Welcome to the Wednesday Comments and Critique (No Theme) thread!We’re continuing the great tradition of this C&C thread because we’re convinced that looking at and talking about images is vital for better photography, and also useful for understanding and appreciating our gear.The idea is simple:you post an image and get critique on it, and in return give other people your opinion of their images.Or vice versa: you give others your honest feedback, and in return deserve the right to post your own picture for C&C.Generally, you shouldpost only one single imagefor C&C. As an exception, you can post two picturesresulting from one shutter releasebut with different treatment (for example a color and a black & white version, or a different crop) for us to choose from and comment on.TWO RULES:1. If you post an image, you critique at least one other image.2. Keep your comments honest but polite; if you don’t care for an image, try to explain why. This is neither a “Good shot!” nor an image-bashing thread.Any style, any camera. It is a peer-to-peer photography workshop!Feedback is guaranteed (for up to 48 hours after the thread has started)! Though keep in mind that the thread tends to be busiest during the first 24 hours or so, so later image posts may get little feedback.HOW TO PLAY:1. Turn on "Threaded view" and reply to this post with a web-sized image. Change the title so we can sort different images out easily!2. Get back to this thread in a minute, an hour or a day or so, and…3. …still in threaded view, look at one or more pictures of your choice, click reply and critique it.4. Remember to add the EXIF if your image doesn't embed it as this may help5. Image posters: please consider telling us what your own opinion on your image is. What prompted you to click that shutter button? What did you see? Why do you like the result? You don't have to explain, but it might be interesting.6. You are very welcome to post agroup replyto the feedback you have gotten. This could include a new version of your image, taking on board the comments received.Please try not to reply individually to every comment so as not to fill up the thread on your own.IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME, WELCOME! AND BE SURE TO READ THIS:-► The critique you give (point 3 from the above list) is vital. What was your first impression? What catches your eye about an image? Why? What do you like, and what distracts you? What would you change?-► Fiddle with the image in your head - composition, perspective, color balance, exposure. If the poster of the image does not object, you may even consider downloading his image and fiddling with it for real, to illustrate your point.-► More general feedback is also welcome. Do you know something about taking the same sort of image that would make matters easier - share your own as an example in your reply. Encourage - it is a scary business putting your work up for other people to judge!-► Finally what is the verdict? Waste-bin? Snapshot? Could be better? Family Album? Frame on wall? Poster-size frame on wall? Billboard? Reuters? World Press Photo? National Geographic? Museum? (pick your own superlative here)Here is last week's thread: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38512911One of the first replies is “The Related Post”. This is the place to post your general, not image-specific musings about this great enterprise called the C&C Thread.Another of the first replies includes a link to all previous threads. This is called "Our Archives Vault".Best Regards,Claus.

This is a placeholder for anything related to the C&C threads. And we do mean anything: feel free to start a discussion about the threads, or how you felt when your image was trashed by some mean know-it-all (probably not in this thread, though), or how it feels trying to say something polite about a cr @ ppy image posted for review (tough one).This is also the place to make arrangements and share ideas for keeping this thread alive and kicking. Or for starting a new "Photo Essay" or "Series" thread, as has been suggested in the past (plenty of “Weekly” this-and-that threads around, so why not?).The C&C group will be more than happy to consider all input.

Here is the list of all recent editions of this wonderful experiment: our weekly exercise in ruthless peer-to-peer coaching for better photography; a refuge from gear discussions.All threads of 2008:(Jonas started this thread on April 2, 2008) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=30596254All threads of 2009: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=34168706All threads of 2010: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37375543Recent editions:Week 163 (May 25, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38512911Week 162 (May 18, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38458792Week 161 (May 11, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38408054Week 160 (May 4, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38357962Week 159 (April 27, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38307295Week 158 (April 20, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38254993Week 157 (April 13, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38202821Week 156 (April 6, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38150289Week 155 (March 30, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38095763Week 154 (March 23, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=38041531Week 153 (March 16, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37984269Week 152 (March 9, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37928595Week 151 (March 2, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37866928Week 150 (February 23, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37807305Week 149 (February 16, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37747603Week 148 (February 9, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37684498Week 147 (February 2, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37621221Week 146 (January 26, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37561168Week 145 (January 19, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37501138Week 144 (January 12, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37439942Week 143 (January 5, 2011 – by Claus) http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=37375531

SummerThanks for looking & commenting,Regards,Claus.

As the subject line indicates, my goal was to capture the ambient late afternoon (16:30) light and atmosphere.This was shot mostly back-lit with deep shadows in the foreground. Post processing was critical.Did it work?Bill Turner

Claus, A tough shot nicely pulled off. I'm particular to these "upshots" so I'm a bit biased,

While this is a C&C thread we see more and more images who are just fineThis is no exception, I like this shot Bill Bootstrap, maybe the red flower or leaves part on the right can be dodge a little but nice colours and a beautifully smooth sky and composition. Also I noticed a different formatRegards Lou-Bootstrapwrote:As the subject line indicates, my goal was to capture the ambient late afternoon (16:30) light and atmosphere.This was shot mostly back-lit with deep shadows in the foreground. Post processing was critical.Did it work?Bill Turner

No archives this week, this one is fresh!This weekend I went with a group of friends to Peneda-Gerês National Park in the north of Portugal.We rented a recovered old stone house in a small village. We visited some of the villages nearby which, except for summer, are deserted and with a very old remaining population.Nevertheless they welcome tourists and hikers with a lot of simpathy and they apreciate when you take the time to chat with them. I always enjoy that experience since my ealy teens when I was a scout and we hiked a lot in the isolated villages in various regions of Portugal.Anyway, during one those chats I was able to wonder a bit and step back to shoot from a distance. This is one of my favorite portraits of weekend.Actually the weekend was more prolific in people shots than in landscape.As for PP, the usual tricks apply with LR ("A Farewell to Arms)"and Nik Color Efex ("Glamour Glow") tweaked presets, plus maybe too much vigneting ;).E3+70-300+Lr3.4+Nik Color EfexThanks for looking... -- BjornBudd was my computer games alter ego... My name is João Afonso Ferreira, I'm from Portugal. PhotoBlog:http://www.codaque.blogspot.com Blog:http://www.atjaf.blogspot.com(in Portuguese)

Color:B&W & cropped:

E-30 with 12-60.

Monument Valley in southern Utah, USA, is a very special place. You might remember scenes from famous western movies like Stagecoach that were shot here. There is one viewpoint that the Navajos have named for John Ford, the famous director, who set up his movie camera on the spot.The Navajos have also built a very plush hotel called simply "The View Hotel". This shot was taken in early morning light from our balcony. [E30 + 14-54, 14mm, f/16, 1/60sec]

Drat! Wayne grabbed the "Backlit" title before I could get to it.In Picasa, I cropped it, boosted saturation, sharpened, and cloned out a sidewalk intrusion, but decided to leave the bird splat.Don't ask what animal it is; I forgot.

Someone said that my Lebanese heritage means I have a "Spirit of Terrorism". This self portrait is my tongue-in-cheek response.E520 zd 14-42 @ 42mm 1/8 @ f8 ISO 400. B&W conversion done in PSP X2 Ultimate

Very good capture of the moment and expression. Technically, though, the border of the selection you used for bringing up the face is pretty obvious on the lower jaw and chin. Clean this up a bit and it's a wonderful portrait. --Some people operate cameras. Others use them to create images. There is a difference.http://ikkens.zenfolio.com/http://sarob-w.deviantart.com/

I like the juxtaposition of having this spectacular view, and you caught the woman at a moment when she was reading something. About the only thing I could thing of doing differently was using a wider angle and getting a little closer to her, while still capturing the vista. --Some people operate cameras. Others use them to create images. There is a difference.http://ikkens.zenfolio.com/http://sarob-w.deviantart.com/

Whow, but terrible that you got judged that way. Fear and also the believe to be better than the other creates an awful lot of stickers to put on someonce head. Charles B you said.. son of? Just kiddingChildren didn't have any clue about such matters and get along with everybody to play and live with. So in a way we as adults are quilty for the differences they raise in and believe me that will not stop tomorrow. The only thing we do is to hide for our own responsibilities in that mattery. Just a thought.Regards Lou-CharlesB58wrote:Someone said that my Lebanese heritage means I have a "Spirit of Terrorism". This self portrait is my tongue-in-cheek response.E520 zd 14-42 @ 42mm 1/8 @ f8 ISO 400. B&W conversion done in PSP X2 Ultimate

But to call you a terrorist it's no way of treating a friend....lol....Funny thing is that I've seen terrorists with corporate suits and they do not seem to know that they are indeed the worst kind of terrorists in our society....hehehehe.....

I really like the composition and the unsual angle. Great capture!

I agree with Bill - nicely done. Whenever I see a shot like this, I sort of rotate it in my head to look for different compositions. Just curious if you tried that? It is fine as it is.But I can't help myself - it looks to me like a 90 degree counter clockwise rotation might also be interesting. -- -Mike It's much easier to criticize than to create

I wish we were having summer around here in the Pacific Northwest!This definitely reminds me of my childhood days and a lazy hot summer afternoon, so mission accomplished. The bright areas appear a bit darker than expected, which I'm sure was intentional. The resulting feeling is one of looking at the scene through very dark sunglasses, which reinforces the summer afternoon feeling. -- -Mike It's much easier to criticize than to create