* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #807 / Revived #027 on 2023 10 04 *

The sharpness across the ray moves to the softer focus on the other fish and reduces further as we go back. The feeling this gives of depth that is particularly effective as all the objects are floating. The orange/browns of the subject lift it from the background and we have lots of intriguing detail on the features of the ray. The curved wings are quite beautiful.
A most satisfying shot.

I like the lines and timbers of the jetty with the spaghetti can. I might have interfered and removed the rope.

It is unlikely that the water is polluted, it looks like a muddy farm dam to me. Maybe there has been recent rain? I'd bet that there are yabbies below that love water like this.
That's a working dog and yes, a swim like this would be bliss. Photographically, the bow wave right across the image frames the head and adds movement. I'm very fond of these dogs so I enjoy the shot enormously.

I enjoyed your comments, Bryan! Strong direct sun middle behind, combined with densely packed trees that hold branches of varying sizes, as well as different species so some are large leaves, some are pine needles. A Topaz filter for HDR on top of a softer filter that gives glow and contrast = this. Thanks so much for your interest!

Witches gather in their masses...

Sailor apprentices

Enlarge

Both the title and photo made me smile! I think the most important aspect of the image's success is that there ae so many little sailboats, and they're all grouped closely together. The cruise ship is obscenely massive, in comparison. I had no idea!

The apprentice (or students in a classroom) theme is great! Kudos for seeing the potential for an engaging photo.

Minnie,

Thanks so much for commenting.

Baseball is the greatest game.

"Looks like it would be a good magazine ad."

For the majority of my graphics arts career, my job was to illustrate brochures, newspaper/magazine ads, booklets, some books.

Impossible deadlines and expectations. At a moment's notice go out and get professional-quality images to complement the ad-copy. Fill the frame. Simplify. Eliminate extraneous elements. Reduce ambiguity. Use color pleasingly. Use color dramatically. Tell the whole story at a glance. "We need the images yesterday."

That's pretty much the way I see the world and make photographs. This was early evening, during a semi-pro game on Maui. I had the contract to print brochures and schedules for one of the teams. The glove and ball belonged to one of the infielders. It was lying there between innings.

Rich

It was very interesting reading about your career demands, Rich, and how they connected to your photo here. Thank you!

This is an image that is spoilt for me by interference from memories of other images. This is totally unfair to Linda's photo.
Backlighting, the otherworldly green, foliage, lots of black space where things might be lurking. They all have connotations of Halloween and I have to work hard to strip my prejudices away.
The intricate textures through the leaves, their framing by the more dominant branches plus the striking green are what make the shot. The supernatural feeling is hard to avoid as we consider the very bright area. What is it? Then we quickly change to deep blacks. I would have preferred more of the pattern and so I would have cut back the intensity of the strongest highlight area and allowed more detail in the shadows.
Of course, the suggestion of something unnerving might have been exactly what Linda wanted in which case my suggestions are way out of order.

Shot 1. As you say, a classic in great condition. As the subject is the bike and as the background isn't adding anything to the time context, I think you might have chosen the angle a little better. The bench on the right is running into the bike when you really want the bike to stand out. Whoever built the fence did you no favours as the top edge goes right throughthe line of the handlebars. The similarity in the curbing and the concrete edging works well. If you want to try some post processing with some of the newer fangles object removal and replacement tools, try getting rid of the bench and extending the height of the wall upwards.
Shot 2. IBIS here is a tricky decision. I note that it's Sony IBIS and I have had experience with this system. It depends on how securely you had your camera positioned on the rail. If it was on a tripod, IBIS should be off. In this case, it's hard to tell whether or not IBIS would give the best result. It's a dilemma choice I've had too and I might have considered two shots, one with IBIS on and one with it off.
Re the composition, you have a choice. Either zoom in closer to make more of the trails or try to get the whole scene including the yacht, the round tower at the front and the background lights. I like what you have done. It takes in the whole scene with the light trails giving movement to an otherwise still location. The inclusion of the other bits is important to feeling this scene. Possibly take a little off the black sky.

minniev has covered it. The scuffing on the ball was a good pick up. I like the green, green grass that makes the summer connection and also has patterns that connect to the stitching on the ball. Defintely a shot suitable for an ad. or a titling place in a sequence. This tells us that you succeeded in getting a photo that is loaded with meaning.
Really good.

This is really exceptional in terms of colors! I love the balance and feel like it takes an incredible amount of experience and skill to get it right. A bunch of stories told in color... without any need for words, or narrators or over-the-top special effects. I like it a lot!

All over Italy we came across dilapidated old buildings being rebuilt and reborn. Many were clearly not being lived in but they weren't being demolished. I'm guessing that sooner or later they will be renovated. Tourists like the old areas and there's money to be made from renting. The Italians know very well that preserving the atmosphere of the old parts of town are critical for tourism.
I am pretty sure that not too long ago the building on the left would have looked just like the one on the right and that the one on the right will get the treatment in due course.

Once again I'm agreeing with minniev. Number one is a standout. The sky clouds/light give a dramatic framing to the upper structure of the boat. Similar lines from the mooring ropes balance the upper lines and bring the composition together. The "bow bulb" (I'm sure there is a correct nautical term) and the rope and the bow itself, beautifully frame the background docks. Then we have some perfect complementary colours.
The other shots are fine however they are more information shots that build the details about the location as part of a series. Shot one is the standout, stand alone gem.

I didn't so much apprentices see but a mother duck and her brood. It doesn't matter, they are both getting at the same idea.
Nice idea.

We could also say that the large cruise ship provides an appropriate silhouette to the small sail boats - if you get my gist.

"Unnerving" never crossed my mind, so I am fascinated by your reaction, Mike 😁