Discussion: Bridges of the World July 2026 (page 18 of 18)

Beajourbrez summed it up well! I don’t hold any animosity toward you either, and I think it’d be a shame if you stopped participating.

Honestly, I thought your comments were justified. I’d have reacted the same way if, in a rugby discussion, someone who knew nothing about the sport had suggested changing or simplifying its rules.

Actually, photography has never really interested me. When I was young, I used to carry a camera that developed photos instantly (I think it was called a Polaroid). In the most remote places, I’d use it (along with my harmonica and a deck of cards for magic tricks) to get a warm welcome from the locals. The country where I used it the most was Ceylon (Sri Lanka). I’d photograph entire families (at their request!) lined up in a row, then each daughter separately! You can imagine the kind of photos that produced! But it made people happy, and that was the point. They remained the sole owners of their images 😊 I think you can take beautiful photos of wind farms, power lines, big metal bridges, or even the towers in the 93 where I spent my childhood. But personally, since I’d never want to take that kind of photo, I can’t bring myself to photograph what I find ugly. Here, looking at some of these photos, I feel like a child in front of a Picasso painting. My little girl once told me, "That man doesn’t draw well—my drawings are much prettier!" It’s possible I’ll join a contest again if the theme speaks to me. I did it for a forest theme on another forum and here on the "landscape" topic. Once again, no hard feelings. I enjoy reading all your posts about India, which I love.

Hi Jean Luc, Sorry I didn’t reply to your request sooner—I’ve been really busy lately with my grandson 😊

Here’s a suggestion for your photo: I chose the pole as the subject with the Niger River in the background for a more minimalist shot. - Straighten the perspectives and center the pole since it’s the main focus. - Format change: I think 16:9 works better to remove the sky, which doesn’t add much. - Black & White: to keep it minimalist, B&W works really well when there isn’t a well-defined color, like in this case. - Lighten the pole and railing, darken the banks to draw the eye toward the background (it would’ve been perfect if it were centered 😅).

The resolution isn’t great—I couldn’t do exactly what I wanted, but here’s a suggestion. Let me know what you think.

Thanks so much, Isabelle, for this touch-up. I also got another one with a Tuareg blue sky. In both cases, I’m having the horizon straightened, but other tweaks are more personal. Clearly, your suggestions are less jarring to the eye, and we go from a mediocre ‘souvenir photo’ to a nearly presentable shot (wasn’t a given ).

Here’s a new game idea: A beginner looking to improve or a confirmed amateur (I can volunteer for that) posts a photo, and experienced photographers suggest improvements.

P.S. I should stop here, but I really need to respond to Nicolas’s caption

Hi Isabelle,

The Tuareg blue edit Jean-Luc mentioned is mine 😉 I’m posting it here and reattaching the original. I like your version—it’s modern and quite creative—but I find it too personal. Actually, you turned it into a completely different image from the author’s. It’s not a criticism, just an observation that leads me to this question: should we push editing that far? It’s fun to play around with our own photos, but what about others’?

I just adjusted the lighting, contrast, and colors (removed some yellow) and, of course, straightened the horizon. I kept the original framing, which highlights three horizontal sections.

Hello Kate, Yes, you're absolutely right—it's just my own take on this photo, which is totally different from the original 😉. I asked myself how to make the photo more "attractive." The tones weren’t bold enough, and there weren’t enough pixels to avoid degrading the image. So, I decided to completely rework it and came up with this version.

...a realization that still leads to this question: should we push editing this far?

Yes, it’s always the eternal debate—should we edit our photos or not? There are two ways to develop/edit a photo: - Either you stay as close to reality as possible. Most pro photographers say 90% of the work happens in the field. That’s what I try to do most of the time. - Or you completely transform the original photo into something much more creative and personal. I love "fine art" photography—graphic, minimalist—but it takes a ton of time in post-processing. You can also create something artistic straight out of the camera 😊.

It’s fun to play with your own images, but what about others’?

Jean Luc asked if I could improve his photo, which is the only reason I took the liberty of offering a different take on it. Based on his response, I don’t think he was offended.

Hi everyone,

Just to keep the thread alive a bit...

Offshore, the bridge between Denmark and Sweden that I took yesterday, and here’s the view from Sweden a few hours ago 😊

Hello Your photo #3 looked familiar to me.... I’ve got (almost) the same one under the sun 😉



Indeed! Did you cross it?

Oh really! Did you cross it, then?

My memories are pretty fuzzy now 😇... I think I did, but on foot because cars weren’t allowed (another bridge had been built a few meters away).