gets its clay...

An incredible photo! With an interesting "slice of life" from 15 years ago.
Transporting all that stuff, especially those huge ceramic vases, on a bicycle, looks like a tricky job to have; iIt all looks so fragile.
The choice of using B&W here, gives quite a fitting "old fashioned feel" to it, and I like the tonality of the result.

On his way to the top of the rocky outcrop.

Well, I feel that it’s quite an honour to meet a “Gams” in the mountains!
They are usually quite shy and far away, but this weekend there was one watching us closely, from the top of that rocky outcrop at Stegmoosalm, Austria
Btw, “Gams” is the German name for an “Alpine Chamois”

It was a sort of B&W day ;-)

I'll post some more from this trip in the Weekly Landscape Thread on Friday

Very well seen and captured. While the thing which makes it truly special might not be seen immediately, there's certainly enough interest to keep exploring the different parts of the image and the composition works well, as does the B&W conversion.

I might have posted this one before, but I'm not sure and I can't find anything via the search function...

Every year flickr encourages its users to share what they perceive to be their best shot of the year. Even though many shots might be important to us for very different reasons, it's interesting to think about. I've decide that this would be my pick:

Protect the light within you by simple.joy, on Flickr