* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #783 / Revived #004 on 2023 04 25 *

Brilliant!!!

The detail is absolutely amazing. Well done!.

Very calm set of images. And the colours and the lines and the reflections. It all comes together very well.

Thank you Chris

You make me happy.
Not only because apparently, I managed to get our message across.
But mostly because you have decided to (maybe) join us.
Please do.
You will see that friendliness AND honesty in C&C AND constructiveness can go hand in hand.

About our placement in DPR: we were somewhat of a "hidden treasure".
Originally, the thread had started in Olympus SLR Talk, because the original initiative was by Jonas B (an Olympus user).
I am still grateful for his inspiration. I jumped on that wagon in week one and have been present in every single edition since.

But immediately, the thread was opened to any brand and camera.
However, we remained on Olympus SLR Talk, out of a sense of tradition. It was our little corner of the world.
We did debate from time to time whether we should better move the thread elsewhere, but never found a better spot (on DPR).

Our forced eviction from DPR was seen as an opportunity to broaden our appeal by relocating not to Olympus SLR on DPRevived, but to the Critiques Forum which I daresay was partly inspired by our previous adventures. Minniev made a big contribution in appealing to the DPRevived admins for a C&C Forum.

So there you have the whole story.

Cheers and have a good weekend.

More agreement. Fine lines and high contrast = impact. The radiating lines provide a focus point which also takes the eyes to the second shape. Besides, photos that reveal details that my eyes can't pick up always get my interest.
Nicely done Lou.

Many thanks!

A great example of how an image can speak to one person in a very different way as to someone else. In my case, I feel right at home with this one because I live in central-eastern Washington with its abundance of commercial fruit orchards. I believe what I'm seeing behind your giant are rows of trellis-style commercial orchards, which enable the most fruit per acre and the most efficent way of picking. The giant looks like it was pruned not long ago, so I wonder if it is still producing fruit.

Happening upon a relic of "our grandparents' apple trees" (I'm originally from Maine) as I drive around the area, I'm always a bit saddened by the then and now. Thanks for this photo!

Of the various shots you have posted OpenCube, I easily like this one the best. Even so, frosty conditions are conditions I don't understand. So, I think I am looking at frost on a glorious day. Perhaps I'm not? Blue sky, golden leaves, an animal (bird/squirrel/possom?) home, the greenest of grasses and all tipped with sharp white. The image is shouting with life. The critter box is located along the trunk/branch diversion line so it naturally becomes the object of our attention and this again makes a statement about this location and this moment as a place of life.
An image that is satisfying to look at.

I wouldn't have thought of the interpretation simplejoy has reached but I see what he means. It's an utterly valid interpretation of a memorable photo. I'm with Jim though on the fire hydrant. Great job in removing it but on balance I prefer it in. In it's own right, it becomes a balancing shape/figure however it is a little too bright and so it does distract from the man. Just cut down the highlight a little perhaps?
In Spain in 1974 I did a photo of women waiting for a bride to pass. They were standing in front of large dark rectangular window shapes. Jim's image immediately reminded me of my shot.

Thank you kindly for your comments.

I lightened the shadows a tad. Not sure if I think it’s better…maybe just different. I sometimes like crushed blacks…but I know some prefer otherwise, thanks for commenting.

Your comment just reminded me of some desert shots I have seen over the years where the sky has a much deeper / darker blue than other places. Perhaps from the lack of moisture in the air?

Revised edit, thanks to comments received in this thread.

Lol. Balmly beautiful summer day photographed here. This is all the R72 filter and ACR/Photoshop pushing to get something more from my image. The "frosty" look is just slow shutter speeds since I'm working with an unmodified body.

After I found a person with a space suit, I am desperate to use this setup to make some "exploring alien worlds" photoshoots.

Thank you Chris. I'm glad you like it.

For anyone interested, a few years ago someone in a forum mentioned the technique of twirling to create abstracts from a starter image. Some starter images work better than others.

LOL indeed. I suspected that it wasn't frost but on the small screen I'm currently using, I couldn't check this closely. It doesn't matter. The image is still striking for the same reasons.**