* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #950 / Revived #170 on 2026 07 01 *

Shots that pan the movement of the main subject are good at showing the speed of the subject.
Works well here
...but looking at the "fuzzy girl" reminded me of a scene in "Deconstructing Harry" from Woody Allen ;-)
AI says,..
...In this specific fantastical scene, an actor named Mel—played in a memorable cameo by Robin Williams—is on a film set when the director and crew realize he is literally out of focus and blurry. They initially think something is wrong with the camera lens, but they quickly realize the physical actor himself is soft and fuzzy. The director decides to wrap the shoot for the day and sends him home to get some rest, hoping he will "sharpen up" by morning.

Must be great to have and revisit an archive with such photos. These really do look like they came from a different time.

Being nestled among light-colored plants in the foreground, combined with the dark background, makes for a good portrait.

I find both photos very interesting.
Keep it up, Mike.

A very interesting photo.
The female pedestrian seems to be moving faster than the cyclist.

I think it’s great that the dogs are being cared for in this way.
Havana is a dream for a photographer; the last photo bears witness to that.

Handled difficult lighting conditions very well.

I think both photos are very good.
It’s just a shame that the new, polished buildings spoil the view of this beautiful palace!

Gorgeous portrait that looks great in high key black and white. The detail is exquisite in the mane and facial features of this guy. The foreground blur adds a dimension of depth. The safari park hotel sounds lots more fun than ours, which is drive-through only.

Excellent images, windows into the culture of yesteryear in what is presumably a Spanish village rather than big city. Monochrome suits the vintage feel of the images. The geometry of the second one, with all its cubes and rectangles and squared lines is such a visually well organized image. Good tonal range, and use of shadows. Just a fine image.

Boys the age of these are infamous for embarking on ill advised escapades. I had 3 of my own and now 3 grandsons and can assure you there doesn't have to be an explanation: the woodpile is there, that is enough of a reason. You say captures a universal story that crosses country, culture, language, and time. Additionally, it is quite a nice pano with strong use of horizontal lines and planes for compositional markers, and the subjects well balanced in the two halves at different depths. Well done.

You seem to have achieved your goal, as the gentleman on the bike is in sharp focus except for his foot and the wheel and the woman and background are nicely blurred. These differences add to the sensation of movement which is further enhanced by the diagonal slope of the concrete edge.

Absolutely amazingly beautiful and ornate structure, and well captured in postcard-like detail. The second one shows the contrast between architectural styles of the old structures versus the new. Nice processing choices.

A nice city shot featuring classic architecture and a shiny red vehicle to grab our eye. Simple but visually pleasing.

I don't know enough about theater photography to have much meaningful to say, but you have handled the difficult lighting very well and captured the characters without revealing how hard it must have been. I like the fourth one best, because it gives a window into the personality of the actress, beneath the role she's playing.

Dear all,
Excuse me for being mostly absent in this week’s thread.

Final quite busy work week before a long holiday and intense travel, combined with a few days of family quality time.

I’ll try to do better in coming weeks but can’t actually promise that.

I will make sure to start the thread though (or ask Mike, Minnie or Pete to replace me). There may be some time differences with the normal schedule.

The photo really turns him into a king. A nice sharp head rising regally above all those out of focus flowers and in front of a blurry background makes him dominate the composition, and staring proudly into the camera does the rest. It is a very fine animal portrait.

Two more gems from the past. They are 50 years old, but they look as though they could be twice that age and are valuable documentary images, quite apart from any other merits.
I think the title “Waiting for the Bride” is important for the first one. The row of women suddenly have a purpose and we sense their anticipation.

I can’t think of anything to add to this!

Yes, I was impressed by this dog care scheme when I was there.
Your photos capture the contented dogs and the environment in which they live.

The architecture is ornate and impressive, and I like the juxtaposition between the older ornate and the clean lines of the modern buildings.
The high key processing works well too.

This is a lovely portrait of the little Fiat. It is central in the composition and its colour leaves no question as to what the main subject of the photo is, whilst the larger, silver grey and more luxurious limousines become insignificant.
Linking this classic car to a classical building is a nice touch too.

You have captured some nice moments here and dealt well with the awkward lighting. Well done.

I’ll start the new thread between 17.00 and 19.00 Brussels time.
On the road now.