You are the only person I know besides myself who has taken pictures of rotting fish that we could classify in the fine art category. Pictures of trophy fish, yes. Pictures of fish in a colorful fish market, yes. I think this is a small niche. I like this very much while at the same time wondering what happened here - did someone catch them and cast them aside? Did they die from a toxic event in the water? Were they victims of a storm? Deliberate drainage of a lake? Dead creatures always have a story to tell, and quite often the villain in the story is two-legged, in one way or another.

A few oldsters here might have seen this one when I first posted it years ago, named "A Terrible Beauty". I came upon this cache of what is essentially dead dinosaurs while exploring a bayou in the Mississippi delta out from the village of Rolling Fork. Gars are some of the most ancient surviving creatures on the planet. I suspect these were trapped and killed by human fishermen who were their competitors for the same prey.

The Master in You is an evolution of the monthly Master's Critique. Here we will give you a "topic" each month with some themes to consider. Shoot some images with the topic in mind and then post them in this thread and tell us about them. Where did you shoot the image? What are your concerns and challenges with the image? How much, if any, consideration did you give to gear to get the image you wanted? You might also wish to address the themes that are mentioned along with the topic.

General guidelines: This is an open thread where you are encouraged to post your original works and discuss them. Please post only your own work. Do not post edits of another member's work unless you have asked that member for permission to edit. Remember that some people do not want their work edited by anyone. Please respect that. The topics will be active for one month at a time. You will have the entire month to ponder and work on the subject. Feel free to post at any time during the month. You can post more than one image. If you shoot more than one image on any given topic, you may make several submissions. That way we might be able to stimulate some conversations that act as inspiration or, at least, incentive for others to go out and try the topic themselves.

The original purpose of FYC was to be a "cafe" atmosphere where people gather to discuss topics pertaining to photography. It is hoped that this thread will encourage members to get out and shoot images that pertain to the topic and then enter into a discussion about your posts and the posts of others. This monthly topic is not about : "That is really nice" or "two thumbs up". While these are certainly legitimate responses, the aim of this topical thread is to throw a wider net. It is hoped that we will discuss what works and what does not work so well. If someone's work does not appeal to you, feel free to say so in a way that acknowledges that we all have different ideas about what appeals to us.

The Moderators


Topic Of The Month , August 2021: "Less Than Pristine "

Theme 1 How do you approach this topic Mechanical decay, industrial, urban decay, or rural buildings falling apart? What do you look for?

Theme 2 Processing: When do you say "too much"? Do you visualize post processing, or let it come to you?


For some time now, I've wanted to shoot the SS United States. This is the fastest Ocean Liner to cross the Atlantic. Her last voyage was in 1969, and she is presently docked in Philadelphia while a conservancy group is trying to invent a future for this once proud ship. The dock area is closed to the public. So, I had to photograph her from the street on the far side of a chain link fence. I wanted the photo to remind the viewer of a bygone era in travel, so I tried to make it look like an old photograph. I should have shot in film; but I did not on this occasion. (Maybe in the future). I did use "film" presets in NIK. I also cloned out the lines that keep the ship from floating away from the dock.

I thought this might be a good example of: "Less Than Pristine". Of course we are interested in discussing this photo; but we also want to see your examples of "Less Than Pristine". From your archives or shot recently, the choice is yours. This topic will remain active for the month of August.

Moderators,