* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #823 / Revived #043 on 2024 01 24 *

I agree with your title. This seems to be the final image on my retina before being devoured by The Alien.
The reds and greens, both heading towards blue, also play a strong role in associating this with an unnatural and threatening scene.

Neat.

Pete

I agree on all points.
How we respond to any art experience in any medium will vary depending on the triggering of prior experiences and knowledge. When we discuss art experiences we may, or may not, choose to share the subjective responses. If the experience interests us sufficiently, we might follow up by looking for more information about the artist and their times. In the case of the Donatello, I originally meant to do two studies and put them side by side, one of the marble version and another of the considerably later bronze. I became more interested in just the bronze. Here's a couple of facts about it that I didn't know until I became interested enough to research it further. It's a very significant piece that marks a revolution in European thought. It's the first full length nude sculpture in Europe since classical antiquity. It can be seen as marking the changes in thinking that are the beginning of the Renaissance. The hat. I thought it was a deliberately effeminate gesture. It isn't, although there are other sexually ambivalent aspects of the sculpture. The hat is a deliberate anachronism. It is a style that was current in Florence at the time the first sculpture was made. Florentines are being invited to identify with the young seemingly powerless who stand up to the powerful.
The Renaissance and the changes in human thinking it brought have always fascinated me. I had already taken the photos but now I was seeing the sculptures quite differently.
My issue with the Looking at Me image is different. I get that the PP has resulted in the faces taking on some of the style of the paintings behind. For three of the faces, the styling is consistent with the paintings on the wall. OK. I could find and enjoy meaning in that. For another three, the faces have become something more like blank masks. I couldn't find a way to interpret this but certainly others might.

You have to smile at the bike. All the "biker" ethos and symbols taken to the logical conclusions. Who could build and ride such a bike? He remains an enigma with his "The Unknown" cap. Further, by clearly making it evident that this is shot with film, we get a nudge to the Woodstock era.
We may not see a face but I'd argue that this is a genuine and incisive portrait.

Yes. Check out the notes I added in my reply to Why Not as to the significance of the statue. I think "juvenile contempt" would have been approved by the sculptor.

In one and two, I like what you have done with the fisheye lens.
In one, the tourists are enveloped by the street. Streets can feel like this when you travel.
In two, The proximity of the girl on the left means we look at the scene as though we are her and the viewing effect is made even more so as she is adjusting her glasses. Again, the wa cocoons us in the experience. Where are we? the "important engraved writing" is in English and I presume the statue has significance in a stand against tyranny. It's full of classical touches. The ceiling is a straight take from the Pantheon in Rome and there are laurel leaves on the walls.
Re three. Is this the exterior of the building in two? It looks something like the pillared entrance to The Parthenon? I feel that the figure is too small. Perhaps get in close so the figure and umbrella holds us like the girl on the left in two?

Confirmed:
1 is in the retail district of Genoa, Italy
2 is U.S. President Jefferson's Memorial in Washington D.C. (GoPro6)
3 is Richmond Va State Capitol Building (a6500 18-135)

for me, the 3 images have an element in common, but I'm not sure it comes across, I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to "getting closer"

The series forms a fine portrait of the town, followed by an even finer portrait of one of its inhabitants.
The first (which I think is the courthouse, rather than the church?) is shown square on, and so takes on a strong and immovable presence. It is an impressive building.
The spindly legs of the water tower lead towards the sky, where it holds the name of the town proudly. There is something slightly disconcerting and endearingly odd about the construction, - like a steam-powered space-rocket.
There are so many leading lines to the Strand. The cables are often a nuisance in photos, but here there are so many that they become a feature. They are almost like the lines depicting speed in a carton, and give a sense of motion. In any case the subject bring feelings of nostalgia.
In the next, the leading line is a zig-zag, which is probably quite appropriate leading to the church, as few manage to stay on the straight and narrow path.
Finally, a lovely portrait of a farmer selling his produce the way it should be sold, from the tail-gate of his truck, with no middle-man in sight. I am not surprised he enjoyed receiving his copy.
I have never been to Kosciusko, but now feel I have flavour of what to expect.

Pete

You did well in the first to light the bottle holder without causing hot-spots and intense contract on the shiny metal, and the flower has attractive even light. The light-box has certainly passed its test.

Pete

It is a very graphical subject, with the lines of the trees and bushes contrasting against the slabs of fence and foggy sky. However, some of the fog is caused by being out of focus, as only the tree is sharp. If it was intentional to blur the fence and plant, then I am missing the point. Was it an attempt to introduce depth into a fairly one-dimensional subject? If it was, then it doesn‘t really work for me, which is a shame, as I think the whole thing needs to be sharp to work well in this graphic composition.

Pete

Yes, this certainly worked right and is a cool photo. It is a good portrait, even if we can only see the back of the man.
His motorcycle is great, with a pretty unique passenger attached to the back and is itself a great subject.
There are also some other details, which kept me amused, regardless of whether they were intentional or not.

The way the helmets and jackets are draped on the bike, it resembles a soldier, dressed in black, pointing a gun at the skeleton, the symbol of death, while everyone else(!) in the photo turns his back and ignores what is going on.

Tattoos are associated with bikers, and we can‘t see if he has any, but there is one inked on the surface of the road beneath his bike.

No biker is complete without his “bitch”, and at least she is present in word on the wall where he is sitting.

The skid marks on the road are very appropriate and in a nice position too.

Thanks, I enjoyed this one.

Pete

There is a link of classical architecture running through the series. It is particularly strong in the second two, with their domes and colonnaded grand entrances, but the first has arches too, which are less obvious due to the distracting shop fronts.
There is also a connection of women taking photographs. They are all small in the frame, but are central in the foreground, so are still recognisable as a theme.

Pete

Nice architectural images that show size, scope, and scale compared to the tiny tourist figures. The theme of the diverse buildings is held together by the tiny ladies snapping photos of the behemoths. The ultra wide angle works nicely on the first two.

There was a time when I would wait impatiently for the tourists to clear out so I'd have a "clean" shot. After some years' experience, and a series I dubbed "Little People", I now wait impatiently for a tourist to enter the scene and make it more interesting.

I thoroughly agree with Pete, and enjoyed all the little details he mentioned. They are small details but taken together they add a massive amount of interpretive material to this image. I tend to interpret the black-clad "figure" more as Darth Vader than a traditional soldier though. The skeleton seat is worth stopping for but the rest is what makes it special. Well done.

Your technique, whatever it may involve, works well with this one, and the colors, while edgy, work marvelously. The rendering of the water and the structures alongside are especially pleasing. Well done.

Thanks for the feedback! It helps me, should I add more description when I post, or just leave it to interpretation?
The theme I was trying to create with these images was a contrast theme. It was too subtle to connect with the viewer. This is good to know so when I try this again, I do it differently and hopefully connect better.

In the Genoa Image, the chinese couple was part of my walking tour, and they kept taking these photos of each other, but not in front of anything, just random, playful poses in a crowd. The crowd around them wore dark colors, looked down a lot, seemed to trudge, the street was constantly in shadow with indirect winter sunlight. The stores have neutral colored facades, no neon or lights to get your attention.
I didn't want to intrude on them, but I think if I had been closer and made them bigger in the image, maybe directly centered in the frame it would have been more obvious.

The Jefferson Memorial image is similar, there is one person not like the rest. I didn't want to disturb her, she was recording vlogs and giving a short history lesson. All I had was a GoPro because I hadn't decided to make photography a hobby. Every time I took a shot, someone stepped into frame. I chose this one in post because the girl on the left, her arm takes you to her eyes, her eyes take you to the vlogger and Jefferson. Even though the theme was supposed to be contrast, I think it also said something about freedom, to make a vlog in a founding father's memorial where you can just say anything you want, even the Vatican has places where the docents won't let you photo or take selfies.I wonder if Jefferson would be proud of that.

The last one made me think Mr Smith Goes to Washington or Legally Blonde. The imposing rigidity, black and whiteness of an institution, its building a monument to itself, and then a person in a bright color who just looks up at it, almost as if they are saying how cute, I'm not intimidated, I would have chosen hanging lights...