April 2026 Theme Discussion: Feeling Peachy? (page 4 of 5)

Easter Island



This must be the first photo of Easter Island I’ve seen that’s from a real traveler.😉

So, what’s it like? As amazing as you dreamed?🙂

A real traveler? No, just someone who was lucky enough to go there :-)

Able to combine Chile and these islands. Left Paris the day after the Bataclan attacks and, right after, got our first flower leis before heading to Atacama.

Yes, it’s an incredible memory—whether it’s the people, the landscapes, the history, the food, or the music...

I hope you get to go someday! :-)

This must be the first Easter Island photo I’ve seen that’s actually from a real traveler.😉 So, what’s it like? As amazing as you dreamed?🙂

Hi Michaël,

What’s a "real traveler"? 😛

Yeah, an island that makes you dream... and will always do for me after seeing the crazy price of flight tickets 🤪

I mean: not a magazine photo 😉. A "real traveler" travels with their own money but isn’t paid to do it😏

Ouch, Kate, these are pirates, not fishermen 😕

The same guy with a fishing rod or holding a fish by the tail, that works 😉

🙁🏴‍☠️ After reading your guidelines, I got stuck on “anything related to... etc.” and I didn’t feel like posting the usual photos of Essaouira boats, MBour fishermen, and all those fish stalls you see in every market around the world. Anyway, I’ll ask for my 3 photos to be deleted 😉

I know my theme is a bit "overfished," that’s true 😏

I’m not an ayatollah either, you can keep your photos—everyone will judge when it’s time to vote 😉

I’m not some hardliner either, you know—you can post your photos and everyone will judge when it’s voting time ;)

No, no, you’re right to stick to your topic ;)

I’m not a hardliner either, you know—you can post your photos and everyone will judge when it’s time to vote 😉

No, no, you’re right to stick to your topic 😉

When I saw your photos, I thought they wouldn’t pass, but I’m not the winner so I kept quiet. Especially since they’re gorgeous, and who’s to say the pirate isn’t a fisherman in his spare time! 😉

Plus, your Essaouira boat is really pretty 😎

This huge poster dominates the seafood section of my local small supermarket.

Here, prices have been soaring since last year, when fishing restrictions (until September 2027) were introduced for both commercial and recreational fishing to protect certain endangered species.

Fishermen really aren’t feeling peppy! !

No fishing. It’s protected. A dolphin. In Lorient harbor.

Hi everyone,

My favorite oysters are the ones from the Arcachon Basin: Right here in the oyster-farming village of L'Herbe.





Enjoy your tasting!

...

Hello everyone,

My favorite oysters—those from the Arcachon Basin: Here in the oyster-farming village of L'Herbe.





Enjoy your tasting!

...

The same ones, before ending up on your platter ;)

Hi there

I hesitated with other photos



Cochin, India – repairing fishing nets right on the boat deck

Marseille, view from the Corniche Kennedy of a fisherman with mask and snorkel



Brussels, ceramic tile decor in a downtown restaurant



Aveiro, south of Porto – the old train station has become a real azulejo museum

Hi there,

Yesterday at the Ajaccio market, the stall of our favorite fishmonger:



** ( Her octopus salad is... simply divine!! )

Enjoy your tasting.

...

I’m replying here to Pagal so I don’t clutter the contest thread.

It’s still really tough and frustrating to only be able to choose three photos...

What would you have said back when contests averaged 80 photos! 😉 herikles.free.fr/.VF/VFconcours.html Today, we barely scrape together 34 images…

A lack of interest, like with so many other things… On “the other” forum, they managed to post 37 photos this month. Not much better than us. But I’d rather be here—loyal and silly.

Some folks play both sides!!!

They’re fishing for diamonds?? I need proof :P

Unfortunately, your diver colleagues—after covering her in diamonds (from rivers, no less!)—dragged the mermaid who was keeping me company down to the depths. If you find them, the diamonds are yours! ;) I’ll be waiting a little further south, in Hondeklip Bay, where Sam’s still full of energy.

Pagaljavab, photo 2, 1 point Probably a scanned film photo, which might affect the grain quality. Those little flaws (a bit blurry and partly overexposed), in my opinion, don’t detract from the atmosphere, the interaction between the two women, or the dynamic diagonal composition with the characters in succession.

Thanks for your vote, Kate! To be honest, it’s not a scanned film photo at all—it’s a digital shot taken with my phone. I’ve already mentioned this, but I’m really not great at photography; I barely know anything about it. I’m joining this contest for fun, to admire everyone else’s amazing photos, and to learn from all of this so I can improve because I’m starting to get interested.

I took this photo at Dakar’s Dior Market. The lighting was terrible, and Senegalese people, like Indians, really don’t like being photographed. Some around me were even asking me to put my phone away. I had to say I was just taking a photo of the fish and hurried because the scene was lovely (it’s my wife’s cousin, seen from behind, buying fish). Because of that, the original photo was a bit blurry and awful. On instinct—since I really don’t know much—I tried to salvage this photo I liked by adjusting the lighting, exposure, and grain that way. Sure, it gives a failed film effect, which I thought too, but I did what I could... In the end, it gives an... original... result...

I’m in India right now for a wedding, and I’m trying to take advantage of the situation to improve my photography skills—it’s a great opportunity!

Looks like there’s a numbering error in your vote (though everything’s great with Philippebrg 😉)

I didn’t feel like posting the usual photos of Essaouira boats or MBour fishermen

Not in Morocco, Mauritania, or Senegal. So where then?

(In Western Sahara)

Hi Kate,

“But I prefer being here, loyal and silly.” Me too, even if I only vote—just to show my interest. Not participating doesn’t always mean a lack of interest. First, we had to restart after a long break, and for me, health reasons kept me away from the computer.

Plus, some members have made such progress and take photos like pros (you’re one of them) that it makes you hesitate if you’re not at their level. Do you still want our “ordinary” photos, even if they’re taken with the joy of fellow travelers? It would increase participation but might lower the overall quality of the contest photos. As for me, I appreciate when people critique my photos (without tearing them apart 😄) if the comments help improve them. But the past has shown that some people get offended.

This seems like a discussion worth having before generalizing the reasons for low participation. Is our goal exchange with potential improvement, or a high standard? I was in the middle of reorganizing—buying a new camera and computer—to consider participating again. I’ll never forget everything the Forum and its members have given me in the past, and the amazing trips around the world I’ve been able to take thanks to them 🌍.

Warmly to everyone, Maevita (Ursula)

Good evening!

I always find your comments really interesting, even if I sometimes reach different conclusions... For example:

Rouquine38’s photo #1 (the puffin) is a bit dark for my taste.

I actually think the black background is a great choice—it really makes the white belly and the beak stand out.

On the other hand, I’m a little surprised by your pick for Pagaljavab’s photo #2. Now *I* think that one’s too dark, while their #3 is really well done, in my opinion, of course. The green (from the fruit) and the blue (of the fabric) make the image so lively and so "African." It reminds me a lot of Mali. A stunning photo—I loved it for the longest time...

Have a great evening, hgb

...I'm hopeless at photography, I barely know anything about it, but I'm joining this contest for fun, to admire the amazing photos from others, and also to learn from all this to improve because I'm starting to get interested in it.

We all have our own motivations, but I think what brings us together is the desire to have fun, above all! I love photography—you know that ;)—and believe it or not, I really got into it by taking part in these little contests! One day, the game took a turn: improving, progressing, making my own beautiful images that best tell the story of what I saw and felt. It’s by observing others’ photos, commenting on them, and accepting criticism—even when it’s negative—that I’ve improved.

That’s also why I take the time to explain my choices when voting.

You’re far from hopeless! Your photos are honest and sensitive; you have a great eye (I’m talking about the ones in your travel journals too). They always tell a story. Maybe by working a bit on the basics (exposure + sharpness + composition + lighting), they could have even more impact.

PS: Don’t you have a travel journal to finish? :P

Hi Ursula

Do you still want them even with their "ordinary" photos, though taken with the joy of fellow travelers? That would increase the number of participants but might lower the quality of the contest photos.

What a question!? Of course we want everyone’s photos! And we don’t really care about lowering the quality of the contest photos!

On the other hand, I don’t think it would increase the number of participants 😕 It’s a lost cause! Whether they’re mediocre or masterpieces, they stay stuck in travelers’ memory cards...

As for me, I appreciate when people critique my photos (without tearing them apart 😄) if the comments help improve them. But past experience has shown that some people get offended.

Bruising egos... A relationship with photography I don’t always get...

And for the rest, I won’t repeat myself—I’ll expand on my reply to Pagal 😉