* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #875 / Revived #095 on 2025 01 22*

Normally I am not overly fussed about sharpness, but since these are all about the intricate patterns of the ice sculptures, then I think it is important here. For this reason I am not keen on the first one as there is only a very thin strip of sharpness in the centre of the frame.The second is fine though, with all of the right side nicely detailed. The left side is unsharp, and while the whole frame doesn't need to be sharp in my view, I would still crop off the left-hand quarter, or slightly less, as there is not much going on here.
I like the two dark out of focus vertical shapes in the second image. Presumably they are trees, but the help set off the details of the ice and their shapes echo the shapes of the vertical threads os ice.

The bloom is beautifully sharp and detailed and the background beautifully blurred. This is not the only contrast, as the magenta of the bloom contrasts nicely with the green leaves.
The composition is nice too, with the bloom right in the centre of a square frame, both of which symbolise stability and, therefore, peacefulness.

Pete and I seem to be on the same page today and I agree with his comments here too. I'll add one more. When seen large, there is a very nice extra little touch. The lines of crystals become thinner as they reach the extreme end. Chris has captured what happens next. The finest lines melt first so each of the lines of crystals has a delicate and exquisite continuation of the line where the drops have melted.

You have managed to capture an unusual scene at a Christmas Market. Normally the images are bright, full of bustle and people buying, eating, drinking and laughing, but you have found a quiet, contemplative moment. The woman seems to be lost in thought and gives off quiet, or even melancholy, vibes. The candles and their wrappings are colourful enough, but they are kept in shadow, which underlines the subdued feel of the scene. Despite the bright lights and glittering objects there is a mood of darkness rather than light.

I like the rows and rows of glitter. The lighting and exposure of the cellophane wrapping speaks of the fun of Christmas and presents. The sandwiching of the scene between the awning at the top and the bottom row gives us a customer perspective as we run our eye over the offerings. It'sa pit that the salesperson didn't add an encouraging "Hello" expression to the customer.
I'd have considered cropping a little off the left but I wouldn't want to remove the large star top left. It's doing a good job in establishing the mood and season.

Thank you kindly to both of you. Most appreciated.

[quote="@minniev"]
Who's At The Dam - 12F this week so the edges of the river have frozen, and the birds are swimming through the slush. The migrants have come here seeking a warmer winter than they have in their regular homes, but are probably arguing amongst themselves about whose bright idea this winter holiday was. The locals are used to surprises, grit their teeth (or beaks) and bear it grimly. Winter here is not a pretty season. We have the cold but not the beauty of snow.

Bonaparte's Gulls - migrating

The Dam Birds are back! This shot has all the drama of prior Dam Bird images that I remember. But it's missing some of the fantastic lighting that I recall from the past. I'd guess that is probably a function of the season. Nevertheless, a worthy and welcome addition to the ongoing story of the dam.

Thanks all for your comments. I've struggled with how to display a sequence or series of photos, and it's clear this wasn't the best alternative. It has become even clearer as I continue to work through all my images from that trip to the Pantanal. In fact I pulled out two additional shots from that encounter with the Jaguar. This now makes a single combined image really impractical. I guess I will have to make large prints of them all and possibly do an addition to my house to acquire more wall space. 😉

Here are all five, individually:

To save on the house re-building I suggest three. Numbering from top to bottom, 1,2,5.

Pete's done it again. I especially liked his thought about the effect of the subject position and the square format on the viewer's perception. Continuing to develop the same idea, the stabilty/is further promoted by the bokeh. While out of focus and thereby adding pop, the leaves at the bottom are more in focus than those at the top. It gives subtle weight to the base of the shot.

The almost fractal interplay reminds me of an M. C. Escher drawing that garbles orientation. Nice vision.

Lovely dahlia, with good focus and detail, and really eye catching complementary colors straight off the color wheel!

However you do up your series of prints, please by all means place the sleeping jaguar at the end of it. It's so precious, and necessary to complete the story.

Like them both but like the second one best with its larger area of focus and the burst effect of the bokeh behind the same shaped prongs of the ice crystals.

Well captured. An unusual mood for a Christmas market, solemn and almost sad, as if she's overwhelmed by the volume of "stuff" available, or by the season itself. Technically well taken to preserve the effects of the various competing lights while still holding onto the nighttime ambiance.

Thank you for those words. They mean a lot.
Because yes, I spent quite some time walking around the structures trying to find just the right angles for views that also worked well with other than telephoto.
That is why I basically raced down the river to get there (although I did make a few really quick stops to capture a view of the Orange and Green Cubes on the banks of the Saône.

About those combinations of old and new :

The inclusion of Fourvière Basilique in the first image was a VERY conscious choice.
In fact it was one of the reason why I wanted to ride my bike there.
Having watched how the sun was turning, I knew that Fourvière would be lit by the sun much longer than the rest of the city.
And I was pretty sure it would be visible from great distance, although I did not know exactly if a combination of the buildings was going to be possible
(and if it was, I anticipated that the east side of the Confluences Museum would already be totally dark).
So getting this combination was what I had hoped for but did not dare to really expect.

The inclusion of the other, more mundane but still classic building in the second image, on the west bank of the Saône river, beyond the railroad bridge, was more of a happy coincidence.
I did not aim for such a juxtaposition consciously but was just trying to get an angle on that west side of the building that would show as much as possible and emphasize the Frank Gehry/Bilbao Guggenheim-like qualities of the architecture.
Getting that angle and including the points of the curves just kind of resulted automatically in the inclusion of the other classic building.
Serendipity.