* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #810 / Revived #030 on 2023 10 25 *

David, if I include this kind of "stuff" in a composition, it's because I've intentionally made it part of the composition (or story, if you will). Unlike if I were traveling and facing one-of-kind scenes or iconic structures, I usually have options. So, from a viewer's pov, it often comes down to like/dislike, and I've found quite a few people dislike 😀 Many thanks for your time.

Roel, your reference to the traffic signs as "comic relief" tickled me. At your peril, make a left turn only!

Thanks Johannes. As you pointed out, your rework is now a totally different image. I mentioned my own extreme new version was boring. It's always interesting to experience the levels of distaste for telephone poles and wires. MinnieV found the tiniest remnant of one in the far background of one of my photos and recommended it be scrubbed out 😀

Thanks! "Found" subjects have been my joy for years now, especially when I was roaming around the countryside for 4 - 6 hours at a time, several times per week. I call them "stumble-upon" and they often were about wildlife or changing weather (fog lifting, rainbows, isolated rainstorms). As I mentioned to David, this particular photo was composed by choice to include the stuff. I'm often attracted to the contrasts here of semi-urban vs. empty of life butting right up against each other, and the non-irrigated hillsides of our semi-arid climate vs. the lush green of the commercial orchards in areas where there is no neutral zone, just one extreme to the other side by side.

Both the scene and its lighting are quite beautiful, complement and enhance each other's strengths, resulting in a very impactful and artistic image. Everything works: the rows of like-sized stones commemorating so many years and so many lives, the beautiful architecture of the structure, the two bare trees, the stone wall, the distant forest, the threatening clouds. A remarkably lovely photograph with lots of story embedded.

I don't know how you think up or accomplish these feats. This is another nice creation, with the bead balanced precisely on the edge of the knife, creating a lot of tension that has its own visual appeal separate from the lines and circles, balance, bisection, color contrast, shadows/highlights, and other components of the image. I especially like the way the reflection of the bead works on the knife edge, which isn't exactly what you'd expect until you think through it. Well done.

Ironically, I generally don't like these weird "this is the sorta stuff I was doing at 15 in photoshop" edits, but this one is pretty grand

I love graveyards, the older the better. They hold so many stories. I could wander in one for hours. You have given us some visual wandering in different kinds of cemeteries. The Scottish one is my favorite, the one taken from behind the stones as the stones stare out to misty sea on a typical Scottish day of mixed cloud and sun.

Fascinating story and the photo illustrate this nicely. Though museums are not realistic backdrops for flying machines, they do safeguard the stories for future generations. To think how this really worked out in the 1920s with such primitive, in our current view, directional knowledge is pretty amazing. As for the photos themselves, the color tones are what holds the set together - olive and khaki have their own impact on how we perceive photos of things that fly, roll, or fight. They speak of bold adventure.

I am torn about this one. The city view is lovely (Ghent is a pretty wonderful city) though the upper right area is a tad overexposed. The wooden swinging door apparatus is interesting but it does serve as both a magnet and a visual block to the scene, and it is hard to interpret looking at it from this angle. It hides something you wanted hidden, but we as viewers naturally resist blocking and want to know what's there. The little bit we can see is interesting making us want to see more. I'd sure experiment with some cropping from bottom and top, and see if you can get a version where the mystery and magnet of that slit view is less distracting, and the city view is more clarified.

My favorite flower photographs are those that show the imperfections as well as the beauty. This one has both qualities. The rich colors are still there, and the obvious fullness of the bloom. But the edges are withering and discoloring, reminding us of the transitory nature of beauty and life. Nice angle, and good choice of how much blur to introduce in the background. Well done.

Beautiful concept, as the flower conforms to the imaginary sphere that is barely visible to us somewhere deep in the image. I'm wondering if several images are composited? It seems that the focus is both foreground and at some depth with the middle ground OOF, but I may be misinterpreting what I think I see. It is an image with several mysteries, and that's OK, it's what makes us look longer and that is success.

I'm always trying to capture the sun in the frame and it is a challenge. Seems you've done well with this one, we get the impression of an orb rather than a white hole, which is about all we can do most of the time. The colors of blue and orange go so well together (the color wheel is right about this pairing). We get a sense of early fall foliage here and there. I think I would crop from the bottom to eliminate the building in the lower right which is cut off in such a way that we can't make out much of it, but it's too much to ignore so I'd get rid of it and let the photo be almost entirely about nature.

You have given us a nice one that's fun to discuss, as you often do! I've read all the comments and your replies so far, so I'm up to date on the conversation (and even though flat view is not conducive to discussions, we're having one!). I like it very much just as you've presented it, lines, poles, signs, and all. I am of mixed minds on these distractions. I hate them when they get in the way of a story I want to tell and I love them when they illustrate that story as they do here.

A man walks stiffly through the ugly accoutrements and clutter of modern culture, over a mysterious hill and into the haze covered mountains of the Real World. Will he check his mail? Put out a fire? Obey the signage? Will he leave his own mark? I prefer to think he is headed for the trail, to be redeemed.

This is a nice, calm color conversion that has some appeal as an almost-abstract mixed with an almost-still-life.

Poignant and impactful, a subtle study in contrasts. A beautiful proud mother nurtures her adorable family with confidence in a public park. Beyond her, in negligible detail, lies a human, bereft of home, comfort, sustainment, or companionship, lies nurture-less. But that human was once a child, once had a family to gather up with.

This is a powerful fine art work that illustrates a complex concept in a simple way. Excellent work. (Monochrome in simple straightforward processing is definitely the best choice here, allowing the story to tell itself).

Well being deep into my 2nd childhood and a newbie with Affinity -- I'm entitled!!! .... at 15 I was using a speed graphic and a darkroom to do post processing !!! But thanks for the comment .. I was wondering how this would be received ...

WhyNot

Thank you minniev ... I was beginning to think that my kind of photography had become a bit passe here ......

WhyNot

Thank you minniev for kind words. The background blur came from the lens, no artifical blur has been used.

A lovely fall set. All four are well composed with simple design principles and the warm rich colors of a fall morning. I don't know what those things are in the first one, but I've always thought them very photogenic. If you want their structural detail to show, you could try raising the shadows a bit, but if you are going for the silhouette effect, they are good as they are. I think I would try to raise the shadows in the last one, at least in the area they are blocked up, but then I'm bothered by blocked up shadows and not everyone is. Artist's choice!

Gorgeous boats! They remind me of the canoes of the Haida, and probably for good reason, since the Haida are more likely to be culturally and genetically connected to the Polynesian people than any other group - huge seaworthy canoes with carved and/or painted artwork of family/clan heraldry. A history lesson for sure, in grand colors.