Wednesday C&C * Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #921 / Revived #141 on 2025 12 10*

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!

LIBYA LIGHT

Back to our trip to the Libyan Sahara in April 2009.

Inbetween our forays into different parts of the surrounding desert landscapes (Fezzan, Meggedet, etc, some sandy, others rocky terrain) where we slept under the stars with our Tuareg companions, we made two stops in a small village, to stock up on supplies and petrol (and on one of those stops, also to take a shower).

The duration of those stops were a bit unpredictable, because it depended on how soon our crew was able to get the petrol for the landcruisers.

We relaxed, had something to eat, and the boys and girls got into a foosball match with some local youngsters (who got beaten by our young teenage girls, much to their friends' amusement).

I wandered off through the sandy streets of the town to look around and hunt for some photos.
A door was open and I always consider that as an invitation.

This ongoing one-man construction in a mosque (that was being torn down or renovated; the difference is not always clear) was one of the sights I found:

B&W version of same image:

At the time I carried the huge and heavy Olympus Zuiko 7-14mm F4 (equivalent 14-28mm) in my bag.
Sometimes a nuisance to be hauling that lens through the desert and on other travels, but sometimes worth the effort.

In the same spirit as last week's 'The expectation and the reality." post.
This time, "Hot Air Balloons at Luxor."
Photo 1. The launch.
Photo 2. Us. Not a launch.
Actually, we were airborne but still tethered when flight control cancelled everyone still on the ground. High wind concerns.
Deflated but not complaining. Happy to see safety controls in place and being complied with.

Good call by the security people.
We would not have wanted to see you impaled on a pyramid (although there are no pyramids at Luxor, I gather...)

I can sympathize with the disappointment, but you still have two good images as a souvenir.
The difference between them is not only in the view but also in the colour intensity, and that too helps with the juxtaposition you are going for.

The first image shows the balloons still tethered but fired up
(and that fire is a wonderful metaphor for the obvious excitement of the passengers).

The second shows balloons in the air and two deflated on the ground, darker in tones and without the fiery glow
(and that too is then a metaphor for the disappointment of those left behind on the ground).

Legend

Renowned architect Frank Gehry passed away last week at 96. Toronto, Ontario, Canada born designer created one of the world's most iconic buildings
incuding Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A., Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris etc

The pictures above represent reconstuction of Art Gallery of Ontario done in 2008.

More:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry

Wonderful image! I clearly prefer the B&W image, because I feel like it highlights the composition and also eliminates the slightly distracting color abberations.

Works great - very nice shots and an interesting story behind them. I like how lit up balloon is the star in the first and the beautiful sky in the second. I'm sure it's a situation with an overwhelming amount of photographic opportunities... I might be unable to even take a single good shot there though. 😉

A string of bad luck by simple.joy, on Flickr

Excellent capture of the inside structure; the red scaffolding on rhs and red rope on the left kind of frame the picture for me. The beaming light and dust on the floor are a definite bonus. Great atmosphere.

A guitar with a broken string is very symbolic. Music stopped...

Those images are all about colours and light. I imagine the air was very clear because the amount of detail is truly amazing.

While the first is interesting to give some context, I like the combination of these two shots, which fit together nicely and combine a slightly cold (outside) perspective with a warm (inside) one. The lines are great in the second one and the wide angle lens certainly a good fit.

Clouds

Transport

Taken two years ago in India