* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #852 / Revived #072 on 2024 08 14 *

I'm curious to see who will praise this photo next.

I'm happy to see you picked up on the fact it obviously isn't a documentary version.

The lighting in the actual scene was dull and flat so I added some warmth to the scene.

From all the feedback I have received since it was first posted on the www some like it and some don't and that's fine.

It gets people talking about my images which is what I aim for. Thank you for contributing.

If you don't like it then that's fine. I have no issue with that but surely you are not suggesting that everyone should extrapolate that to mean that no-one else must like it, are you?

This is wonderful. Capturing the combatants, with their colourful costumes against the dark backgrounds is good. Even better is the moment you captured, with the red knight in action, with one foot off the ground, whilst the blue knight stands with both feet planted firmly, showing a seemingly strong defence. But the real killer is the shower of sparks from the clash of steel blades, lighting up so dramatically against that black background, which show the real power involved and evidence that is not merely a choreographed touching of swords.
I agree with Mike about the benefits of a crop or the original and could live with either, or be greedy and like vote for both.

Pete

I too enjoyed seeing both versions. Actually it made me appreciate your edited version even more, especially as you edited it in a way I almost certainly would not have tried. I may well have cropped the same way, but I would not have made the image more blue, and I think doing that has made the background seem darker and less inviting, allowing the flower to stand out more, even though it too has a blue cast. Nice touch.

Nicely caught bird in flight from an attractive angle.
I photographed a heron this morning, which is the European variety, and no doubt yet another species in the collection! I haven’t even seen the result on the back of the camera - I took quite a few photos this morning!

I agree with Minnie that the reflections are actually an interesting part of the photo, and add a touch of mystery. The photo is about the London Eye experience and shows a capsule and part of the Eye’s structure, so the reflections are really just a confirmation that the photographer is in a similar capsule. (Where else, I suppose!) Had your photo just shown the view over London, then the reflections would probably have been an annoyance.

Fine cars and you have presented them well under the difficult museum conditions.

Your trademark leading lines connect the two women to the two men. The men have the motorbike as a centre of attention, but the bright clothes of the women have helped attract the attention of one of them away from the boys’ toy and the viewer follows a similar route. The theme of groups segregated by sex, but joined by eye-contact, is one that I found often in India , and enjoyed trying to photograph, and which you have done so well here.

I didn’t pick up on the similarity to Hopper, but can see why you think that now. The details of the interior are sparse, but give a hint of character in a way Hopper could do.
The expanse of blue wall has two openings, one of which shows the interior and the other dried grass, which is a fun contrast. The grass at the bottom hints at the way Hopper liked to have nature encroaching into the scene, and the road too is a common feature, and in this case it points towards a couple of figures, which are very small, but with a number of lines leading towards them, so the take on an importance greater than their size. Hopper also kept his figures quite small, but they too were important in the composition.

Hearing the proposal really adds to the attraction of this photo, and judging by their looks and body language, I think we can guess the answer! Standing on the pillar of the wall, they have become a Statue to Love and Affection.

You have captured the women's faces in a row underneath what must be a heavy religious object. This suggests their feeling of community and also a subservience or sense of duty to the religion. Their faces show a determination and perseverance rather than joy. Their dark clothes and the B&W treatment underline these feelings.
A strong and thought-proving image.

Pete,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Indulge me a bit . . . Here's my (slight) rework, thinking it utilizes a more "Hopper-ish" look.

Rich

I'm kind of liking the black and white too. I wouldn't have thought of it till Kumsal brought it up but it is indeed a nice idea, and it looks good on my screen. I'll do a test print and compare it to the color version. Thanks for your ideas Roel.

It is hard not to look at a photo with a photographer's eye but you're right, in these circumstances we have to look with more than just that. Thank you for your feedback especially that reminder, Andrew, I am incorporating some of your ideas into my color version. The tractor is just a bit too green, I agree. I had already used a LR mask (those tools are so much better than they once were) to brighten his face under that hat brim, but it may need a bit more brightening.

The right two thirds of the photo would be very appealing, if you didn't have this color toning applied. I think the image would benefit from cropping the left third off and going back to a more realistic color treatment. The colors in the warm bright patch are jarring to my eye and conflict with the rest of the image.

Wonderful cars, well taken shots that maximize their beauty. I'd still enjoy creative versions of these beauties, but they are nicely done for documentary images.

Thank you minniev. The original scene had very dull and flat lighting which didn’t really do much for me.

In the past I found that if I changed something to please someone it often upset someone else who liked the previous version.

Bur thank you for your thoughts.

Thank you Pete 😊